I'm reading this at the moment. I couldn't resist. I think it's rather clever of Faulks to write a James Bond novel in the style of Ian Fleming and it really works. It has all the expected Bond elements, and it's set in the sixties, which gives me the impression of a new Sean Connery Bond movie. Ok, so it's probably a guilty pleasure but hugely enjoyable so far! Anyone read it?

JB

No - but I loved Engleby.

I loved Engleby too!

I'd quite like to read Birdsong as I keep hearing good things about that too. Partly I'm interested to see how the style differs from this Ian Fleming homage. I read Dr No a long time ago so can't remember Fleming's style enough to know how closely it resembles Faulks.

JB

Birdsong is utterly lovely. I'm not a fan of histfic normally, but loved it.
HB x

I loved Engleby and Birdsong...not a big Bond fan, which has put me off this one, but I do think SF is an excellent writer.

I'll check out Birdsong at some point. To be honest, you can see why Devil May Care was such a hit. It is classic Bond. But as such it is littered with cliches and doesn't really offer anything new. I found the ending a tad predictable, the narrative oddly flat in places (you forget you're reading it and the mind wanders) but as a Bond novel, it does exactly what it says on the tin.

JB

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It also has that tendancy to nod at women as 'more than just objects', which I always find a little patronising. I winced when Scarlett (your typical Bond girl) manages to hit a cable dead on with a gun after 3 seconds training and Bond tells her 'Good girl'.