Read it while drinking a martini — shaken, not stirred. In exploring Jamaica, the island where Bond was born, Parker casts the entire canon in a refreshing—almost tropical—light.
Through exhaustive research and interviews, Parker assembles an intricate portrait of not just Fleming, his coterie and his Goldeneye villa, but of Jamaica and the post-War remnants of the British Empire. Parker treats each Bond novel, beginning with Casino Royale , with respect and expertise, taking care to show that Fleming often integrated his deep knowledge of Jamaica into the plotlines. Matthew Parker sets the record straight in Goldeneye , his superb account of Fleming's Jamaica.
This well researched, excellently written book tells of a rapid literary decline. This is Bond's real origin story.
Full of great quotes and salacious gossip. The Commander would be pleased. This is followed by a history of Jamaica that sets the stage for the birth of James Bond. Having brought the island and the author together, from this point on the book skillfully weaves toget Skillfully blends a history of Jamaica and the literary James Bond through the prism of Goldeneye, the tropical retreat where the novels were written. Having brought the island and the author together, from this point on the book skillfully weaves together the Twentieth Century political turmoil of Jamaica, the life of Ian Fleming, and the story of the Bond novels.
There is endless delight for Bond fans here, a number of revelations that include the origin of the Vesper cocktail, the real Isle of Surprise, and the true life circumstances that inspired "Quantum of Solace" and "The Hildebrand Rarity". There are also interesting stories about the filming of "Dr. There is also inspiration for writers here, as it is very clear that Fleming took mundane incidents from his own life and turned them into the fanciful and imaginative sequences we love in his novels.
This densely researched book, sporting 40 pages of notes and acknowledgments, is a mesmerizing combination of history, biography, and fan boy trivia. Jun 18, Lee Miller rated it it was amazing. History as it should be: deeply researched, profoundly insightful, completely accessible, and vastly entertaining. The author uses a partial biography of Ian Fleming during his time in Jamaica as a tool for exploring the decline of the British Empire in the Caribbean. Highly recommended.
Jan 26, Sydney rated it it was amazing. Love it. Confession: I've never been super into James Bond, but it didn't matter. I picked up this book out of curiosity, not even really realizing what it was about, and I was hooked immediately. It's a fascinating story, one that's about race and history and literature and one of the most memorable characters in history. I feel like fans will totally geek out over this book, and non fans will find so much in it that they'll find themselves craving one of the movies. Absolutely recommen Love it.
Absolutely recommend. Enjoyed tremendously, clearly and empathetically written, provides fascinating insight into the writing process of an enigmatic author. MP has given a lot of space to pre and just post Independence Jamaica in this book, which for me like many others I presume never really registered as the birthplace of Bond in such an indelible way before.
Really resonated with some other research I was doing on Jamaica for this period. Jun 06, Jared Millet rated it really liked it Shelves: history , nonfiction , movies-and-tv , writing , audiobook , biography. Sometimes it's the little decisions that make history.
Such as when some obscure British guy decides he wants to buy a house in Jamaica where he can get drunk, snorkel his own private reef, and maybe write a book. Parker's Goldeneye sits in the Venn-diagram intersection of three stories: a biography of Ian Fleming's time in Jamaica, a history of Jamaica during its transition from British colony to independence, and a literary history of Bond, James Bond. Parker does each of them justice, and draw Sometimes it's the little decisions that make history.
Parker does each of them justice, and draws strong connections between all three: Fleming and his neighbor, playwright Noel Coward, being "early adopters" in the Jamaica-as-tourist-hotspot concept, Fleming's time in Jamaica having a heavy influence on his development of Bond and the stories in the novels, and the great impact that Fleming and Bond had in bringing Jamaica to a worldwide audience.
All this is set against a backdrop of the fall of British Imperialism, something that Fleming and Coward both lamented and reflected in their works. Fleming does not come across as a likeable character: he's a boozer, a chain-smoker, an aristocratic snob, a curmudgeonly recluse, and a serial adulterer.
But then, so again is Bond. It's clear that Fleming injected much of himself into the Bond character, especially his way with the ladies and the knowing twinkle in Bond's eye that everything going on around him is just a little bit ridiculous. It's that sly charm and knowing self-mockery that, it appears, redeems Fleming and Bond both. That, and the fact that they've both had such a vast cultural impact on the world, far beyond any reasonable proportion. I started reading the Bond books ages ago, but got distracted halfway through Live and Let Die. Not soon after beginning this book, I put the entire series back in my to-read page.
Looking forward to reading them fresh with more insight into the context in which they were written. It also analyzes each of the Bond novels, pointing out the real-life incidences in Jamaica and around the world which shaped each story. The book explores the tough questions of the wide popularity for a character and a series which, even for the times, pushed moral attitudes and political views that were fringe, and would become even more so. For me, the title was misleading, for I expect the book would be about Jamaica and not Bond. However, I digress, for a book about Jamaica during the Cold War would be a more boring book than one about how James Bond was made.
Feb 23, Steve rated it liked it Shelves: biography-memoir , non-fiction. Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond books during his annual two month holiday at his Jamaican retreat Goldeneye. Fleming had a soft spot for the island and it, or his view of it, is depicted in many of his books. This book looks at Fleming's life with a focus on his time at Goldeneye and the lives of his friends and the people he interacted with while there using Ian and Ann Fleming's letters as well as materials and interviews from people who knew and interacted with them during their time togethe Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond books during his annual two month holiday at his Jamaican retreat Goldeneye.
This book looks at Fleming's life with a focus on his time at Goldeneye and the lives of his friends and the people he interacted with while there using Ian and Ann Fleming's letters as well as materials and interviews from people who knew and interacted with them during their time together both before and after their marriage.
Comparing and contrasting actual events with their reflections in the Bond novels this book also looks at the history of Jamaica and Jamaican independence during the waning of the British Empire after WWII. I found this book a fascinating look at the people and events that influenced Fleming as he wrote the James Bond stories and they began to become the worldwide phenomena that James Bond became.
Jun 16, Michael Sisk rated it it was amazing. I read this as a biography of Ian Fleming the author of the James Bond books but found that it was as much a biography of Jamaica in Fleming's time as anything else. It was fascinating to see how the island changed, how Fleming changed, and how the character of Bond changed along with the times.
Fleming was a product of British imperialism and while he sometimes welcomed the ideals of post-colonial Britain, the books he wrote show that he missed it all the same. He seemed to want the luxury of I read this as a biography of Ian Fleming the author of the James Bond books but found that it was as much a biography of Jamaica in Fleming's time as anything else.
He seemed to want the luxury of empire without the pressure of empire. Bond is the same way, wanting the luxury of his life without the complications his vices bring.
I haven't read all the Bond books, but it was apparent that Bond was, in many ways, a type of Fleming, whose body degraded under the constant use of alcohol, smoking, and extra-marital relationships. Oct 21, Robert S rated it really liked it Shelves: biography , nonfiction , history. Ian Fleming's James Bond series could not exist without the imprint that the "Goldeneye" estate and Jamaica left on him. As a major fan of the Bond novel and film franchises, I was particularly interested in finding out more about Fleming's presence where he wrote all of his Bond books.
Matthew Parker's book does not disappoint, offering the reader a highly accessible look at Fleming's life on the island and how his experiences there weaved their way into his works. If you're a fan of Fleming and o Ian Fleming's James Bond series could not exist without the imprint that the "Goldeneye" estate and Jamaica left on him.
If you're a fan of Fleming and or the Bond Franchise, this is definitely worth reading. Aug 13, Josh Fern rated it it was ok. I was going to leave a "it was fine" review with one star, but the second part of this book was markedly better. For me, I enjoyed hearing about Ian Fleming's life at the time of certain Bond novels. It frames the character and the story contexts differently.
Still, this book hinges on rich British partying, decadence, and, worst of all, melancholy. I won't be making this a recommendation anytime soon. Very informative After being a James Bond fan since Goldfinger, enjoyed learning all the behind the scenes goings on during filming.
Find myself watching all the original movies on BBC television. Now reading all the original books agsin! Feb 25, Alex K rated it really liked it. I enjoyed learning what was going on in Fleming's life as he wrote each book and what the cultural and political landscape was like in Jamaica. Also some fun anecdotes about his interactions with JFK and other characters of the era. Feb 09, Darren Sapp rated it it was amazing.
Bond fans will love this behind-the-scenes look into the creation of culture's most famous spy.