[A/N: Darned holidays, making it difficult to have evenly spaced uploads! Also, the photo for this one was taken in a dark hotel room, so my apologies for the terrible quality- I did my best to enhance it!]
I think I'll have some difficulty in reviewing this one, because- well, because it's James Bond. There is very little I can applaud or criticise which doesn't come back to that basic fact. This is James Bond, and so it is what it is. For example, I couldn't care less about the manner in which a variety of characters smoke cigarettes, yet many are described, or even introduced, with their particular attitude to tobacco.
The book is, of course, tightly plotted, thrilling, and engaged in its brutality. And Casino Royale is brutal. From the famous torture scene to the unexpected explosion of two grunts, Fleming never shies away from violence. But at the same time, it's necessary. You might not get much from the characters, but that is appropriate to them, as pawns in an international game. No one shows emotion because no one can afford to.
I was also sharply reminded that 007 himself is not a nice person. Forget the romantic hero of the classic movies- Bond of the books is a sociopath and a misogynist who admits himself that he has a double-o number only because he is willing to kill people. The way the book talks about women made me feel genuinely uncomfortable, far more than the violence or the tense gambling scene, but I realise that this too is simply a part of Bond lore.
Often violent and occasionally unsettling to the modern reader, Casino Royale is still a fast-paced and enjoyable thriller with all the ingredients of an espionage classic. Having seen the film doesn't take away from it in any sense, and it is easy to see why Bond's world became the franchise we know today.
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Book Reviews
Não FicçãoCarried over from my Tumblr, this is a personal project tracking what I read through time, largely because of my awful memory. These aren't long reviews, but the books are varied, and the opinions are honest, so I hope you enjoy.
