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Review
"Simon Winder gives us a rollicking tour through Bondland, [and] expertly captures the knowing blend of nostalgia, sophistication, and plain absurdity that made the Bond books (and later the movies) such a hit in the 1950s and '60s. . . . Entertaining and very funny."--Michiko Kakutani, "The New York Times"
"Happily, this brilliantly obsessive exegesis on the meaning and influence of the 007 character--part sociological study, part geek memoir--also has a sense of humor about its subject. . . . Indeed, Bond hasn't provided this much entertainment in decades."--"Entertainment Weekly" (grade: A)
"Sly, funny, occasionally sad, a wild mix of cultural history, film criticism, and memoir."--Rich Cohen, author of "Sweet and Low"""
"Happily, this brilliantly obsessive exegesis on the meaning and influence of the 007 character--part sociological study, part geek memoir--also has a sense of humor about its subject. . . . Indeed, Bond hasn't provided this much entertainment in decades."--"Entertainment Weekly" (grade: A)
"Sly, funny, occasionally sad, a wild mix of cultural history, film criticism, and memoir."--Rich Cohen, author of "Sweet and Low"""
"The nimble and witty Simon Winder sifts through Ian Fleming's formulaic 007 books with excellent and often hilarious explanations. . . . [An] enchanting book--social history at its best."--"The Palm Beach Post"
"Winder h
Review
"Simon Winder gives us a rollicking tour through Bondland, [and] expertly captures the knowing blend of nostalgia, sophistication, and plain absurdity that made the Bond books (and later the movies) such a hit in the 1950s and '60s. . . . Entertaining and very funny."--Michiko Kakutani, "The New York Times"
"Happily, this brilliantly obsessive exegesis on the meaning and influence of the 007 character--part sociological study, part geek memoir--also has a sense of humor about its subject. . . . Indeed, Bond hasn't provided this much entertainment in decades."--"Entertainment Weekly" (grade: A)
"Sly, funny, occasionally sad, a wild mix of cultural history, film criticism, and memoir."--Rich Cohen, author of "Sweet and Low"""
"Happily, this brilliantly obsessive exegesis on the meaning and influence of the 007 character--part sociological study, part geek memoir--also has a sense of humor about its subject. . . . Indeed, Bond hasn't provided this much entertainment in decades."--"Entertainment Weekly" (grade: A)
"Sly, funny, occasionally sad, a wild mix of cultural history, film criticism, and memoir."--Rich Cohen, author of "Sweet and Low"""
"The nimble and witty Simon Winder sifts through Ian Fleming's formulaic 007 books with excellent and often hilarious explanations. . . . [An] enchanting book--social history at its best."--"The Palm Beach Post"
"Winder has an easy journalistic tone, a surprisingly objective take on his own obsession, and an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Bond- and Ian Fleming-related. . . . Witty and intelligent."--"Financial Times" (U.K.)
"Almost ridiculously enjoyable."--"New Statesman" (U.K.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book lulled me into a false sense of security early on with an account of the young Winder watching `Live And Let Die' whilst consuming the sickly `Old Jamaica' chocolate bar - a memory that can be appreciated by many a child of the '70s. This looked promising, but sadly things went sharply downhill from there.
Winder uses the framework of the novels and movies as something on which he can hang a rather sanctimonious outrage that Britain was once an imperial power, that it was once a confident nation, that it wasn't perfect and, in particular, that someone chose to write a series of fantasies about a hero who worked for the British establishment.
The book turned into a largely humourless, long, bitter sneer about - well - everything British of the last 200 years and by halfway through I realised I couldn't finish it too soon.
For a much more witty, informative and affectionate analysis of the Bond myth, which doesn't ignore the faults, better try to get a copy of `Bloomsbury Movie Guide No. 2: Adrian Turner on Goldfinger'.
Winder uses the framework of the novels and movies as something on which he can hang a rather sanctimonious outrage that Britain was once an imperial power, that it was once a confident nation, that it wasn't perfect and, in particular, that someone chose to write a series of fantasies about a hero who worked for the British establishment.
The book turned into a largely humourless, long, bitter sneer about - well - everything British of the last 200 years and by halfway through I realised I couldn't finish it too soon.
For a much more witty, informative and affectionate analysis of the Bond myth, which doesn't ignore the faults, better try to get a copy of `Bloomsbury Movie Guide No. 2: Adrian Turner on Goldfinger'.
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
More than 50 years after the publication of Casino Royale and after many dozens of books analysing Ian Fleming's work (and the films) from almost every conceivable angle, it must be hard to come up with yet another perspective. In tying Fleming/Bond into a general ramble about Britain, the loss of Empire and the political landscape of the 50s/60s/70s, Simon Winder succeeds in this, and the book is a welcome, quirky addition to the list.
Sadly, it is let down by the type of errors which seem too easily to creep into so many books of this type. For example: Vivienne Michel (in The Spy Who Loved Me) was French-Canadian and not English, as Mr. Winder claims; in Casino Royale, Felix Leiter hands Bond an envelope stuffed with Francs, not Dollars; the third car in the chase from Kent to London (Moonraker) was an Alfa Romeo, not an Aston Martin; Sean Connery was not a former Mr. Universe; and so on.
Nit-picking this may seem, but such basic errors in research and/or proof-reading undermine the author's claims to know the subject and deflect the reader from following the serious points that are trying to be made.
The author's rather naive political viewpoint also comes to the surface a little too often, and grates, but, as he expressly acknowledges, he is certainly no historian and it's not enough to seriously spoil the overall effect.
The book follows no strict chronology, so it's easy to pick up and put down without losing the flow.
It's worth a read.
Sadly, it is let down by the type of errors which seem too easily to creep into so many books of this type. For example: Vivienne Michel (in The Spy Who Loved Me) was French-Canadian and not English, as Mr. Winder claims; in Casino Royale, Felix Leiter hands Bond an envelope stuffed with Francs, not Dollars; the third car in the chase from Kent to London (Moonraker) was an Alfa Romeo, not an Aston Martin; Sean Connery was not a former Mr. Universe; and so on.
Nit-picking this may seem, but such basic errors in research and/or proof-reading undermine the author's claims to know the subject and deflect the reader from following the serious points that are trying to be made.
The author's rather naive political viewpoint also comes to the surface a little too often, and grates, but, as he expressly acknowledges, he is certainly no historian and it's not enough to seriously spoil the overall effect.
The book follows no strict chronology, so it's easy to pick up and put down without losing the flow.
It's worth a read.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For someone who claims to be a Fleming and Bond enthusiast, Simon Winder does a pretty good demolition job on both of them in this oddment of a book. The idea of setting a personal exploration of Fleming's work against the backdrop of the decline of Britain after 1945 is an interesting one, but it's poorly executed. The main reason for this seems to be Winder's slightly pompous approach to things, the airing of his knowledge about many different topics, and the in-jokes and musings that frankly just don't work.
The book seems to chop about all over the place - just when you think "where is the link to Fleming here?" - in comes a largely unrelated section about some aspect of the Bond books or films, with some pontificating by the author thrown in for good measure. Fair enough - " a personal journey" should make the reader aware that this is Winder's own take on things, but some of his descriptions are plain nasty and schoolboyish in their vindictiveness (Moore being puffy, Connery feral etc) - and as a previous reviewer has rightly pointed out - he gets his facts wrong as well. All in all, a charmless little book that adds nothing to our appreciation - or enjoyment of the Bond canon. Avoid.
The book seems to chop about all over the place - just when you think "where is the link to Fleming here?" - in comes a largely unrelated section about some aspect of the Bond books or films, with some pontificating by the author thrown in for good measure. Fair enough - " a personal journey" should make the reader aware that this is Winder's own take on things, but some of his descriptions are plain nasty and schoolboyish in their vindictiveness (Moore being puffy, Connery feral etc) - and as a previous reviewer has rightly pointed out - he gets his facts wrong as well. All in all, a charmless little book that adds nothing to our appreciation - or enjoyment of the Bond canon. Avoid.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Things Some People Write
My wife bought me this book while we were in the UK recently since she thought it sounded fun - a sort of English version of the Stephen Clarke humour novels about France (the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by aussie mark
Do not waste your time with this....
Save yourself.... I wasted a day of my life reading this tosh, which I won't get back again!
As a previous reviewer stated, I was drawn in by a reasonable first chapter,... Read more
As a previous reviewer stated, I was drawn in by a reasonable first chapter,... Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. Curry
Not a good word for anything 007
Some authors seem to revel in criticising everything. This review of the historical context in which Fleming wrote the books added little to my knowledge of Bond. Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2009 by D. R. Dangerfield
a lot of eye-openers, and a few more
Having grown up with James Bond-films, I experienced reading this book as a very refreshing experience. This is due to the many eye-openers and insights provided. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2009 by W R Visser
Winder Upper
I found this book unreadable. Winder lost me before Chapter 1 when he says in a Note on Books and Films "The films are Dr No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger... Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2009 by S. M. T. Peters
From Winder with grump
This is a most peculiar book that is riddled with a bizarre kind of self loathing. The blurb on the back indicates that it is a humorous survey of the world of Bond and his creator... Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2007 by Tony Floyd
Bond is camp: get over it, embrace it!
I think I'm a bit younger than Winder, but I recognized with a chill the generally depressing picture of Britain in the late 60s and throughout the dismal 70s ('Life On Mars' isn't... Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2007 by Roger Nobbs
Quirky -- but very entertaining.
What the more extreme of the afficionados of the cult of James Bond seem to forget is that the film series is and always will be -- rubbish. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2007 by Barton Keyes
Just as a corrective to the two above ...
Just finished this, and I don't even begin to recognise the books described by the first two reviewers. Read more
Published on 2 July 2007 by TwoBob
One for the Britain-Haters
Dear oh dear, Mr. Winder doesn't like Britain very much, does he? If he'd spent more time actually writing about James Bond and less time rubbishing Britain, British history,... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2007 by Sarah Franks
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