Wednesday, October 6, 2021

[Review] - The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming


I've watched the 10th James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, many times, thanks to TBS repeating the movie multiple times in the early 1990s. I thought I knew the story by heart, well, that is until I read Ian Fleming's 1962 novel of the same name. Besides the title and James Bond's appearance, the novel and movie have absolutely nothing in common.


Ian Fleming experimented with The Spy Who Loved Me by drifting away from the typical 007 formula. The story is in three sections - Me, Them, and He. At the time of its publication, critics weren't happy with Fleming's change of style and the added sexual content.

The novel centers around a young Canadian woman named Vivienne "Viv" Michel. "Me" details her sexual relationships, starting when she lost her virginity in a field after being tossed out of a movie theater for indecent exposure. Later, her German boss got her pregnant and sent her to Switzerland to get an abortion. Shortly after returning to Canada, Viv went on a tour of the United States and took a job at The Dreamy Pines Court motel in the Adirondack Mountains.

In "Them," the owners of the motel leave Viv in charge for a night. Unfortunately, the mobsters "Sluggsy" Morant and Sol "Horror" Horowitz happened to check into a room that very night. It turns out Viv's boss had hired them to burn down the motel. He would collect on the insurance and blame Viv for the fire. However, Sluggsy and Horror have other things on their mind than just arson, and they attack Viv.

James Bond finally comes into the story in "He," where he happens to walk into The Dreamy Pines Court just as Sluggys and Horror are attacking Viv. Bond quickly figures out the situation he has just walked into and convinces them into giving him a room for the night. Later, the goons set fire to the motel and attempt to kill Bond and Viv. Let's say their plan doesn't exactly pan out. Remember, James Bond is a marksman, and he uses his skills wisely in this story. The following morning Viv finds a note Bond had left behind, packs her bags, and continues her quest across the USA.




Final Thoughts

After reading The Spy Who Loved Me twice, I don't understand why the British critics of the 1960s didn't like it. Yeah, I know the sexual and violent scenes were probably a big red flag, but the story is a bit of a refresher. Too bad the 1977 film didn't use this story because I would love to see it adapted on the big screen.


Overall, The Spy Who Loved Me is one of my favorite 007 stories. While I do like the 1977 film, I prefer the original Fleming tale better.

3 comments:

  1. I've seen this a ton of times too. Thank goodness for TBS right? :) And wow- this one is TOTALLY different. I admit I wouldn't mind this version- I like how it sounds like Bond uses his marksman skills.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The plot for The Spy Who Loved Me would make a great movie. It would have to be tweaked a bit because Bond doesn't show up until the latter half of the novel.

      Yeah, TBS & TNT used to be great cable channels, but they've somehow lost their souls over the years. I very seldom watch either channel anymore.

      Delete
    2. They did! I used to watch SO many things on TBS!!!

      Delete

I adore reading reader feedback! I will, however, remove all spam and pointless comments.

Please take note that I have the right to delete comments from this site. Please only post constructive and respectful feedback.