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How Jfk Was Responsible For James Bond's Success In America
The beginning of the book gets rather stuck in a rut, while Ian Fleming describes how the Russians came to setting up the plot. However, once Bond is in Istanbul things really get going and the descriptions really transport you there. One of the assets of the secret service in Istanbul is their local man, Kerim. While he is something of a rouge, he also treats Bond well and they become friends. Showing him around the city, Kerim also visits an old gypsy friend with 007. Unfortunately the night is not good: two girls must fight to the death over a man they both love, but they are welcomed to the gypsy gamp all the same where James Bond drinks raki and eats ragout. However, even that doesn't go to plan as the fight is interrupted by an attack from the Bulgars! The writing while Bond is in Turkey gives a real flavour of what would have been a quite exotic location when the book was written in the 1950s. However, that changes when Bond and the girl board the Orient Express, where they spend most of the rest of the book heading towards Paris. The Orient Express has been used in other books as a setting, probably most famously in Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Here about what was in reality quite a cramped way to travel we experience the supposed luxury - remember that this was before people could hop across continents about jet planes. On board the train it is soon clear that they have not escaped the clutches of SMERSH. And when Bond is sent help by a Secret Service agent all is not quite as it should be; Bond ends up counting down the time before he is shot using a book containing a hidden gun. The James Bond books are not like the films in this respect; he doesn't have the kind of gadgets that get him out of trouble and in fact, it is often the villains who have gadgets that get him into trouble! From Russia With Love was on the list of JFK's top 10 favourite books - or at least was listed in his top ten books by a publicist. Ian Fleming had enjoyed only limited success in the USA until that point; however, it turned out to be the tipping point that turned the James Bond books into a massive success on the other side of the Atlantic and propelled 007 into the phenomenon he enjoys to this day. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com If you enjoyed this article you might like to read more about the James Bond books by Ian Fleming and other James Bond related articles on my website. |
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