202 replies to this topic

[David Schofield]

Well, I'm reading it and absolutely galloping through. Sure, there are a couple of inconsistencies, but nothing like the scale of Fleming - only a pedant would complain about them.

Here we see the Bond world through a fresh pair of eyes. It is not meant to be Fleming's, it's not a continuation or a novelisation. It's new and fun and clever, I think.

Thanks, I've never been called a pedant before. Don't you think these "inconsistencies" could so easily have been avoided?

I'm looking forward to the majority verdict on this one - hell, some people even rate Benson as as good as, if not better than, Fleming.

Suppose I'll have to finish it then.

[Panther]

Yes, of course they could have been avoided, and I wish they had been. But all I want to say is that they are not inhibiting MY enjoyment of the book.

Some of my best friends are pedants!

[Brisco]

I'm going to fly in the face of the old adage and judge the book by it's cover, since those are the most immediate impressions I can make upon receiving it.

I like it.

This book FEELS like a Bond book, and suddenly I'm a lot more excited to read it. I mean it feels like a real, Cape Bond book. I don't have my Gardner firsts handy to compare it too, but it's a lot closer in size and weight to the original Gardner books, and consequently to the somewhat smaller Flemings, than the more recent Gardners or Bensons. And if you take the jacket off, the book underneath looks and feels like those older ones too, with nicely indented lettering on the spine. I know it might be crazy, and I'll reserve any real judgement until I've actually read it, but first impressions for me have been good on this book.

Brisco

[David Schofield]

Isn't it time for a CBN review? - and no, I'm definately NOT offering.

[Qwerty]

Isn't it time for a CBN review? - and no, I'm definately NOT offering.

Be patient.

In the meantime, you can checkout the 'James Bond: The Man and His World' review.

[TortillaFactory]

Still unable to find it anywhere but on amazon.co.uk...so I went for it The price was very reasonable, even with shipping. Definitely looking fwd to this, as the Bond/Moneypenny thing is one of those dynamics I just can't figure out.

[DLibrasnow]

Still unable to find it anywhere but on amazon.co.uk...so I went for it   The price was very reasonable, even with shipping.  Definitely looking fwd to this, as the Bond/Moneypenny thing is one of those dynamics I just can't figure out.

I agree...I ordered mine on Friday and it shipped on Sunday. I'm looking forward to checking it out.

[Qwerty]

Loved it. It's an incredibly difficult book to put down once you have started reading it; the urge to move onto a new month (a new chapter in this book) is hard to resist. I planned to read one to two chapters a night in this book, but found myself reading more and more right from the first say.

A lot of new life has been put into this character. I really enjoyed how the office scenes, grapevine info, and 007/M/Tanner/Moneypenny interactions went. And Moneypenny with Bond on a mission?

I cannot wait for book #2.

[Joyce Carrington]

Wow.

I don't have the book (yet), and I've stayed away from the 'Meet the Diarist' thread and yet... I dreamt about Samantha Weinberg.

I met her at a party. She was attending with her sister, her husband, her daughter, and their nanny for some reason. The stupid thing was, when she introduced herself her name sounded vaguely familiar, but I did not make the link to 'The Moneypenny Diaries writer'. In fact, my first thought waking up after was - this being me still half-asleep: "Oh my God, I met Samantha Weinberg and I didn't even realise who she was."
And then the penny dropped.

I do wonder what this means, though.

[Hitch]

It means that we have a deranged member on our hands.

*dons spectacles, grows goatee beard, lights cigar, moves to Vienna*

Is this the first time you have "met" an official IFP author, Patient X? What about that time you saw John Gardner's face in a piece of toast? Or Ian Fleming's polka-dot bow-tie reflected in your soup spoon?

Most worrying. In my professional opinion you have developed the condition known as Galloping Thrilleritis - a condition that can be cured only by immediate purchase of The Moneypenny Diaries, to be read between meals and on the bus. Renew your prescription next year.

*dons hat and trenchcoat in search of a really good cup of coffee*

[Joyce Carrington]

Most worrying. In my professional opinion you have developed the condition known as Galloping Thrilleritis - a condition that can be cured only by immediate purchase of The Moneypenny Diaries, to be read between meals and on the bus. Renew your prescription next year.

That's the thing though, Dr. Sigmund Hitch: I have not been thinking about the book at all, just telling myself casually I'd pick it up sooner or later. It simply cannot be the Galloping Thrilleritis.

[Johnboy007]

Is this only available through Amazon.co.uk?

[Qwerty]

Is this only available through Amazon.co.uk?

Currently. With shipping to the US, it would come to somewhere around

[Panther]

I've just seen on Amazon.co.uk that there are signed copies available - for

[Loomis]

I'm looking forward to the majority verdict on this one

I'm looking forward to an official CBn review (or two, or three, as I think happened with "SilverFin"). Is it gonna happen, or have I missed it (them?)?

Will definitely be reading "The Moneypenny Diaries", when it appears in paperback. To misquote STAR WARS, I have a good feeling about this.

[Simon]

Just finished this book and very pleasantly surprised I was too.

I found it was a real treat to read of actual low level espionage taking place as opposed to the global adventures probably more known to Bond circles, and to read a behind the scenes aspect to Bond's assignments. Indeed I found I was more interested in the attempt to 'turn' Moneypenny than the mini adventure she went on with Bond. The writing also had a solid feel to it, an aspect I find has been lacking in recent Bond adventures. Such was the 'real' feel of the book, I felt the need to watch the DVD, Thirteen Days, again - this of the Cuban Missile crisis starring Kevin Costner.

If there were any slight negatives towards the book, it would only be that having Moneypenny, a secretary at the end of the day, swanning around missile sites in Cuba seemed to be stretching the bounds of reality a bit - and this book was steeped in the realities of the Cuban Missile crisis as its backdrop so it did jar a little.

And probably the main sticking point of having Fleming seemingly a character alongside M and co., and having Bond as a real person albeit with a new name to protect the fictional!! There has been an abundance of documentation stating that all of Fleming's work was a fiction together with the choice of character names and just who they were based on, so to have Fleming working with Bond again, did jar. But it wasn't ever present and so didn't detract from the enjoyment.

I did feel, when this project was found and confirmed as being an IFP project, that they were stretching ideas a little thin to further the Bond canon; Young Bond as yet to be read and I feel I will still pass on this; but the quality of the book together with the success derived from the Young series does tend to assume a seriousness on the part of the IFP holders to 'do good work'.

To this end, I look forward to the remaining two Moneypenny Diaries and the 2008 Bond continuation novel.

[Jim]

Just spent the last couple of hours ripping throught this; very jolly, splendidly entertaining and well worth an afternoon of anyone's time.

[Double-Oh Agent]

Anybody heard anything about if and when The Moneypenny Diaries will be released in the U.S.?

[sharpshooter]

I was skeptical of the Young Bond concept, but was won over.

I do not support this. What next, a book about Q and his life?

I am not sure of this. Would reading it sway me otherwise?

[Qwerty]

I am not sure of this. Would reading it sway me otherwise?

You really should give the first book in the trilogy, The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel a try. Very well developed characters and a well crafted plot. Ms. Weinberg makes it look effortless (and the second novel is just as good; if not better).

[Loomis]

After putting GUARDIAN ANGEL in the reading queue for a shamefully long time, I finally took the plunge earlier today.

Now, I've loved works by Amis and Benson, quite liked SILVERFIN (have yet to read the other Higsons), never really cared for Gardner, and have never read Wood, but to my surprise and delight GUARDIAN ANGEL marks the first time I've ever felt a true revival of Fleming's Bond. Don't wait for the 2008 novel - it's here already!

Granted, Westbrook does build directly on incidents in the Fleming canon, which probably makes it easier for her to be viewed as the true successor to Fleming, but the way she fills in the blanks is a delight and smacks of authenticity. Does a better job than Higson of chiming with Fleming, but you could argue that she had an easier task in that department, was writing for a very different readership than Higson's, and so on. In any case, GUARDIAN ANGEL is a treat for Fleming fans.

I admit I've only read the first couple of chapters, so I guess it's possible that the quality could nosedive - doubt it, though.

[Qwerty]

I admit I've only read the first couple of chapters, so I guess it's possible that the quality could nosedive - doubt it, though.

If anything, it improves.

Glad you're enjoying it, Loomis.

[Joyce Carrington]

I dreamt about Samantha Weinberg.

Can't for the life of me remember this now, but I guess it was three years ago. Anyway...

I finally started reading the book this month and finished today. Really enjoyed it (SO much better than DMC). Loved reading the office perspective of all the events, and the way it was tied in with the Fleming books (I kept waiting for 007 to be sent to Japan with excitement). I'm not too sure yet how I like the idea of Moneypenny in the field (particularly singlehandedly overpowering enemy agents), but overall I have to applaud Miss Weinberg for her work. It's a fresh, new approach to the world of Bond. And it's very entertaining.