- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: John Murray; First Edition edition (10 Oct 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0719567408
- ISBN-13: 978-0719567407
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 13.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 552,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Thrilling'
(Joanna Lumley )'A damned good read'
(Roger Moore )'A tour-de-force'
(Jeffrey Deaver )'A thoroughly enjoyable romp'
(Guardian )
‘Behind Moneypenny’s polished perfection is a daring, dastardly heroine who leaps to the rescue when she hears her beloved Bond’s life is in danger’
(Daily Express )‘Diverting and fun.’
(A Place in the Sun )‘Kate Westbrook leaves the reader believing all this secret service stuff really did take place.’
(Dover Express & Folkestone Herald: Terry Sutton )Product Description
‘My heart breaks for James’ – so begins the explosive, true, private diaries of Miss Jane Moneypenny, Personal Secretary to Secret Service chief M. and colleague and confidante of James Bond.
From her childhood in wartime Kenya to her death in 1990, Jane Moneypenny led an extraordinary life. At the heart of British intelligence she had a ringside seat at the political intrigues that shaped world history. But, contrary to popular belief, she was not simply a bystander while James Bond saw all the action.
But a life of espionage has personal as well as political ramifications. For Jane Moneypenny, the price was high. Romantic relationships with outsiders were necessarily built on lies – sometimes on both sides – and you could never trust the motives of anyone you met.
So many secrets and yet no one she could confide in, Jane Moneypenny found herself breaking the first rule of espionage. Unbeknownst to anyone, she kept a secret diary. This became an outlet into which she could commit her innermost thoughts and classified secrets without fear of reprisal. But it should never have been released . . . (20060615)
From her childhood in wartime Kenya to her death in 1990, Jane Moneypenny led an extraordinary life. At the heart of British intelligence she had a ringside seat at the political intrigues that shaped world history. But, contrary to popular belief, she was not simply a bystander while James Bond saw all the action.
But a life of espionage has personal as well as political ramifications. For Jane Moneypenny, the price was high. Romantic relationships with outsiders were necessarily built on lies – sometimes on both sides – and you could never trust the motives of anyone you met.
So many secrets and yet no one she could confide in, Jane Moneypenny found herself breaking the first rule of espionage. Unbeknownst to anyone, she kept a secret diary. This became an outlet into which she could commit her innermost thoughts and classified secrets without fear of reprisal. But it should never have been released . . . (20060615)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Moneypenny Diaries is the first in a trilogy of books by Samantha Weinberg (a.k.a. Kate Westbrook) chronicling the heretofore untold adventures of M’s popular personal secretary. Until now, Miss Moneypenny has only been a figure behind a desk with a particular fascination for an agent with the number 007. But now she has a first name (Jane), a rich past (colonial Africa), and quite a few “Bondian” tales to tell of her own. The Moneypenny Diaries also reveal exactly what happened to 007 during those dark days between the books 'On Her Majesty’s Secrete Service' and 'You Only Live Twice.' We even get to see Bond and Moneypenny join forces and play a major role in the real-life Cuban Missile Crisis!
This book is very well done and a must for Bond fans. It's so nice to see a Bond adventure set in the 1960s again. Fans of the films might be a bit surprised to see their super agent in such a poor mental state after the murder of his wife, Tracy...but that's what makes the Bond books such a different (and, IMO, a far more rich) experience. The Moneypenny Diaries is a great way to start that experience.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Many of us have wondered how much of the entertaining escapades of 007 portrayed in Ian Flemings books, are founded in fact. The series of silver screen 007s, whether with smooth Casanova style or rugged charm, overcoming or outwitting an endless variety of villains in fabulous locations, has only increased the sense of myth. Now, the Moneypenny Diaries reveals all. Dr Westbrook has been fastidous in her research, as attested by the copious footnotes, which unquestionably link the events in Miss Moneypenny's diaries to the Cuban missile crisis. The extracts from the diaries themselves, provide a unique insight into the world of the secret service, the personality of Mr Bond, and the stress of working undercover. Miss Moneypenny herself comes to vividly to life, proving to be an engaging and adventurous personality with a great deal of personal and professional integrity, and the odd moment of Bridget Jones angst too. During her lifetime she clearly inspired her niece, whose fascination and affection for her aunt leap out of the page. At the end Dr Westbrook lets on that she is now editing the next volume of here aunt's journals, and I closed this book in expectation of another volume of rivetting reading to look forward to - hopefully soon!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What a book. I didnt think it was possible to "out Bond" Bond. Charlie Higson managed it with Silverfin but Dr Westbrook has found a gem in these diaries that is the perfect read. I hope there are more volumes to be discovered.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A promising beginning
I really enjoyed this book (though, at times, the footnotes annoyed me). It was historical and very interesting, meshing nicely with the Fleming novels. Read more
Published on 28 April 2009 by Sarah
A Must-Read for Bond Fans!
I put off ordering this book for quite some time since I had to import it to the States. I regret the delay - it is a fun and exciting read. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2009 by M. Keel
A worthy addition to the Bond canon
A very clever and entertaining novel, the first of a planned trilogy, that manages to fill in the gaps around Fleming's James Bond books convincingly. Read more
Published on 12 April 2008 by Annabel Gaskell
Bond revisited
And it's done well. Kate Westbrook finds the diaries of her aunt Jane Moneypenny and delivers them for our delicitation. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2007 by Wyvernfriend
The thinking person's Bond girl...
The premise of The Moneypenny diaries is that Kate Westbrook is the real- life niece of Miss Jane Moneypenny and that she has inherited diaries kept by her aunt during the time she... Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2006 by Sarah Durston
Better than the original
If you liked Fleming, and thought Sliverfin caught the spirit of the original, then you'll love this. Dr Westbrook has done us a great service by finding these works... Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2005
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