The Man Who Saved Britain, (Paperback)

from ABVR

The Man Who Saved Britain is a hot mess of a book: chaotic, self-indulgent, sloppy, and - underneath it all - frequently brilliant and insightful. Any scholar or serious fan of the James Bond novels and films will probably be seized, at least once while reading it, with an urge to throw it across...

from reeread

Simon Winder explores the theory that the popularity of James Bond in Britain was caused by the collapse of the British Empire and Great Britain's economic downturn after World War II. In a relatively short time, Britain went from being the main player on the world stage to a fairly minor one. Br...

from dpbrewster

I wanted dearly to love this book. There are too many contradictions in scope and tone to really love it. It is ultimately, merely a good book. Winder gently criticizes Fleming for writing novels to a certain prescribed length, yet Winder's own book feels this way. Winder is in the publishing bus...

from sthitha_pragjna

More a rant and a tirade than a book. Well written, even if you disagree with the author, and quite funny in places, and outrageous in most. Contains a chapter called "Coronation Chicken" , the title referring to a mayonnaise curried chicken on the occasion of Elizabeth II 's coronation, referred...

from dtw42

Interesting and amusingly written personal musings on the possible socio-cultural impact of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the subsequent films, with respect to Britain's view of itself and its place in the world following World War II and the collapse of Empire. Would have been slightly imp...