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Goldeneye
For two months every year, from 1946 to his death eighteen years later, Ian Fleming lived at Goldeneye, the house he built on a point of high land overlooking a small white sand beach on Jamaica’s stunning north coast. All the James Bond novels and stories were written here.This book explores the huge influence of Jamaica on the creation of Fleming’s iconic post-war hero. The island was for Fleming part retreat from the world, part tangible representation of his own values, and part exotic fantasy. It will examine his Jamaican friendships—his extraordinary circle included Errol Flynn, the Oliviers, international politicians and British royalty, as well as his close neighbor Noel Coward—and trace his changing relationship with Ann Charteris (and hers with Jamaica) and the emergence of Blanche Blackwell as his Jamaican soulmate. It will also compare the real Jamaica of the 1950s during the build-up to independence with the island’s portrayal in the Bond books, to shine a light on the attitude of the likes of Fleming and Coward to the dramatic end of the British Empire.
264 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2014
42 people are currently reading
774 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Parker
68 books77 followersI'm the author of a number of books including Monte Cassino, about the Western Allies' hardest battle against Germany in WWII, Panama Fever/Hell's Gorge, the epic story of the building of the Panama Canal, The Sugar Barons, about the rise and fall of the British West Indian sugar empire, Willoughbyland, the story of the forgotten English colony in Suriname, exchanged with the Dutch for New York and Goldeneye, about the influence of Jamaica on Ian Fleming's creation of James Bond. My new book is called One Fine Day: Britain's Empire on the brink. It is a snapshot of one day - 29 September 1923 - when the British Empire reached what would turn out to be its maximum territorial extent. It was the sole global superpower, but it was also an empire beset with debts and doubts.
When not reading, writing or staring out of the window, I love making sushi, pubs, growing stuff and visiting remote places.
I'm a member of the Authors Cricket Club, and wrote a chapter of A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon. I am also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to Sweets.
I live in East London with my wife, three children and annoying dog.
When not reading, writing or staring out of the window, I love making sushi, pubs, growing stuff and visiting remote places.
I'm a member of the Authors Cricket Club, and wrote a chapter of A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon. I am also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to Sweets.
I live in East London with my wife, three children and annoying dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
August 4, 2015
After Andrew Lycett's exhaustive biography of Ian Fleming (which is 20 years old, believe it or not), you may wonder what is left to learn of James Bond's creator.
In his new book "Goldeneye," Matthew Parker proves there is quite a bit left to learn. Unlike the works of Lycett and John Pearson, which remain the two indispensable Fleming biographies, Parker's book is not a straightforward life story. He instead focuses on Fleming's love for Jamaica and the vacation home he built there, Goldeneye. Pearson and Lycett certainly acknowledge that Jamaica was a major part of Fleming's life, but Parker has more time and space to devote to the author's time in Jamaica, and he unearths aspects of the man not found by previous biographers.
Fleming first visited Jamaica during a conference in World War II while he worked for British naval intelligence. Before leaving he told his friend Ivar Bryce (who would later figure in one of the biggest dramas of Fleming's life) that he would buy a home on the island where he would vacation and write. That home would become Goldeneye, on Jamaica's north coast near Oracabessa. When Fleming secured a London journalism job after the war, he insisted upon and received two months paid vacation per year (when I was a teenager reading about Fleming, I found nothing remarkable about this. Today I wonder at his power of persuasion). Fleming would spend those two months, from January to March, at Goldeneye. Parker details Fleming's life for those two months out of the year, remarkably pinpointing Fleming's locations and activities during his time in Jamaica. In some ways, it is a biography of two months at a time, each chapter usually focusing on a single year.
Parker also delves into Jamaican history pertinent to the island's hold on Fleming. Britain lost India shortly after the Second World War, but in the late 1940s and early '50s, Jamaica seemed a sunny, friendly outpost of the British Empire, something that appealed to the nostalgic imperialist Fleming and provided the perfect spot for him to create his imperialist hero, James Bond.
Although Fleming hinted at the end of the war he wanted to write a spy novel, he did not start banging away on his typewriter until his 1952 visit to Jamaica. This coincided with his impending marriage to his longtime mistress, Ann (pregnant at the time), and Fleming often blamed premarital jitters for the creation of Bond. But Parker finds evidence that Fleming was ready to write Casino Royale that winter regardless of his fleeting bachelorhood.
The portrait of the resulting marriage is familiar from Lycett's biography. Ian and Ann Fleming were two people who loved each other deeply yet seemed addicted to damaging each other. In Parker's book, Goldeneye itself becomes an obstacle between them after Ann begins to loathe Jamaica and refuses to vacation there with her husband. This allows Fleming to begin an affair with Blanche Blackwell, a celebrated member of Jamaica's north coast society and, it is hard to dispute, a more sympathetic partner for Fleming. By this point Ann Fleming already was having a widely recognized affair with British politician Hugh Gaitskill.
Parker looks at the writing of each Bond book and the circumstances that surround their inception. He pays closest attention to the three books set in Jamaica -- Live and Let Die, Doctor No and The Man With the Golden Gun -- and how the island's shifting political situation is reflected in each title.
Parker's book is deeply researched but highly readable (a quality it shares with Pearson's biography). Dozens of books have been written about Fleming and Bond, but new insights are hard to come by anymore. Parker's "Goldeneye" is filled with them. It is a worthy supplement to Pearson's and Lycett's thicker volumes.
In his new book "Goldeneye," Matthew Parker proves there is quite a bit left to learn. Unlike the works of Lycett and John Pearson, which remain the two indispensable Fleming biographies, Parker's book is not a straightforward life story. He instead focuses on Fleming's love for Jamaica and the vacation home he built there, Goldeneye. Pearson and Lycett certainly acknowledge that Jamaica was a major part of Fleming's life, but Parker has more time and space to devote to the author's time in Jamaica, and he unearths aspects of the man not found by previous biographers.
Fleming first visited Jamaica during a conference in World War II while he worked for British naval intelligence. Before leaving he told his friend Ivar Bryce (who would later figure in one of the biggest dramas of Fleming's life) that he would buy a home on the island where he would vacation and write. That home would become Goldeneye, on Jamaica's north coast near Oracabessa. When Fleming secured a London journalism job after the war, he insisted upon and received two months paid vacation per year (when I was a teenager reading about Fleming, I found nothing remarkable about this. Today I wonder at his power of persuasion). Fleming would spend those two months, from January to March, at Goldeneye. Parker details Fleming's life for those two months out of the year, remarkably pinpointing Fleming's locations and activities during his time in Jamaica. In some ways, it is a biography of two months at a time, each chapter usually focusing on a single year.
Parker also delves into Jamaican history pertinent to the island's hold on Fleming. Britain lost India shortly after the Second World War, but in the late 1940s and early '50s, Jamaica seemed a sunny, friendly outpost of the British Empire, something that appealed to the nostalgic imperialist Fleming and provided the perfect spot for him to create his imperialist hero, James Bond.
Although Fleming hinted at the end of the war he wanted to write a spy novel, he did not start banging away on his typewriter until his 1952 visit to Jamaica. This coincided with his impending marriage to his longtime mistress, Ann (pregnant at the time), and Fleming often blamed premarital jitters for the creation of Bond. But Parker finds evidence that Fleming was ready to write Casino Royale that winter regardless of his fleeting bachelorhood.
The portrait of the resulting marriage is familiar from Lycett's biography. Ian and Ann Fleming were two people who loved each other deeply yet seemed addicted to damaging each other. In Parker's book, Goldeneye itself becomes an obstacle between them after Ann begins to loathe Jamaica and refuses to vacation there with her husband. This allows Fleming to begin an affair with Blanche Blackwell, a celebrated member of Jamaica's north coast society and, it is hard to dispute, a more sympathetic partner for Fleming. By this point Ann Fleming already was having a widely recognized affair with British politician Hugh Gaitskill.
Parker looks at the writing of each Bond book and the circumstances that surround their inception. He pays closest attention to the three books set in Jamaica -- Live and Let Die, Doctor No and The Man With the Golden Gun -- and how the island's shifting political situation is reflected in each title.
Parker's book is deeply researched but highly readable (a quality it shares with Pearson's biography). Dozens of books have been written about Fleming and Bond, but new insights are hard to come by anymore. Parker's "Goldeneye" is filled with them. It is a worthy supplement to Pearson's and Lycett's thicker volumes.
August 6, 2019
interesting book which looks at both Jamaica and Ian Fleming the creator of James bond and both histories and how Fleming created the books at his haven Goldeneye. the author looks at Flemings Imperial cravings away from the austere London post war.
June 7, 2015
Goldeneye – An ode to Fleming, Bond and Jamaica
In 1943 a young naval intelligence officer was in Kingston for a conference when he promised to himself that he would come back and live on the island of Jamaica. In 1946 Ian Fleming made good on that promise and so began a long love affair with Jamaica and the creation of one of the world’s most famous literary and celluloid heroes James Bond. In the eighteen years that Fleming owned Goldeneye his home during the cold winters of a dark and dank London winters all the Bond thrillers were written here.
Matthew Parker does not idolise Goldeneye making false claims, but paints a very clear picture of it as very much a harsh bachelor pad with very little in the way of comfort, in the dying years of Imperial Jamaica when the Blacks were there to serve and not be heard. All this comes across in the book and it must be remembered that Fleming was a man of his times, the Empire had stood for the greatness of a people, and the monarchy was its representation and was a force for good.
When Fleming bought the land and designed Goldeneye there were no creature comforts no decent plumbing, no windows or cupboards. The one thing that does come across from this book is that Fleming wanted to communion with nature and be inspired by what was around him he took to Jamaica and Jamaica took to Fleming.
One of the most interesting things about this book is not just that the chapters are neatly broken up for the reader starting in 1946 and then eventually in to when each of the Bond Thrillers were written. By doing this we are able to examine the events around Fleming’s life at the time his loves and his struggles. We also get an examination of Jamaica at a turning point in its history when things were changing from colonial back post to a leading Caribbean independent nation. Parker also interviews many people who knew Fleming at the time which adds to the cache of this book.
Parker also examines our enduring love of both the books and the films and one thing that we British are good at, laughing at ourselves. Early on in the books and in Flemings’ thoughts was Britain’s uneasy and changing relationship with America which helped to spark some of the more fun, sparky and deeply felt segments in the novels. Something that does come across if it was not for the ability to laugh at ourselves, then both Fleming and Bond have something in common they were pretty unlikeable.
Throughout the book it is amazing once it is pointed out how many times Jamaica actually appears in Flemings novels. From the name of James Bond an author on Jamaica’s bird life to how many places and people appear in one guise or other. We also see Fleming’s relationships with the locals and his famous friends, such as Noel Coward, Blanche Blackwell and with the Governor General of the time Sir Hugh Foot. As well we get explanations of the politics of the time of Manley and the politics of Independence.
Matthew Parker with Goldeneye has not replaced the two excellent biographies of Fleming but made an excellent addition to the James Bond canon. We also are able to see that even though Fleming may not have been in the literary limelight and the greater his success the more destructive he became to himself and too his creation Bond.
That self destruct button that exists in all the Bond novels and films with the excessive drinking and smoking was a reflection of Fleming; he was still able to hammer out 2000 words a day until his final outing. Fleming’s love of Goldeneye and of Jamaica pours from every page of the book, while still proudly English it was probably the only place he ever was really happy.
In 1943 a young naval intelligence officer was in Kingston for a conference when he promised to himself that he would come back and live on the island of Jamaica. In 1946 Ian Fleming made good on that promise and so began a long love affair with Jamaica and the creation of one of the world’s most famous literary and celluloid heroes James Bond. In the eighteen years that Fleming owned Goldeneye his home during the cold winters of a dark and dank London winters all the Bond thrillers were written here.
Matthew Parker does not idolise Goldeneye making false claims, but paints a very clear picture of it as very much a harsh bachelor pad with very little in the way of comfort, in the dying years of Imperial Jamaica when the Blacks were there to serve and not be heard. All this comes across in the book and it must be remembered that Fleming was a man of his times, the Empire had stood for the greatness of a people, and the monarchy was its representation and was a force for good.
When Fleming bought the land and designed Goldeneye there were no creature comforts no decent plumbing, no windows or cupboards. The one thing that does come across from this book is that Fleming wanted to communion with nature and be inspired by what was around him he took to Jamaica and Jamaica took to Fleming.
One of the most interesting things about this book is not just that the chapters are neatly broken up for the reader starting in 1946 and then eventually in to when each of the Bond Thrillers were written. By doing this we are able to examine the events around Fleming’s life at the time his loves and his struggles. We also get an examination of Jamaica at a turning point in its history when things were changing from colonial back post to a leading Caribbean independent nation. Parker also interviews many people who knew Fleming at the time which adds to the cache of this book.
Parker also examines our enduring love of both the books and the films and one thing that we British are good at, laughing at ourselves. Early on in the books and in Flemings’ thoughts was Britain’s uneasy and changing relationship with America which helped to spark some of the more fun, sparky and deeply felt segments in the novels. Something that does come across if it was not for the ability to laugh at ourselves, then both Fleming and Bond have something in common they were pretty unlikeable.
Throughout the book it is amazing once it is pointed out how many times Jamaica actually appears in Flemings novels. From the name of James Bond an author on Jamaica’s bird life to how many places and people appear in one guise or other. We also see Fleming’s relationships with the locals and his famous friends, such as Noel Coward, Blanche Blackwell and with the Governor General of the time Sir Hugh Foot. As well we get explanations of the politics of the time of Manley and the politics of Independence.
Matthew Parker with Goldeneye has not replaced the two excellent biographies of Fleming but made an excellent addition to the James Bond canon. We also are able to see that even though Fleming may not have been in the literary limelight and the greater his success the more destructive he became to himself and too his creation Bond.
That self destruct button that exists in all the Bond novels and films with the excessive drinking and smoking was a reflection of Fleming; he was still able to hammer out 2000 words a day until his final outing. Fleming’s love of Goldeneye and of Jamaica pours from every page of the book, while still proudly English it was probably the only place he ever was really happy.
August 28, 2016
There are three reasons I bought and then read this book:
1) I love to read books that are historical in focus: Its a bonus for me when the history that is being written about has a Jamaican or Caribbean focus;
2) Matthew Parker's name on the cover of the book: The process of reading Parker's excellent "Sugar Barons" was absorbing, which was due in large part to the author's style and his selection of subject matter to include in a book that covered over 210 years of history in the English Caribbean colonies of Barbados, the Leewards and Jamaica. Parker writes history they way it should have always been written - with sensitivity and courage to tell the truth no matter where it takes you;
3) James Bond driven middle age nostalgia syndrome (haha): As a pre-adolescent the first movie for grown-ups that had a major impact on me was "Live and Let Die". The rollicking reggae spiced theme song by Paul McCartney & Wings, pulsating action, suave laid back cool of Roger Moore in the face of danger, menacing and formidable Afro-American villains, lusciously lovely ladies (the beautiful charms of Gloria Hendry and Jane Seymour were unforgettably eye-popping) and the breathtaking Jamaican scenery used in the movie made a lasting impression on this young Jamaican lad. Since that day in the mid 1970s Bond has been something of a guilty pleasure... although in recent times Bond has, for me at least, lost a lot of the pull and appeal he once had (growing up is a hell of a thing eh?).
Parker's "Goldeneye" was an awesome read. Yes it is gossipy - as some critics have observed - but a lot of the gossip is subservient to the major story which is a depiction of the racial attitudes and mores of upper middle class England during a climatic period of that country's history: 1946 (just after World War II) up to the mid 1970s. The impact of the Cold War and Jamaica's own drive towards political independence on Flemming's story-telling are admirably covered by Parker. The overall theme in "Goldeneye" is that Flemming's James Bond books provided its English readers with an opportunity to escape from the harsh reality that the British Empire was not what it used to be, as growing numbers of colonies in Asia and Africa gained their independence in the post World War II period. Some of those in Flemming's circle actually express ugly sentiments as they come face to face with a more self-assured and confident Afro-Jamaican populace in the 1950s who sense that independence is near.
The James Bond books - all written by Flemming at Goldeneye on the north coast of Jamaica - gave their English readers a sense that Britain still had it (even though really she was losing her mojo) because Bond is always shown to be the "superspy" to top all spies no matter where they hailed from, the CIA and KGB not excluded. One interesting insight is that the Bond in the books is not identical to the Bond of the movies - at least in one particular - his political views. I will not state here what that difference is but let's say that the Bond of the books might well have voted "Leave" earlier this year, whilst the Bond of the movies more than likely would be with the "Remain" contingent!
I am very happy I bought and read this book. The fans of the Bond books and movies will not be disappointed if they were to read it too.
1) I love to read books that are historical in focus: Its a bonus for me when the history that is being written about has a Jamaican or Caribbean focus;
2) Matthew Parker's name on the cover of the book: The process of reading Parker's excellent "Sugar Barons" was absorbing, which was due in large part to the author's style and his selection of subject matter to include in a book that covered over 210 years of history in the English Caribbean colonies of Barbados, the Leewards and Jamaica. Parker writes history they way it should have always been written - with sensitivity and courage to tell the truth no matter where it takes you;
3) James Bond driven middle age nostalgia syndrome (haha): As a pre-adolescent the first movie for grown-ups that had a major impact on me was "Live and Let Die". The rollicking reggae spiced theme song by Paul McCartney & Wings, pulsating action, suave laid back cool of Roger Moore in the face of danger, menacing and formidable Afro-American villains, lusciously lovely ladies (the beautiful charms of Gloria Hendry and Jane Seymour were unforgettably eye-popping) and the breathtaking Jamaican scenery used in the movie made a lasting impression on this young Jamaican lad. Since that day in the mid 1970s Bond has been something of a guilty pleasure... although in recent times Bond has, for me at least, lost a lot of the pull and appeal he once had (growing up is a hell of a thing eh?).
Parker's "Goldeneye" was an awesome read. Yes it is gossipy - as some critics have observed - but a lot of the gossip is subservient to the major story which is a depiction of the racial attitudes and mores of upper middle class England during a climatic period of that country's history: 1946 (just after World War II) up to the mid 1970s. The impact of the Cold War and Jamaica's own drive towards political independence on Flemming's story-telling are admirably covered by Parker. The overall theme in "Goldeneye" is that Flemming's James Bond books provided its English readers with an opportunity to escape from the harsh reality that the British Empire was not what it used to be, as growing numbers of colonies in Asia and Africa gained their independence in the post World War II period. Some of those in Flemming's circle actually express ugly sentiments as they come face to face with a more self-assured and confident Afro-Jamaican populace in the 1950s who sense that independence is near.
The James Bond books - all written by Flemming at Goldeneye on the north coast of Jamaica - gave their English readers a sense that Britain still had it (even though really she was losing her mojo) because Bond is always shown to be the "superspy" to top all spies no matter where they hailed from, the CIA and KGB not excluded. One interesting insight is that the Bond in the books is not identical to the Bond of the movies - at least in one particular - his political views. I will not state here what that difference is but let's say that the Bond of the books might well have voted "Leave" earlier this year, whilst the Bond of the movies more than likely would be with the "Remain" contingent!
I am very happy I bought and read this book. The fans of the Bond books and movies will not be disappointed if they were to read it too.
August 1, 2016
I love James Bond movies - fast-moving, fantasy, glitzy, bad guys, good guy always wins = never a dull moment! Goldeneye is the house in Jamaica that Ian Fleming built and where all the James Bond books were written. The book details the life of Ian Fleming, his friendships and the influence Jamaica had on his life and on his 007 books. There’s quite a bit of history thrown in as well as societal reflections of the day, particularly relating to class and race. It wasn’t as absorbing a read as I would have expected. I felt the writing didn’t flow as fluidly as it could have, was sometimes boring and ploddy and I had to steel myself to power on through. But all in all I got the picture of an Ian Fleming on the island of Jamaica that heavily influenced his writing of one of my favorite spy series of all time.
August 16, 2016
The writing moves along and is easy reading. The book fleshes out the man who created Bond and the times and circumstances that influenced his books. The 50's was a time of great political and social change in the West Indies and this book covers its impact on Jamaica. Fleming had an eclectic group of friends and lovers and their interaction on the island is fascinating. You'll feel like a fly on the wall at times. I definitely would put this book in the 'curl up with a hot cup of tea and a couple of relaxing hours' category. Highly recommended if you are a Bond fan.
April 22, 2015
So fascinating! Parker does a wonderful job of balancing the history of Jamaica, the history of Bond, and Fleming's own life details. Read like fiction - so much family drama, political intrigue, tragedy, addiction, beauty.
April 15, 2019
I love reading about Jamaica and I can't get enough of the unlikely friendship between Fleming and Noel Coward, so I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which places the Bond novels in the context of what's happening both in Jamaica and in Fleming's private life. Five stars just for the photo of Coward with Sean Connery, honestly.
November 28, 2021
Really really enjoyed this. I knew very little about either Ian Fleming or Jamaica before reading this. Fascinating.
August 3, 2020
Interesting book primarily about how Jamaica influenced Ian
Fleming as he wrote the James Bond novels. Worth a read of you like Bond and \or Jamaica
Fleming as he wrote the James Bond novels. Worth a read of you like Bond and \or Jamaica
April 24, 2019
I cannot heap too many superlatives on this multifaceted book. It is a gem that far surpasses the expectation of simply being a book for James Bond fans.
The book isn't neatly pigeon-holed as a biography of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. While Fleming is at the heart of the book, it is so much richer, deeper and nuanced than another bio. It is part mid-century British history, Jamaican history, British political history, social commentary, historical analysis of colonialism and the breakup of the British Empire, cold war politics, psychology, sociology, tawdry gossip of the sexual escapades of British upper class, pop culture, literary critique -- not only of Fleming but also his neighbor Noel Coward, who is discussed almost as much as Fleming -- and even a bit of musical history, particularly related to Island Records which brought Bob Marley to the world stage.
All of this is told in an engaging style that makes the book hard to put down.
Of course the book centers on Fleming. Like his fictional alter-ego, he was a chain smoking (70 unfiltered cigarettes a day), hard drinking (half a bottle of gin a day) womanizer. During World War II where he served as a Naval intelligence officer, Fleming made a trip for a meeting in Jamaica, and fell in love with it. Following World War II, he took a position as a reporter and columnist with the London Sunday Times upon condition that he could have two months vacation each January and February to travel to Jamaica, then a British colony filled with decaying sugar plantations, tropical birds and sea creatures. pristine waters and less than 200 hotel rooms.. Fleming bought about 15 acres overlooking a beautiful bay and built a rudimentary home he named Goldeneye.
Four years later, he sat down at his golden-plated typewriter and typed, "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning." It was the opening line of Casino Royale, the first James Bond book. For the next 13 years, until his death in 1964 at the too-young age of 56, Fleming would spend each January and February writing a James Bond book.
But this book does so much more than trace Fleming's writing, or his failing marriage, his struggles at being a father to a difficult child, his long-standing love affair with a woman from one of Jamaica's old families, and even his failing health just as the James Bond craze was skyrocketing.
It's those other stories -- about the people and the changing world that surrounded Fleming -- that put context to Fleming's life and to his fictional creation, James Bond.
I admit being a Bond fan since I was very young -- and a bigger fan of the books than the movies. I even found a curious connection of which I was unaware. I knew that Fleming died on my 12th birthday, August 12, 1952 -- about six months before I discovered Bond in the dark of a local movie theater when I saw the movie Goldfinger. But what I didn't know until I read the book was that Ian Fleming's only son, Caspar (a troubled young man who committed suicide by drug overdose at age 23), was born on the same day in the same year as me -- which of course meant that Ian Fleming died on his son's 12th birthday.
But even taking this connection into account, this is one of the best books I've read in the past several years. It is a MUST READ.
The book isn't neatly pigeon-holed as a biography of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. While Fleming is at the heart of the book, it is so much richer, deeper and nuanced than another bio. It is part mid-century British history, Jamaican history, British political history, social commentary, historical analysis of colonialism and the breakup of the British Empire, cold war politics, psychology, sociology, tawdry gossip of the sexual escapades of British upper class, pop culture, literary critique -- not only of Fleming but also his neighbor Noel Coward, who is discussed almost as much as Fleming -- and even a bit of musical history, particularly related to Island Records which brought Bob Marley to the world stage.
All of this is told in an engaging style that makes the book hard to put down.
Of course the book centers on Fleming. Like his fictional alter-ego, he was a chain smoking (70 unfiltered cigarettes a day), hard drinking (half a bottle of gin a day) womanizer. During World War II where he served as a Naval intelligence officer, Fleming made a trip for a meeting in Jamaica, and fell in love with it. Following World War II, he took a position as a reporter and columnist with the London Sunday Times upon condition that he could have two months vacation each January and February to travel to Jamaica, then a British colony filled with decaying sugar plantations, tropical birds and sea creatures. pristine waters and less than 200 hotel rooms.. Fleming bought about 15 acres overlooking a beautiful bay and built a rudimentary home he named Goldeneye.
Four years later, he sat down at his golden-plated typewriter and typed, "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning." It was the opening line of Casino Royale, the first James Bond book. For the next 13 years, until his death in 1964 at the too-young age of 56, Fleming would spend each January and February writing a James Bond book.
But this book does so much more than trace Fleming's writing, or his failing marriage, his struggles at being a father to a difficult child, his long-standing love affair with a woman from one of Jamaica's old families, and even his failing health just as the James Bond craze was skyrocketing.
It's those other stories -- about the people and the changing world that surrounded Fleming -- that put context to Fleming's life and to his fictional creation, James Bond.
I admit being a Bond fan since I was very young -- and a bigger fan of the books than the movies. I even found a curious connection of which I was unaware. I knew that Fleming died on my 12th birthday, August 12, 1952 -- about six months before I discovered Bond in the dark of a local movie theater when I saw the movie Goldfinger. But what I didn't know until I read the book was that Ian Fleming's only son, Caspar (a troubled young man who committed suicide by drug overdose at age 23), was born on the same day in the same year as me -- which of course meant that Ian Fleming died on his son's 12th birthday.
But even taking this connection into account, this is one of the best books I've read in the past several years. It is a MUST READ.
June 21, 2015
'Sex, snobbery and sadism' were the key ingredients in a James Bond novel, according to a review of Dr No in the New Statesman in 1958. Yes, he was probably right, but the reviewer seems to have missed out the outlandish thrills that Ian Fleming could deliver along with some of the most colourful villains in the history of pulp fiction: Mr Big, Rosa Klebb, Dr. No, Goldfinger and, that toothsome twosome, Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Irma Bunt!
Matthew Parker's lively new contribution to the 007 'canon' is a history of Fleming's long love-affair with pre- and post-Independence Jamaica, where he spent two months of every year from 1946 until his death in 1964 and where he wrote all the Bond books. At Goldeneye, the boxy little bungalow Fleming built on the north coast of the Caribbean island, he entertained the great and the good (including Evelyn Waugh, Anthony Eden and - of course - Sean Connery) together with a far from modest selection of married ladyfriends, one of whom, Viscount Rothermere's wife Ann, divorced her husband to marry Fleming. Ann had to put up with a "three-people marriage" when Fleming took another Jamaican expat as his long-term mistress. Tit for tat, Ann Fleming became Hugh Gaitskell's lover for the last years of his life.
Fascinating as this book is, it's filled with dislikeable characters. Fleming himself is a curmudgeon, sometimes genial, more often sulky. Ann is a snobbish pill-popping neurotic who dismisses her husband's novels (largely without reading them) as 'pornography'. Even Noel Coward comes across as little more than another of the old colonial bores. Fleming largely detested the idle rich and retired who made up most of his wife's social circle both on the island and in London, and yet, as the New Statesman observed, James Bond was very much a product of the supercilious 'imperialist' mindset.
Parker confirms what we have heard before, that there was a lot of Fleming in 007: the naval background, a love of fishing and snorkelling as well as lethal levels of smoking and drinking. From this account Fleming does not seem to have been a very happy man, but his books, however sniffy some of the critics, have brought pleasure to millions.
Fleming was toying with killing off 007 at the end of From Russia With Love when (unlike in the movie) Rosa Klebb strikes home with the poisoned blade in her toecap. Luckily for us, this was Fleming's break-through book and he contrived a way to 'resurrect' Bond at the beginning of Dr No. Today, in real time, Bond would either be long since despatched to the rest home for old spies or, more likely given his alcohol and tobacco intake, would have made the trip to the crematorium which he narrowly escaped in the movie of Diamonds Are Forever. Despite the up-and-down quality of both the book and the movie franchise, long may he go on living!
Matthew Parker's lively new contribution to the 007 'canon' is a history of Fleming's long love-affair with pre- and post-Independence Jamaica, where he spent two months of every year from 1946 until his death in 1964 and where he wrote all the Bond books. At Goldeneye, the boxy little bungalow Fleming built on the north coast of the Caribbean island, he entertained the great and the good (including Evelyn Waugh, Anthony Eden and - of course - Sean Connery) together with a far from modest selection of married ladyfriends, one of whom, Viscount Rothermere's wife Ann, divorced her husband to marry Fleming. Ann had to put up with a "three-people marriage" when Fleming took another Jamaican expat as his long-term mistress. Tit for tat, Ann Fleming became Hugh Gaitskell's lover for the last years of his life.
Fascinating as this book is, it's filled with dislikeable characters. Fleming himself is a curmudgeon, sometimes genial, more often sulky. Ann is a snobbish pill-popping neurotic who dismisses her husband's novels (largely without reading them) as 'pornography'. Even Noel Coward comes across as little more than another of the old colonial bores. Fleming largely detested the idle rich and retired who made up most of his wife's social circle both on the island and in London, and yet, as the New Statesman observed, James Bond was very much a product of the supercilious 'imperialist' mindset.
Parker confirms what we have heard before, that there was a lot of Fleming in 007: the naval background, a love of fishing and snorkelling as well as lethal levels of smoking and drinking. From this account Fleming does not seem to have been a very happy man, but his books, however sniffy some of the critics, have brought pleasure to millions.
Fleming was toying with killing off 007 at the end of From Russia With Love when (unlike in the movie) Rosa Klebb strikes home with the poisoned blade in her toecap. Luckily for us, this was Fleming's break-through book and he contrived a way to 'resurrect' Bond at the beginning of Dr No. Today, in real time, Bond would either be long since despatched to the rest home for old spies or, more likely given his alcohol and tobacco intake, would have made the trip to the crematorium which he narrowly escaped in the movie of Diamonds Are Forever. Despite the up-and-down quality of both the book and the movie franchise, long may he go on living!
August 25, 2022
I've been Bond-crazy since I was seven, and have seen the Connery (my favorite Bond) and Moore movies countless times. But I was hardly curious of his creator, who remained elusive, at least to me, until a few years ago, when I read Fergus Fleming's The Man with the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters; a portion of my review was "5 stars for the content, and yes, Ian Fleming most deservedly takes the credit for this. He must have been one engaging, witty, muy simpatico amigo to have around. Looking at the photos, he was unattractive, but it seemed he lived a charmed life, and knew how to live it. With a zest for travel and writing. Prolific writer he was too, coming out with a book practically every time he came out of his self-imposed exile at Goldeneye. His letters reflect a man of gentility, tenacity, passion and spontaneous jolly good humor. Three stars for what could have been a more thorough delving into Mr Fleming's personal life, more photographs, especially of his family and of Goldeneye--what made it so conducive to his writing?"
Matthew Parker covers a lot of bases with this book, negating my earlier impressions of Fleming, who apparently was an attractive man (sensually, sexually so), and was not always of good cheer; family and old friends point to a cultivated melancholy, and the occasional rudeness, perhaps deliberate tactlessness. Parker also regales us with Bond trivia (imagine James Mason as Bond, and be thankful he could only commit to two films, and therefore passed over), delves into Fleming's personal affairs, his political sentiments, his friendships--particularly with that of Blanche and Noel Coward--and estrangements, most especially the dynamics of his marriage to his married mistress-turned-most ill-suited wife Ann, whom I thought a supreme snob and the detrimental fly in the ointment to Fleming's pursuit of a contented lifestyle. Amidst this lifestyle of Jamaica's most famous adopted son, Parker also deftly weaves the trajectory of Jamaica's journey to independence, currently run by descendants of empire builders, a dynamic that almost mirrors that of our Spanish colonial sugar barons in Bais, and the burgeoning expat-owned resorts at Dauin and Siquijor.
To fellow fans of James Bond, I highly recommend this and Jon Burlingame's The Music of James Bond.
Matthew Parker covers a lot of bases with this book, negating my earlier impressions of Fleming, who apparently was an attractive man (sensually, sexually so), and was not always of good cheer; family and old friends point to a cultivated melancholy, and the occasional rudeness, perhaps deliberate tactlessness. Parker also regales us with Bond trivia (imagine James Mason as Bond, and be thankful he could only commit to two films, and therefore passed over), delves into Fleming's personal affairs, his political sentiments, his friendships--particularly with that of Blanche and Noel Coward--and estrangements, most especially the dynamics of his marriage to his married mistress-turned-most ill-suited wife Ann, whom I thought a supreme snob and the detrimental fly in the ointment to Fleming's pursuit of a contented lifestyle. Amidst this lifestyle of Jamaica's most famous adopted son, Parker also deftly weaves the trajectory of Jamaica's journey to independence, currently run by descendants of empire builders, a dynamic that almost mirrors that of our Spanish colonial sugar barons in Bais, and the burgeoning expat-owned resorts at Dauin and Siquijor.
To fellow fans of James Bond, I highly recommend this and Jon Burlingame's The Music of James Bond.
March 29, 2015
Goldeneye Where Bond was Born: Ian Fleming’s Jamaica by Matthew Parker (2015, Pegasus Books) has been a long time in coming. Where much of Fleming and Bond have been explored and dissected, the little tropical island that was the backdrop for two months for eighteen years has little inspection.
Parker has done extensive research in preparation of this book. It’s a full plate that he most organize, manage, and in some cases, provide a delicate balance of he said/she said without becoming low brow gossipy. In the early chapters, Parker sorts out the cast of characters against the chaotic and changing political fabric of Jamaica and the world. It did feel as though there was some jumping around in these chapters, but Parker gets into a rhythm once Ian Fleming started working on his novels.
What I found fascinating and intriguing were Fleming’s various nods in his books to references – people, places, events – that were important enough for him to set down for posterity. His early novels were particularly well documented by Parker, but by the last few novels, Parker spent more time discussing the plots. I think part of that fact is due to Fleming’s stories be set elsewhere than Jamaica.
My one criticism, which truly arises from my personal preference, is that Parker spent a considerable amount of time detailing the political climate. It makes complete sense, given the changing attitudes towards imperialism/colonialism, racism, etc., however my interest waned during those sections. With that said, I still believe this is a worthwhile book for those who enjoy the films and do not know much about the books and Jamaica, this would be a good starting point. For the seasoned Bond aficionado, it’s a must because it is about Fleming and Bond.
As to the book trimmings: there are black and white photographs throughout the book and a small section of color photographs. I appreciated the selection and felt like I got to see just about everyone that had come in and out of Fleming’s life at Goldeneye. In the back of the book, Parker provided picture and quotation credits, endnotes, a selected bibliography, and a thorough index, which was impressive.
Parker has done extensive research in preparation of this book. It’s a full plate that he most organize, manage, and in some cases, provide a delicate balance of he said/she said without becoming low brow gossipy. In the early chapters, Parker sorts out the cast of characters against the chaotic and changing political fabric of Jamaica and the world. It did feel as though there was some jumping around in these chapters, but Parker gets into a rhythm once Ian Fleming started working on his novels.
What I found fascinating and intriguing were Fleming’s various nods in his books to references – people, places, events – that were important enough for him to set down for posterity. His early novels were particularly well documented by Parker, but by the last few novels, Parker spent more time discussing the plots. I think part of that fact is due to Fleming’s stories be set elsewhere than Jamaica.
My one criticism, which truly arises from my personal preference, is that Parker spent a considerable amount of time detailing the political climate. It makes complete sense, given the changing attitudes towards imperialism/colonialism, racism, etc., however my interest waned during those sections. With that said, I still believe this is a worthwhile book for those who enjoy the films and do not know much about the books and Jamaica, this would be a good starting point. For the seasoned Bond aficionado, it’s a must because it is about Fleming and Bond.
As to the book trimmings: there are black and white photographs throughout the book and a small section of color photographs. I appreciated the selection and felt like I got to see just about everyone that had come in and out of Fleming’s life at Goldeneye. In the back of the book, Parker provided picture and quotation credits, endnotes, a selected bibliography, and a thorough index, which was impressive.
May 9, 2015
Skillfully blends a history of Jamaica and the literary James Bond through the prism of Goldeneye, the tropical retreat where the novels were written. Author Matthew Parker begins with the story of Ian Fleming's first visit to Jamaica and a concise biography of Bond’s creator from birth to the postwar era. This is followed by a history of Jamaica that sets the stage for the birth of James Bond. Having brought the island and the author together, from this point on the book skillfully weaves together the Twentieth Century political turmoil of Jamaica, the life of Ian Fleming, and the story of the Bond novels. Along the way we get glimpses of other luminaries who become part of Jamaica’s story, including Winston Churchill, Errol Flynn, Noel Coward, Ursula Andress, Laurence Olivier, and Sean Connery. There is endless delight for Bond fans here, a number of revelations that include the origin of the Vesper cocktail, the real Isle of Surprise, and the true life circumstances that inspired "Quantum of Solace" and "The Hildebrand Rarity". There are also interesting stories about the filming of "Dr. No" and "Live and Let Die" that, although I've been a Bond fan for almost fifty years, I never knew. There is also inspiration for writers here, as it is very clear that Fleming took mundane incidents from his own life and turned them into the fanciful and imaginative sequences we love in his novels. This densely researched book, sporting 40 pages of notes and acknowledgments, is a mesmerizing combination of history, biography, and fan boy trivia.
June 23, 2016
History as it should be: deeply researched, profoundly insightful, completely accessible, and vastly entertaining. The author uses a partial biography of Ian Fleming during his time in Jamaica as a tool for exploring the decline of the British Empire in the Caribbean. It succeeds on numerous levels: social history, literary history, literary criticism, film history, political history, and biography, but pure delight comes from the author’s talent for sounds, smells, people, and places: conch chowder and fried octopus tentacles with tartar sauce, sugar and slaves, rum and Coca-Cola, grand houses and old families, alligator shooting and polo, Errol Flynn and Noel Coward, sharks and barracuda, Princess Margaret and Lord Beaverbrook, Lucien Freud and Francis Bacon, Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill. Highly recommended.
August 19, 2014
Enjoyed tremendously, clearly and empathetically written, provides fascinating insight into the writing process of an enigmatic author. MP has given a lot of space to pre and just post Independence Jamaica in this book, which for me ( like many others I presume) never really registered as the birthplace of Bond in such an indelible way before. Really resonated with some other research I was doing on Jamaica for this period.
November 29, 2015
Matthew Parker's excellent book not only tells of 007 author Ian Fleming's time in Jamaica, it also provides the reader with an insight into the island's social, economic & political history. Drawing on numerous sources, as well as new interviews, there is a wealth of fascinating material for the reader to digest.
September 1, 2020
Ian Fleming had a good gig going for him. During the years between 1947 and his death, he would spend two months out of the year living in an austere Jamaican home with a lovely reef and beach where he would spend time with friends, recuperate thanks to "Dr. Jamaica" while putting out, at least from 1952, a book a year [1]. Yet Ian Fleming was not a very happy man and he did not end up being successful in love, for the most part. He died young, had a son who died even younger, and if his James Bond novels were a massive success, he did not appear to be the happiest of people, and he was thought of by others as being more than a little bit of a snob as well as a pretty heartless seducer of women, especially in his younger days. The author explores some pretty unpleasant aspects of his life and career and the result is that the reader (or listener) really gets the chance that they know something about the man behind the spy, and the ways in which the personal and the geopolitical end up playing such an important role in the Bond novels and stories, as well as the way in which Jamaica and its influence was so important in their creation.
In eight cds, this particular book overs the fifteen years or so which Ian Fleming spent as a part-time resident of Jamaica on the north coast not far from Ocho Rios. The book begins with a discussion of Fleming's childhood, which was predictably unhappy, as well as his difficulties in committing to women, his fondness for affairs, and his work for newspapers as well as British naval intelligence during the Second World War. It is noteworthy that Fleming's writing began slowly, with discussions of travel, and it was not until 1952 that he started writing novels, finding the work to be profitable and enjoyable, even if he did not find all aspects of his life--particularly a lengthy affair his wife had as well as the frustrations of her snooty artistic friends--to be as enjoyable. The book details the local goings on in Jamaica, the events of Fleming's family life, and the particular goings among the trendy tourist set in the north part of Jamaica. The author notes the many references to Jamaica that can be found in the Bond novels, some of which I had missed while reading because I was not thinking about the subject, and comments on the way that Jamaica was a good muse for a troubled man.
This book manages to weave a lot of tales together. So we hear about how it was that the politics and tourist industry in Jamaica changed life dramatically for those who were fairly elite British expats like Ian Fleming and Noel Coward, and how it was that the changing geopolitical scene of Great Britain changed the Bond novels, and how it was that few critics understood the psychology of the Bond novels and what they were really about when it comes to defending the British as being important in a bi-polar world in which the Empire was becoming more and more of a liability and the Commonwealth a poor substitute. A stubborn man whose refusal to give up smoking and drinking, which he viewed in his middle age as about the only pleasures he had, led to a rather short end and caused some difficulties for those who cared about him and did not like seeing him suffer through poor health and gradually worsening breathing, to the point where it was increasingly hard for him to write, to work, and to live. This book is a sad one for all of the glamour of the Bond books and movies.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
In eight cds, this particular book overs the fifteen years or so which Ian Fleming spent as a part-time resident of Jamaica on the north coast not far from Ocho Rios. The book begins with a discussion of Fleming's childhood, which was predictably unhappy, as well as his difficulties in committing to women, his fondness for affairs, and his work for newspapers as well as British naval intelligence during the Second World War. It is noteworthy that Fleming's writing began slowly, with discussions of travel, and it was not until 1952 that he started writing novels, finding the work to be profitable and enjoyable, even if he did not find all aspects of his life--particularly a lengthy affair his wife had as well as the frustrations of her snooty artistic friends--to be as enjoyable. The book details the local goings on in Jamaica, the events of Fleming's family life, and the particular goings among the trendy tourist set in the north part of Jamaica. The author notes the many references to Jamaica that can be found in the Bond novels, some of which I had missed while reading because I was not thinking about the subject, and comments on the way that Jamaica was a good muse for a troubled man.
This book manages to weave a lot of tales together. So we hear about how it was that the politics and tourist industry in Jamaica changed life dramatically for those who were fairly elite British expats like Ian Fleming and Noel Coward, and how it was that the changing geopolitical scene of Great Britain changed the Bond novels, and how it was that few critics understood the psychology of the Bond novels and what they were really about when it comes to defending the British as being important in a bi-polar world in which the Empire was becoming more and more of a liability and the Commonwealth a poor substitute. A stubborn man whose refusal to give up smoking and drinking, which he viewed in his middle age as about the only pleasures he had, led to a rather short end and caused some difficulties for those who cared about him and did not like seeing him suffer through poor health and gradually worsening breathing, to the point where it was increasingly hard for him to write, to work, and to live. This book is a sad one for all of the glamour of the Bond books and movies.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
June 6, 2018
Sometimes it's the little decisions that make history. Such as when some obscure British guy decides he wants to buy a house in Jamaica where he can get drunk, snorkel his own private reef, and maybe write a book.
Parker's Goldeneye sits in the Venn-diagram intersection of three stories: a biography of Ian Fleming's time in Jamaica, a history of Jamaica during its transition from British colony to independence, and a literary history of Bond, James Bond. Parker does each of them justice, and draws strong connections between all three: Fleming and his neighbor, playwright Noel Coward, being "early adopters" in the Jamaica-as-tourist-hotspot concept, Fleming's time in Jamaica having a heavy influence on his development of Bond and the stories in the novels, and the great impact that Fleming and Bond had in bringing Jamaica to a worldwide audience. All this is set against a backdrop of the fall of British Imperialism, something that Fleming and Coward both lamented and reflected in their works.
Fleming does not come across as a likeable character: he's a boozer, a chain-smoker, an aristocratic snob, a curmudgeonly recluse, and a serial adulterer. But then, so again is Bond. It's clear that Fleming injected much of himself into the Bond character, especially his way with the ladies and the knowing twinkle in Bond's eye that everything going on around him is just a little bit ridiculous. It's that sly charm and knowing self-mockery that, it appears, redeems Fleming and Bond both. That, and the fact that they've both had such a vast cultural impact on the world, far beyond any reasonable proportion.
I started reading the Bond books ages ago, but got distracted halfway through Live and Let Die. Not soon after beginning this book, I put the entire series back in my to-read page. Looking forward to reading them fresh with more insight into the context in which they were written.
Parker's Goldeneye sits in the Venn-diagram intersection of three stories: a biography of Ian Fleming's time in Jamaica, a history of Jamaica during its transition from British colony to independence, and a literary history of Bond, James Bond. Parker does each of them justice, and draws strong connections between all three: Fleming and his neighbor, playwright Noel Coward, being "early adopters" in the Jamaica-as-tourist-hotspot concept, Fleming's time in Jamaica having a heavy influence on his development of Bond and the stories in the novels, and the great impact that Fleming and Bond had in bringing Jamaica to a worldwide audience. All this is set against a backdrop of the fall of British Imperialism, something that Fleming and Coward both lamented and reflected in their works.
Fleming does not come across as a likeable character: he's a boozer, a chain-smoker, an aristocratic snob, a curmudgeonly recluse, and a serial adulterer. But then, so again is Bond. It's clear that Fleming injected much of himself into the Bond character, especially his way with the ladies and the knowing twinkle in Bond's eye that everything going on around him is just a little bit ridiculous. It's that sly charm and knowing self-mockery that, it appears, redeems Fleming and Bond both. That, and the fact that they've both had such a vast cultural impact on the world, far beyond any reasonable proportion.
I started reading the Bond books ages ago, but got distracted halfway through Live and Let Die. Not soon after beginning this book, I put the entire series back in my to-read page. Looking forward to reading them fresh with more insight into the context in which they were written.
July 30, 2021
This is an exceptionally researched, well structured, and well-read analysis of Ian Fleming as a man, author, and advocate for Jamaica's beauties. Matthew Parker weaves discussion of Fleming's personal life with literary review of the James Bond series and the sociocultural & political backdrop of Jamaica with such skill that the reader doesn't fell as if one if being jerked from topic to topic. It flowed really well, and I almost couldn't put it down!
As a graduate student studying Caribbean coral ecology, I was thrilled to hear just how much Fleming was obsessed with exploring the reef within sight of his Goldeneye estate. So much of his love for the island was tied to its natural wonders, and I simply adored all of those passages.
However, Parker doesn't pull punches when it comes to pointing out Fleming and the British empire's relationship with Jamaica. Parker's biography of Fleming includes his alcoholism, sexism, racism, cigarette chain-smoking, and severe nostalgia for colonialism. Parker deftly criticizes British media and authorities for not respecting Jamaican self-governance, employment, or representation. All of Parker's statements are backed up with quotes and references from the period, which is essential for quality non fiction.
I recommend this to any fan of Jamaica, the Bond books, the Bond movies, Ian Fleming as a character, colonial and post-colonial British history, and the history of anthropogenic impacts on Caribbean coral reefs. I have read "Casino Royale" but nothing else in the series, but I am familiar with nearly all of the Bond films produced with Sean Connery onward (apparently there were 2 bad ones before Sean Connery which no one remembers lol). I definitely have a better sense of how important the Bond franchise is to the British and American psyche, as well as Jamaica's importance in the fall of the British empire.
As a graduate student studying Caribbean coral ecology, I was thrilled to hear just how much Fleming was obsessed with exploring the reef within sight of his Goldeneye estate. So much of his love for the island was tied to its natural wonders, and I simply adored all of those passages.
However, Parker doesn't pull punches when it comes to pointing out Fleming and the British empire's relationship with Jamaica. Parker's biography of Fleming includes his alcoholism, sexism, racism, cigarette chain-smoking, and severe nostalgia for colonialism. Parker deftly criticizes British media and authorities for not respecting Jamaican self-governance, employment, or representation. All of Parker's statements are backed up with quotes and references from the period, which is essential for quality non fiction.
I recommend this to any fan of Jamaica, the Bond books, the Bond movies, Ian Fleming as a character, colonial and post-colonial British history, and the history of anthropogenic impacts on Caribbean coral reefs. I have read "Casino Royale" but nothing else in the series, but I am familiar with nearly all of the Bond films produced with Sean Connery onward (apparently there were 2 bad ones before Sean Connery which no one remembers lol). I definitely have a better sense of how important the Bond franchise is to the British and American psyche, as well as Jamaica's importance in the fall of the British empire.
July 20, 2021
As a kid growing up in the 70s and seeing Bond movies at the Saturday matinees, but not knowing they had been novels till my 30s (I've no excuse for this) this is a must listen!
Roy McMillan has a wonderful narrating voice and style; and gives life to these Upper Brit Stuffed Shirts. I can literally picture Jamaica and Goldeneye in my mind.
Mr. Parker's biography of how and whence Bond. James Bond; came into being and all the backstory therein was a fascinating listen.
From Ian Fleming's early life through marriage and misery it brings to life not only The Grass isn't Greener on the Other Side of the Fence, even if there's so much more of it; but of England in decline and it's effect on the psyche of the Upper Crust watching it's way of life change. This book gives us a clear view into a world how the very wealthy jet setted, raised children, and viewed everyone outside their small circle.
All these issues that were once commonplace now from a bygone era as a backdrop to the creation and evolution of the epitome of England's Colonization; along with Jamaica's move from Colony to Island Nation.
What I most appreciated about this biography, was the format in which it is done. It come across as a story rather than a blurb of regurgitated "facts."
Truly a necessary read for for any James Bond fan; but also for a history buff. I rather daresay listen; Roy McMillan is so very pleasant to listen to.
Roy McMillan has a wonderful narrating voice and style; and gives life to these Upper Brit Stuffed Shirts. I can literally picture Jamaica and Goldeneye in my mind.
Mr. Parker's biography of how and whence Bond. James Bond; came into being and all the backstory therein was a fascinating listen.
From Ian Fleming's early life through marriage and misery it brings to life not only The Grass isn't Greener on the Other Side of the Fence, even if there's so much more of it; but of England in decline and it's effect on the psyche of the Upper Crust watching it's way of life change. This book gives us a clear view into a world how the very wealthy jet setted, raised children, and viewed everyone outside their small circle.
All these issues that were once commonplace now from a bygone era as a backdrop to the creation and evolution of the epitome of England's Colonization; along with Jamaica's move from Colony to Island Nation.
What I most appreciated about this biography, was the format in which it is done. It come across as a story rather than a blurb of regurgitated "facts."
Truly a necessary read for for any James Bond fan; but also for a history buff. I rather daresay listen; Roy McMillan is so very pleasant to listen to.
November 20, 2017
A good book, combining a biography of Ian Fleming with an analysis of his James Bond novels and their relation to Fleming’s experience in Jamaica, where they were written. In the late 1940s Fleming built a winter house on Jamaica’s north coast, Goldeneye, living there as Jamaica evolved from a colonial outpost to an independent country with a vibrant tourism industry and a budding industrial economy. The book provides a detailed look at Fleming’s life, his friendships, love interests, political/cultural views, and hobbies. It also analyzes each of the Bond novels, pointing out the real-life incidences in Jamaica and around the world which shaped each story. The book explores the tough questions of the wide popularity for a character and a series which, even for the times, pushed moral attitudes and political views that were fringe, and would become even more so. All in all, a good overview of the environment in which James Bond was created, the way in which the books were a release from the growing pain in Fleming’s life, and the reasons for the continued popularity of the 007 character.
November 7, 2025
fascinating deep dive into Ian Fleming’s life, his vices, and the complex world that shaped James Bond. paints a vivid picture of Fleming’s Jamaica retreat, where Bond was born,not as a serious literary hero, but as a “comic book character” in Fleming’s own words. Something I think might upset Bond purists, and how his wife hated the books, considering them cheap “porn”. the parallels between Bond’s physical decline and Fleming’s own self-destructive spiral are eye opening.
The book doesn’t shy away from the darker corners: Fleming’s heavy drinking, affairs, and the colonial politics swirling around Jamaica’s push for independence. It does drag a little during the deep dive into the history of empire, but the payoff is worth it; the context sets the stage for the end of British rule, the rise of the Commonwealth, and the American hoteliers taking over.
What really makes it sing are the surprising little gems like the octopus that lived in the reef at Goldeneye, affectionately named “Pussy” by Fleming and his guests. Lots of little real-life crossovers into the Bond canon are scattered throughout, adding a layer of Easter eggs for fans of bond fiction and movies.
The book doesn’t shy away from the darker corners: Fleming’s heavy drinking, affairs, and the colonial politics swirling around Jamaica’s push for independence. It does drag a little during the deep dive into the history of empire, but the payoff is worth it; the context sets the stage for the end of British rule, the rise of the Commonwealth, and the American hoteliers taking over.
What really makes it sing are the surprising little gems like the octopus that lived in the reef at Goldeneye, affectionately named “Pussy” by Fleming and his guests. Lots of little real-life crossovers into the Bond canon are scattered throughout, adding a layer of Easter eggs for fans of bond fiction and movies.
July 14, 2019
I’ve always known that some of James Bond’s adventures were set in Jamaica, yet I do not know the significance of Jamaica to its author, Ian Fleming. This book describes Ian’s escapade, to Goldeneye, Jamaica, where to avoid harsh winter back in London, he wrote numerous novels on Bond’s struggle to keep the Union Jack flying high, which served as escapism from the real world where British imperial grip was waning, and it found itself being overshadowed by the US. In Bond’s world, it is the other way around, with Americans and the CIA giving support to Bond. Apart from Ian and Bond, many aspects also being discussed, such as Ian’s love life and affairs, many debaucheries of hollywood artists, and the most disappointing, Jamaica itself, and its situation during Fleming’s heyday was only described sparsely. For me, the title was misleading, for I expect the book would be about Jamaica and not Bond. However, I digress, for a book about Jamaica during the Cold War would be a more boring book than one about how James Bond was made.
May 19, 2021
Two stars would suggest this book was terrible. And in truth it wasn't. But I could hardly give it three stars, when I gave three stars already to the likes of Twain, Kipling, and Ishiguro, now, could I?
This book is for Bond fans only. Everyone else will find it dull as a marble. (And frankly, I sometimes did myself.) It gets into some appropriate meat, such as confronting Fleming's racism and misogyny and challenging relationships. And it is interesting to see how characters and situations from his real life were infused into the Bond stories, if you know them well enough to "get it". But there was too much time spent describing, in minute detail, conversations, situations, and emotions inferred from letters and other documents. The author is not alone in this--Erik Larson does it too, for example. But it seems at times as if he has to prove that he's done his homework when in fact, honestly, who cares? He should have just edited that out.
In the end, despite my low rating, it's not bad. If you're a bond fan, it's worth an automatic 1-2 star raise.
This book is for Bond fans only. Everyone else will find it dull as a marble. (And frankly, I sometimes did myself.) It gets into some appropriate meat, such as confronting Fleming's racism and misogyny and challenging relationships. And it is interesting to see how characters and situations from his real life were infused into the Bond stories, if you know them well enough to "get it". But there was too much time spent describing, in minute detail, conversations, situations, and emotions inferred from letters and other documents. The author is not alone in this--Erik Larson does it too, for example. But it seems at times as if he has to prove that he's done his homework when in fact, honestly, who cares? He should have just edited that out.
In the end, despite my low rating, it's not bad. If you're a bond fan, it's worth an automatic 1-2 star raise.
February 23, 2017
Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond books during his annual two month holiday at his Jamaican retreat Goldeneye. Fleming had a soft spot for the island and it, or his view of it, is depicted in many of his books. This book looks at Fleming's life with a focus on his time at Goldeneye and the lives of his friends and the people he interacted with while there using Ian and Ann Fleming's letters as well as materials and interviews from people who knew and interacted with them during their time together both before and after their marriage. Comparing and contrasting actual events with their reflections in the Bond novels this book also looks at the history of Jamaica and Jamaican independence during the waning of the British Empire after WWII. I found this book a fascinating look at the people and events that influenced Fleming as he wrote the James Bond stories and they began to become the worldwide phenomena that James Bond became.
June 16, 2018
I read this as a biography of Ian Fleming (the author of the James Bond books) but found that it was as much a biography of Jamaica in Fleming's time as anything else. It was fascinating to see how the island changed, how Fleming changed, and how the character of Bond changed along with the times. Fleming was a product of British imperialism and while he sometimes welcomed the ideals of post-colonial Britain, the books he wrote show that he missed it all the same. He seemed to want the luxury of empire without the pressure of empire. Bond is the same way, wanting the luxury of his life without the complications his vices bring. I haven't read all the Bond books, but it was apparent that Bond was, in many ways, a type of Fleming, whose body degraded under the constant use of alcohol, smoking, and extra-marital relationships.
February 25, 2025
This book is an interesting combination of a limited biography of Ian Fleming the James Bond author, and also a history of Jamacia's transition from a banana export economy to tourism. There is limited explanation on how Fleming and the island got to that point, but mainly the story starts when Fleming was ordered to the island in WWII for an antisubmarine warfare conference (he was an aide for the head of naval intelligence) and fell in love with the island.
The story of the estate also becomes the story of how the island transitioned into a tourist destination to replace banana growing, and also the many and complicated affairs of Fleming and his friend and nearby estate owner Noel Coward.
Very well written and very readable.
The story of the estate also becomes the story of how the island transitioned into a tourist destination to replace banana growing, and also the many and complicated affairs of Fleming and his friend and nearby estate owner Noel Coward.
Very well written and very readable.
January 9, 2024
What a book! Picked this book up in the departure lounge in New York and thought it was a biography about Ian Flemming and how Bond came to be. No doubt it is that. It is that and more, it draws the reader into a Jamaica, not only as the context for Bond Novels and even the movies that would follow after, Jamaica in its complexities is explored. The class divisions that exist in Jamaica is basically known, the writer goes a bit deeper to access that aspect from multiple angles. So no doubt, Ian Flemming and the Bond he created serves as a point of departure for a much wider exploration.
Would definitely recommend this.
Would definitely recommend this.
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