The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming

(Warning: Spoilers below)

Whilst staying in a rather lovely apartment in Minorca I was somewhat burdened with the task of reading a lengthy tome on British History (A result of procrastination and a busy couple of weeks). Upon finishing the book I was then able to take a proper look at the book collection within the apartment which, surprisingly, was rather good (The CD collection was even better (Billy Joel, Queen and a Disney collection to name but a few)). After rejecting several books due the short time period in which I had to read it I went with the tenth instalment in the Bond series: The Spy Who Loved Me.

Having watched Casino Royale (The Daniel Craig one) a few days before my interest in 007 was piqued and the presence of the book in the apartment’s collection was too exciting to resist (I shall confess to emitting a rather excitable “ooooh!” upon its discovery). I had not previously read any Bond books but, thankfully, very little reference was made to previous plots (The only one being a hint of stolen atomic secrets by Spectre in the Bahamas detailed in Thunderball (The ninth book in the series (Which I hope to read in the coming months anyway))).

For my first Bond book it was rather excellent. The book is narrated from the perspective of the Bond girl, Vivienne Michel (or Viv), who is being attacked by two gangsters going by the names of Sluggsy and Horror (Very accurate names, in all honesty). In true James Bond style, 007 turns up in the nick of time and completely by accident after a punctured tyre results in his need to stop at the motel where Viv works. Bond, as one can expect, stops the gangsters though with less ease than I expected (Not even a drive in the lake stopped one from coming back). The following morning James Bond leaves before Viv awakes, informing her via letter that he has made arrangements with the local law enforcers of the situation. The novel ends with her back on her journey.

The decision by Fleming to narrate from the perspective of the Bond girl proved to be very engaging. Her past, containing a heavy dose of misery to say the least, was particularly fascinating to read about personally. Her emotional responses to situations were equally interesting, particularly to J.B.

For my first and definitely not last Bond novel I thoroughly enjoyed it. My expectations were well met and I will have to take a trip to the library in search of others (My new liberty to leave school at lunchtimes might involve such trips). If you have any thoughts or questions please leave them in the comments.