In this, James Bond's first encounter with the deadly Blofeld, a deadly game of canasta turns out to be thoroughly crooked and a beautiful golden girl ends up dead. This is one of the well-known 007 novels featuring the urbane hero, James Bond.
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Review
Nobody does this sort of thing as well as Mr Fleming (Sunday Times )
Highly entertaining (New York Times )
Mr Fleming is the best thriller writer since Buchan (Evening Standard )
Everything happens in this one - and you believe it (Saturday Review ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Highly entertaining (New York Times )
Mr Fleming is the best thriller writer since Buchan (Evening Standard )
Everything happens in this one - and you believe it (Saturday Review ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
There is only one Bond. Enjoy these intoxicating spy novels in stylish Vintage Classics editions.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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First Sentence
James Bond, with two double bourbons inside him, sat in the final departure lounge of Miami Airport and thought about life and death. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
James Bond, with two double bourbons inside him, sat in the final departure lounge of Miami Airport and thought about life and death. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Jay Lew
Format:Paperback
For any Bond afficionado this novel is a 'must read'. Fleming's descriptive knack with very few words is underestimated. The golf game is a masterpiece of its kind, breaking up the technicalities of the sport with an evocation of beautiful, peaceful England in high summer as a backdrop to the deadly intent of the game being played out against lengthening, afternoon shadows. There is plenty of depth to the plot and the background story of gold, delivered to Bond by Colonel Smithers of the Bank of England, is interesting in itself, particularly when viewed in comparison to today's money markets. The revelation that Goldfinger is not just an obsessive meglomaniac but also in thrall to the Russians is a masterly detail that gives real substance to the cold-war ploy to rob Fort Knox. The gangsters necessary for Goldfinger's purposes are deployed with a light, almost amusing, touch but none of the heroines have much empathetic appeal, not even the fabulously named Pussy Galore. The Masterton sisters are very one-dimensional. Jill is only there, really, to kickstart the second part of the story and, although Fleming tries to make Tilly interesting with her lesbianism, she comes across instead as 'neither flesh nor good, red herring'. In fairness, this is how Bond sees her when he deliberates patronisingly over her mixed up hormones. There are remarks about Japs and Koreans that would never make it into print today, but the joy of Bond is that he is so much a product of the 1940s and '50s, forever politically incorrect. I know many people love the films, but for me the books are incomparably better.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first half of this book is as fine as any that Fleming wrote: Auric Goldfinger is the paradigm of the classic Bond villian; memorable, ingenious and with a soupçon of depravity. The cat-eating Oddjob, the blueprint for the many indestuctible sidekicks that the Bond movies seem to love, is unforgettable and fascinating. All the illustrious features of the film-version are present and correct, in fact: the gadget-filled Aston Martin; the razor-rimmed bowler hat; the testosterone-fuelled one-upmanship in the celebrated golf game; a gold-painted Jill Masterton; Pussy Galore. The plot-device that introduces Goldfinger, the game of two-handed Canasta, is a delight and the aforementioned game of golf is very much an extended version of the brilliant card-game scene from Moonraker, and very enjoyable for it.
Much is different from the film, of course, mainly the second half of the story, and this is where the book does actually suffer in comparison to the celluloid version. The book's plot features a much more prosaic (and strangely less believable)attempt to steal the gold from Fort Knox, rather than the ingenious idea to irradiate the bullion. Pussy Galore is a lesbian, and is subject to rather un-PC treatment by Fleming. In fact, this book is where Bond starts to become rather eyebrow-raisingly chauvinistic and occassionally racist (towards Koreans mainly).
One of the other reviewers on this site stated that there is a startling revelation towards the end of the book that Goldinger works for SMERSH; in actuality, this is strongly hinted at throughout the book, and it is Bond's suspicions regarding this matter that motivate many of his actions throughout the story.
So, to summarise, it could have been brilliant, but a slack and not vey plausible second-half lets the side down to the extent that all in all it's a bit of a mixed bag, but enjoyable nontheless.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Note this is a review of the Unabridged Audio Version read by Huge Bonneville
The original book Goldfinger was published in 1959 and was the seventh appearance of Bond. The book is of its time.
Now I had better explain that.
The world and its attitudes were altogether different from the world of today.
Make no mistakes Bond is very much a man of that time with his attitude to Lesbians and Koreans!
The big impression is that Flemings Bond is a Sexist and racist.
Once you get over that startling conclusion you are left with the book/
The reader or should that be listener in this case needs to take that into consideration - the book is a lot different to the abridged nature of the film.
This CD unabridged version is very long at 8 CDs length but it is a very entertaining 8 CDs.
The reader is Hugh Bonneville now perhaps better know for his portrayal of Lord Grantham in the televison series Downtown Abbey.
He is a good and entertaining reader and has done a good job.
He has good pace, characterises well and is an enjoable narrator.
Back to the
The book may be broken down into 3 phases.
Bond meets Goldfinger by accident. Bond is requested to find out how Goldfinger manages to cheat at cards. Bond investigates and in the subsequent game of golf they he turns the tables on Auric Goldfinger.
Later Bond meets Goldfinger who it turns out makes his money moving gold around the world.
he is accepted in Goldfingers world and invited to his house.
Goldfinger has the usual cast of flunkies including Oddjob the dog eating Korean- yes I kid you not!
And Pussy Galore who turns out to be a Lesbian.
But Bond soon cures her of that the old fashioned way! (Yes it is that clichéd)
The set has s an interesting interview with Bonneville and this really explains some of the - well what's the word? - peculiarities of Bond and his views?
that even Bonneville found unexpted.
This is my third in the series and I must admit I am enjoying the ride.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Dr No (Unabridged)
The original book Goldfinger was published in 1959 and was the seventh appearance of Bond. The book is of its time.
Now I had better explain that.
The world and its attitudes were altogether different from the world of today.
Make no mistakes Bond is very much a man of that time with his attitude to Lesbians and Koreans!
The big impression is that Flemings Bond is a Sexist and racist.
Once you get over that startling conclusion you are left with the book/
The reader or should that be listener in this case needs to take that into consideration - the book is a lot different to the abridged nature of the film.
This CD unabridged version is very long at 8 CDs length but it is a very entertaining 8 CDs.
The reader is Hugh Bonneville now perhaps better know for his portrayal of Lord Grantham in the televison series Downtown Abbey.
He is a good and entertaining reader and has done a good job.
He has good pace, characterises well and is an enjoable narrator.
Back to the
The book may be broken down into 3 phases.
Bond meets Goldfinger by accident. Bond is requested to find out how Goldfinger manages to cheat at cards. Bond investigates and in the subsequent game of golf they he turns the tables on Auric Goldfinger.
Later Bond meets Goldfinger who it turns out makes his money moving gold around the world.
he is accepted in Goldfingers world and invited to his house.
Goldfinger has the usual cast of flunkies including Oddjob the dog eating Korean- yes I kid you not!
And Pussy Galore who turns out to be a Lesbian.
But Bond soon cures her of that the old fashioned way! (Yes it is that clichéd)
The set has s an interesting interview with Bonneville and this really explains some of the - well what's the word? - peculiarities of Bond and his views?
that even Bonneville found unexpted.
This is my third in the series and I must admit I am enjoying the ride.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Dr No (Unabridged)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Bond
This series of readings of the James Bond novels is a real find. Each story is read by a different actor and each brings their own personality to the reading. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Phillyfan
5.0 out of 5 stars
classic
I really enjoyed this audiobook - Hugh Bonneville brings the classic Bond story to life really well, and he has a voice that you can happily listen to for hours. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Graham
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Midas Touch
After Blofeld, Goldfinger is probably the most notorious Bond villain, and this also happens to be the book that forms the basis for the most celebrated of the early Bond movies. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. McDonald
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good book to read
Quite hard to get into at first if you have seen the film, but it is still a good book to read and the plot line is unpredictable
Published 1 month ago by Cameron Dopheide
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure gold!!
I hadn't realised the breadth of Hugh Bonneville's talents until I listened to the story. His reading really brought the book alive - and as I'd said before, the books are much... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. J. Carr
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great reading of a classic novel
Goldfinger is one of Fleming's strongest Bond books and the audio reading by Hugh Bonneville is spot on in capturing the excitement. Read more
Published 2 months ago by G. M. Dobbs
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff
Probably the second best Bond book. Excellent characterisation, typical tongue in cheek names, great plot and tension all the way. A must read.
Published 2 months ago by Uncle Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Ian Fleming's Goldfinger is a story about a self-obsessed man who only thinks about what he can get from life. Read more
Published 3 months ago by DL Productions UK
3.0 out of 5 stars
One crime too far
I am currently reading all of the Bond books enjoying every single one. There are two things that have made the books a joy, firstly they are absolutely of their time, unlike the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Haranjen
5.0 out of 5 stars
goldfinger
I FOUND IT ok. It is worth buying it if you like the genre. Also good for the money invested and the delivery.
Published 3 months ago by Brother Jung
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