14 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

In an effort to get some new threads going for the Blades Reading Club...

How old were you when you first read Goldfinger? Was it as good the first read as the others afterward? What stands out about the novel to you?

[Mr. Somerset]

I read Goldfinger when I was, I believe, 13. Yes, I was in the 8th grade...the period of time in one's life when book reports are a chore. So what better writer to choose than Ian Fleming. I had started reading the other novels earlier in the summer and enjoyed Goldfinger immensely. I loved the beginning chapter where OO7 is reflecting on his assignment in Mexico..very moody. Also, I found it interesting that Tilly Masterson had a much largr role in hte book than in the film. The buzz saw scene was a stand out, reminding me of old movie serials, and episodes of Superman. But my favourite books were still CR and LALD....followed by DAF. Ididn't get to the later novels for a few months.

[Qwerty]

Noticed you didn't join the club yet Mr. Somerset. I highly recommend it if you want to write some reviews of any Fleming novel with others up through Goldfinger currently that are highlighted on the CBn Literary 007 pages. The sign-up thread is a sticky topic in this forum if interested.

[Genrewriter]

I was about ten or eleven and it took a while to get past the "Talk About Gold" chapter. It's really the only part of the novel I feel really drags.

[Qwerty]

It was one of my very first Bond novels. I must have been about 11 or 12. I was surprised it didn't open up with Bond getting a massage from Dink and talking to Felix about Goldfinger in the way the movie did.

[JKD68]

I first read GF in the mid 1980's when I was around 13 or 14. The 2nd time I read it was last summer. I really enjoyed it the first time but it wasn't quite as exciting or quite as I remembered it the second time around. It never is, is it? Bond's time with Dupont, the golf match, & "hoods' congress" were what stood out to me the most.

[Johnboy007]

8th grade so around 14 I guess. I thought it was a little long, and didn't find the Fort Knox raid as exciting as the film's. Enjoyed reading the description of the golf match. Well written account.

Of course, this was one of 25 I did for the required "25 Book Every School Year hallenge". Wrote the main characters and other details. Writing "Pussy Galore" on a school paper felt... awkward.

[TheSaint]

I was in high school when I read Goldfinger. A fellow student gave me Goldfinger, CR, and 007:A Report. It was either sophmore or junior year, circa 1982-1983. I didn't like Casino the first time I read it but, I did enjoy Goldfinger. I eventually read all the Flemings, and I liked Casino the second time around.

[Quartermaster007]

I haven't read Goldfinger yet, but it's the next one I'm going to read and I'm 12.

[Jim]

Eight.

Didn't understand a word of it.

[Qwerty]

I haven't read Goldfinger yet, but it's the next one I'm going to read and I'm 12.

Ah, you should join the CBn Blades Reading Club as we are just finishing up with Goldfinger.

[Mark_Hazard]

My first reading of Goldfinger was a LONG time ago, in the early 60s at the age of 10 or 11. Had read my dad's copies of Casino Royale, FRWL and Dr. No and (as I had enjoyed them) approached the local library to ask if I could read the others the series - as they were in the grown-ups section and I only had childs tickets. All I remember of my first time reading of Goldfinger was getting a little bored in the golfing section (probably because I didn't understand the game.

[Tanger]

How old were you when you first read Goldfinger?

17.


Was it as good the first read as the others afterward?

I didn't enjoy it as much as OHMSS and YOLT which are the best imo. Actually, I thought it was one of the weakest.


What stands out about the novel to you?

The buzzsaw scene appealed to me more than the films counterpart. Bond telling Goldfinger to go and himself was nice too. Shows he's human.

[Joyce Carrington]

I was 14, perhaps 15, and it was a Dutch translation. I remember being thoroughly irritated with the Dutch translation of OddJob. It just sounded... irritating.

[freemo]

15

The golf portion of the book is what stood out most at the time.