Literary Songs A-Z | D is for ‘Diamonds are Forever’ by Ian Fleming

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Casino Royale, diamonds are forever, ian fleming, James Bond in film, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Shirley Bassey, Spy Who Loved Me

Yup, it was bound to happen sometime soon. I couldn’t resist it; there had to be a Shirley Bassey in the line-up and it’s in at the letter ‘D’. ‘Diamonds are Forever’ is the fourth Fleming novel in the 007 series and it just oozes charisma and glamour. Without a doubt it epitomises the very essence of the novels. In fact, if the Bond movie franchise got one thing right again and again, it’s the quality of their opening music and Shirley Bassey is the undisputed queen of that particular success.

However, I feel the last few Bond movies have not lived up to this expectation. The music just wasn’t up to scratch, it being somewhat lacklustre and forgettable (I confess, I can’t even remember the last two Bond songs!). Even worse is the sad fact that there really IS no one good enough to take over from Bassey. Lord knows they have tried, but it just hasn’t worked. Her voice is the auditory hallmark of the 007 films and to be honest the only person who could have come close to stepping into her shoes was the late, great Amy Winehouse. But alas, that was not to be. It’s a shame that Winehouse was so self-destructive and her death is a great loss to the music world. But I believe there is still hope. There is yet some other singer out there with the special vocal chemistry that will make my skin tingle when those opening chords play and the naked ladies grace the screen in their psychedelic glory (all seen through a very suggestive ‘peeping-tom-like’ tunnel!)

I have only read two Fleming books so far: ‘Octopussy and the Living Daylights’ and ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and found them to be entertaining in their own way, although I have it on good authority that ‘Casino Royale‘ is by far the best out the bunch. The only difference between the Bond in the novels and the Bond we are accustomed to seeing on screen is that the books don’t take the whole thing so seriously. It’s very tongue-in-cheek and quite clearly just a bit of fun. This was quite surprising after the cool, cunning and calculating Bond that Sean Connery and Roger Moore have built up over the years. I would recommend the Bond novels to anyone looking for a break from their usual genres.  If you’re not sure check out my reviews above.

But I digress; here is the opening title screen to the film. Lyrics are below, enjoy!

Diamonds are forever,
They are all I need to please me,
They can stimulate and tease me,
They won’t leave in the night,
I’ve no fear that they might desert me.

Diamonds are forever,
Hold one up and then caress it,
Touch it, stroke it and undress it,
I can see every part,
Nothing hides in the heart to hurt me.

I don’t need love,
For what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me,
For when love’s gone,
They’ll luster on.

Diamonds are forever,
Sparkling round my little finger.
Unlike men, the diamonds linger;
Men are mere mortals who
Are not worth going to your grave for.

I don’t need love,
For what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me,
For when love’s gone,
They’ll luster on.
Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.
Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.
Forever and ever.

Related articles

• 50 Years of Bond – James Bond (creativemagezine.wordpress.com)
• James Bond: Diamonds Are Forever script full of Fleming’s handwritten corrections emerges for auction with estimate of £80,000 (dailymail.co.uk)
• Ranking the Family of Bond (le0pard13.com)
• Film: Primer: A guide to the James Bond films (avclub.com)

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Book Review | “The Spy Who Loved Me” by Ian Fleming

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007, action, book review, espionage, ian fleming, james bond, romance, spy thriller, the spy who loved me, United States

The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“Love of life is born of the awareness of death, of the dread of it.”

My initial thought when I began reading this novel was, ‘Hang on a minute… this isn’t the Bond I know. Nor the Fleming I’m used to for that matter. What’s going on?’ And indeed, I think a lot of people will recognise the stark difference of perspective that Fleming chose when he decided to write ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. This time round, readers get to see Bond through the eyes of a young innocent French Canadian girl by the name of Vivienne Michel, who as things would have it is on a run from her own painful past. However, what Michel is yet to discover is that fate has more tragedy in store for her in the guise of two murderous villains Sol Horror and Sluggsy Morant.

Michel meets these two unsavories at a motel, which she has been working at for the past two weeks and has been left in charge of till the boss comes to close it for the season. The setting is as follows: Tragic and vulnerable heroine is left all by her lonesome, in the middle of a thick pine forest, with no one around for MILES. To add to the fright, a godalmighty lightning storm kicks off, knocking out the electricity supply. Can things get any worse? Fleming thinks they can. Enter two nasty guys posing as insurance people (Michel stupidly opens the door for them) and you have yourself one big, nasty party.

But Bond is never too far from the scene (apparently he is just in the vicinity), and arrives after Michel suffers a terrible night of ‘alluded’ rape and torture to take the bad guys out. Hmm… In fact, if it weren’t for Bond’s punctured tyre, Michel would never have been saved.

Ok, let’s get onto the actual review, this book shouldn’t be taken seriously. There are a lot of plot holes, and I mean a LOT. Take Michel for instance; she is an intelligent girl who had a semi-decent job in the editorial business. But she goes and sleeps with the boss (not good) who is a self-confessed nazi-minded ‘purist’. You would have thought our Michel had some sense, because before that she had the misfortune of losing her virginity to an Eton snob in a dirty forest! So why on earth did this girl think it was a good idea to travel through America by herself (on a scooter no less) is beyond me. And of all places, to allow herself to end up alone, in the middle of nowhere, in a run-down motel.

But Bond is no better. Oh no. Commander Bond, for all his suave, cold-blooded killer instincts fails to do away with the thugs at the first chance he gets. In fact, it takes him three attempts to actually kill them. I almost laughed out loud when he apologised to Michel, saying he was getting a little rusty. I think so too! I mean here’s a guy who is in a class of his own when it comes to espionage, yet two hard-boiled jailbirds very nearly succeeded in offing him. No wonder many Bond fans didn’t like Fleming’s 10th instalment. Because not only does Bond’s reputation and prowess come under scrutiny/ doubt, but we have to read the whole thing through the slightly whiny, sensual language of Michel, who can’t seem to find fault with our hero.

If you ask me, it’s good that Fleming took notice of his reader’s reactions and did not write any more novels in the same vein. I’d rather have Bond in the centre of the action, and not have to wait until he shows up halfway through the book, only to put on a mediocre show. Bond is better than this, much better. Accept no compromises people!

Overall, I can’t say it was brilliant, but it was certainly entertaining. Though I’m glad that female characters have a lot more backbone to them these days. Apart from that, it’s fun seeing Fleming attempt to write several ‘tasteful’ sex scenes.

This is one Bond novel you need to read in order to decide whether you like it or not. Can’t really recommend it.

View all my reviews

Related articles

• James Bond: Four writers carry forward Ian Fleming’s spy legacy (herocomplex.latimes.com)
• 50 Years of Bond – James Bond (creativemagezine.wordpress.com)
• What I’m Reading: ‘Dr. No’ by Ian Fleming (bisforbooksandrisforreading.wordpress.com)
• Timothy Dalton, the best James Bond? (fandangogroovers.wordpress.com)
• James Bond is a Bit of a Shit (meandmybigmouth.typepad.com)

Mailbox Monday & It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? (25/ 7)

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benjamin zephaniah, carlos ruiz zafon, cats cradle, charlotte perkins gilman, civil war, emila zola, herman hesse, ian fleming, irvine welsh, Its monday what are you reading?, jm barrie, kurt busiek, kurt vonnegut, margaret atwood, mark millar, marvels, matt moylan, meme, mohsin hamid, patricia melo, Paul Auster, Paul Gallico, paul jenkins, peter pan, raymond carver, roberto bolano, siddhartha, stephen galloway, streetfighter world warrior encyclopedia, the angel's game, the cellist of sarajevo, the dream, the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society, the skating rink, the spy who loved me, the year of the flood, the yellow wallpaper, trainspotting, violette leduc, wolverine origins

Welcome to Monday Meme’s! (‘Mailbox Monday’ by Marcia at The Printed Page and ‘It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?’ by Sheila at The Book Journey are fun weekly meme’s that allow book-bloggers to share their reading progress and the books they have yet to read.

July has been a hectic month, but also fruitful in terms of books. Since I haven’t had time to post that often (due to my novel-writing) I’m taking this opportunity to pick up from where I left off in March. Here’s a review of the titles that have either wowed me, or left me a little disappointed:

Books Read | March/ April
(click for reviews)
Lost World by Patricia Melo (1/5)
Man in the Dark by Paul Auster (5/5)
Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano (4/5) – review pending
Kung Fu Trip by Benjamin Zephaniah (3/5)
The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico (5/5)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (3/5) – review pending
The Informers by Brett Easton Ellis (3/5) – review pending
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis (1/5) – review pending
The Paper House: A Novel by Carlos Maria Dominguez (4/5) – review pending

Books Read | May/ June
(click for reviews)
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (4/5) – review pending
2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut (5/5)
The Lady and the Little Fox Fur by Violette LeDuc (1/5)
Peter Pan by JM Barrie (5/5)
The Yellow Wall-paper and Other Stories by Charlotte Gilman (4/5)
Beginners by Raymond Carver (5/5)
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (4/5)
The Dream by Emile Zola (5/5) – review pending
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway (5/5)

 Other reviews:
The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (4.5/5)

Books Read | July
Streetfighter: World Warrior Encyclopedia by Matt Moylan (4/5)
Marvels by Kurt Busiek (5/5)
Wolverine: Origins by Paul Jenkins (3/5)
Civil War by Mark Millar (3/5)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (5/5)

Currently Reading/ August Outlook

 

What a pick-n-mix! As someone who never just reads one book at a time, I’ve started off first with Bolano’s “The Skating Rink”, which is a strange mix of romance, political scamming, figure-skating and cold-blooded murder. This is my second Bolano book (gearing myself up for ‘2666’) and the story seems to be chugging along quite well, despite the weird elements he’s thrown together to make it. Meanwhile I’m also poking around in “Trainspotting”, which unbeknownst to me is written in a very thick Scottish accent! I’m slowly getting used to it (fitba = football, hame = home, jaykits = jackets). It would be useful to have a glossary, but on second thought might spoil all the fun. After all, the best thing about ‘The Clockwork Orange’ was the strange Russian street lingo.

The one I can’t let go of at the moment is “The Spy Who Loved Me”. It is quite cheesy (as most Fleming books are) and it does feel a lot like one of those guilty comfort reads. The Bond of the movies and the Bond of the novels are so very different! However if there is one book I class as top-grade reading material, it is the Atwood. I practically have to ration her out for fear of guzzling through her entire works. She is so AMAZING! “The Year of the Flood” is the second in the MaddAddam trilogy, the first being ‘Oryx and Crake’, and loosely follows on from it. I can’t wait to lose myself in the plot. Can’t imagine what Atwood has dreamed up for us dystopian fiction lovers. Oh bliss…

What are you planning to read this week?

Related articles

• Review: Kurt Vonnegut: Letters by Kurt Vonnegut (edited and with an introduction by Dan Wakefield) (stephenormsby.wordpress.com)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (24/01)

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aleksandr solzhenitsyn, alexandre dumas, ian fleming, Its monday what are you reading?, meme, salman rushdie

A new year brings new books. And I’ve got some really good ones lined up to take me through to February. This years going to be all about clearing that TBR pile (and chasing up on those half-read fat classics that are beginning to weigh heavy on my conscience).  

Books Read
‘Midnights Children’ by Salman Rushdie
  
3/5 stars for this one. I really enjoyed it and it had some very funny moments and memorable characters. Word of warning though, it’s a hefty book (600+ pages) and took me about a month to get through. It was well worth the while. 

‘Octopussy and The Living Daylights’ by Ian Fleming

Another 3/5’er. This collection of short stories, or rather ‘scraps’ of stories is perfect for those who want to get a taste of the original 007 action. My favourite was ‘The Living Daylights’, which actually had a half-decent ending. Back in the day, the world of espionage was very glamorous.  

Currently Reading
‘One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’ by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Ever wonder what life was like in a Soviet gulag? I do. And guess what, it was no picnic in the park. This week I decided to put myself in the freezing-wet ‘valenki’ boots of a prisoner of war. My teeth chatter as I read on… 

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by Alexandre Dumas

One of my ‘fat fiction’ reads that I left off at page 800-something. Great book, fantastic characters. Good to be getting re-acquainted with it at last. An absolute must-read. Get it on your TBR list if you haven’t already.

 

Book Review | ‘Octopussy and the Living Daylights’ – Ian Fleming

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book review, Caribbean, ian fleming, Jame Bond, Living Daylights, Octopussy, Sotheby

Octopussy and The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“Whether it is tracking down a wayward major who has taken a deadly secret with him to the Caribbean or identifying a top Russian agent secretly bidding for a Fabergé egg in a Sotheby’s auction room, Bond always closes the case—with extreme prejudice.”

Ahh, the world of international espionage. Thanks to Fleming, being a spy has never been so attractive. He single-handedly painted the otherwise secret world of Mi5 operatives in gold gilt. The genre itself became synonymous with the Christian Dior style of 1950’s glamour thanks to titles like ‘Diamonds are Forever‘, ‘The Man with the Golden Gun‘ and ‘Casino Royale’. Fleming wrote 14 Bond novels altogether, and is said to be his last. Unfortunately he didn’t live long enough to see his beloved character hit the bigtime; but word has it most of what he wrote came from his own life as a jet-setting, suave intelligence officer.

This is my first taste of Bond, and the four short stories or ‘scraps’ as I came to see them, was a nice introduction to Fleming’s work. I say ‘scraps’ because some of these stories have a distinct ‘unfinished’ quality about them; as if they were fleeting scenarios penned-down in the heat of the moment. In a little over 100 pages we have ‘Octopussy‘, ‘The Property of a Lady’, ‘The Living Daylights‘ and ‘007 in New York’. Two of these titles were made into full-length films only because they were the only two that had half-decent endings and enough of a back-story to build a script around. ‘The Property of a Lady’ had a very good premise, but needed a stronger ending in my opinion. I would have loved it if the secret bidder was sitting right next to Bond and he was thwarted just this once. It would have made for a killer cliff-hanger ending. ‘007 in New York’ was more of a thinly disguised personal view of the city rather than a Bond story (and Fleming admits as much).

What I enjoyed about the stories were the flashbacks into the world 50 years ago. In ‘Octopussy’ I got a real flavour of the Caribbean with all its drug-running gangster culture. ‘Property of a Lady’ transported me to the elegant auction rooms of Sotheby’s, when a rare Faberge egg would take you back £100’000 and ‘The Living Daylights’ of the days when Germany had an East and a West and a border like no-man’s land that still reeked of the dregs of Hitler’s threat.

Bond stories are not so much about the intrigue, the flashy cars (you get to read about one in this book), the women or the spoils of spydom. The real star of the show is the countries. I was more seduced by the scenery than the characters. Fleming has a gift for ‘painting’ the world around him and if you like that sort of thing then this is right up your street.

View all my reviews

Related articles

• 11 The James Bond books (todayonline.com)
• James Bond: Four writers carry forward Ian Fleming’s spy legacy (herocomplex.latimes.com)
• Timothy Dalton, the best James Bond? (fandangogroovers.wordpress.com)
• 50 Years of Bond – James Bond (creativemagezine.wordpress.com)
• Bond, James Bond: A good book will never say die (lostandfoundbooks.wordpress.com)
• Rare James Bond manuscript with notes from Ian Fleming to fetch £80k at auction (indiavision.com)

Wondrous Words Wednesday | Fabulous Fleming

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ian fleming, meme, wondrous words wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by BermudaOnion at Bermudaonion’s Weblog where we get to share new words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Anyone can join in!

Now that I finished Midnight’s Children I thought I might go through a scarcity of ‘wondrous words’, but lo and behold Iam Fleming has taken me back to school with a few exotic words in his last Bond book ‘Octopussy and The Living Daylights’. Here’s a few of my favourites:

1. Accidie [ˈæksɪdɪ], acedia
n (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) spiritual sloth; apathy; indifference [in use C13 to C16 and revived C19: via Late Latin from Greek
akēdia, from a-¹ + kēdos care]

2. Rascasse – ‘Scorpion fish inhabit most of the southern waters of the world, and the ‘rascasse’ that is the foundaion of bouillabaise belongs to the family’. French for ‘scorpion fish’. Used in bouillabaisse.

 

3. Secconal – “Major Smythe had awoken from his Secconal sleep’

Trademark for a sedative-hypnotic (secobarbital sodium).

 

4. Bouillabaise – (Occitan: bolhabaissa) is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille.

I know it’s mostly foreign words, but it’s interesting to know them. As I read on I realise that Fleming uses quite a bit of French in his narrative. Not that I mind.

Teaser Tuesday | ‘Octopussy and The Living Daylights’ by Ian Fleming

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ian fleming, meme, teaser tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week the spotlight is on an Ian Fleming classics, ‘Octopussy and The Living Daylights’. I’m not a big fan on espionage thrillers, but since this clocks in at about just over 100 pages I thought I’d give it a try. And it’s turning out to be quite good. Here’s a tidbit from pg. 007 (and no, I didn’t pick the page number on purpose. It was totally random!)

“Part of Major Smythe’s mind took in all these brilliantly coloured little ‘people’, but today he had a job to do and while he greeted them in unspoken words – ‘Morning, Beau Gregory’ to the dark-blue demoiselle sprinkled with bright-blue spots, the ‘jewel’ fish that exactly resembles the starlit fashioning of a bottle of Worth’s ‘Vol de Nuit’; ‘Sorry. Not today sweetheart,’ to a fluttering butterfly fish with false black ‘eyes’ on it’s tail and, ‘You’re too fat anyway, Blue Boy’,’ to an indigo parrot fish that must have weighed a good ten pounds – his eyes were searching for only one of his ‘people’ – his only enemy on the reef, the only one he killed on sight, a scorpion fish.”

This is taken from ‘Octopussy’; just one of the short stories in this collection. I love how Fleming evokes the colours and brings the tropical paradise to life. At a time where the Bond films (to my opinion) aren’t living up to expectations, it might be well worth a visit to the original stories that made it what it is.