Paperback
Publisher: Berkley (May 1, 1982)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425053695
Written by Ian Fleming
Copyright © by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, 1954
British spy James Bond, from the movie Live and Let Die, is assigned to go after Mr. Big - an aggressive Harlem gangster, who is distributing an ancient pirate treasure to fund the Soviet espionage system. Bond's assignment leads from the U.S. to Jamaica with Mr. Big's young female inquisitor Solitaire in tow, as well as Bond's CIA counterpart Felix Leiter. Bond is closer to just an ordinary man in the novel to me than the super spy that is shown in the movies, but Bond is still a dedicated professional.
Since the novel Live and Let Die was written in 1954, the book deals with the social standings of the time -which today would be considered insulting as they are very stereotypical. Granted, there is a rich cultural and religious heritage about Jamaica - but I admit that there were times that it was difficult for me to read the book because of the stereotypes of the Jamaicans and of the people of Harlem. It was hard for me to believe that characters would have acted like that during those times, however it is true that there is widespread poverty and crime in Jamaica. And I was surprised there were little references to the Numbers game in Harlem from the gangsters or of drugs. The black stereotypes reminded me of the Amos and Andy radio and TV series which was very controversial during those times and made me uncomfortable to read about as it was so sterotypical. Ian Fleming's descriptions of the exotic locations makes up for the political incorrectness of the book. In fact, the descriptions almost distracts from the story as the descriptions are quite detailed.
Pancho
All people smile in the same language.
