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The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel (James Bond (Extended Series))
My heart breaks for James---so begin the explosive, true, private diaries of Miss Jane Moneypenny, personal secretary to Secret Service chief M and colleague and confidante of James Bond. Bound by the Offcial Secrets Act not to reveal anything about her work, Miss Moneypenny is forced to lead a secretive, clandestine life. But, contrary to popular belief, she was not simpl...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
May 8th 2006
by John Murray
(first published 2005)
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This is a very clever reimagining of the literary Bond's universe. The book is essentially Jane Moneypenny's diary from the year 1962, heavily footnoted by her niece who was willed her aunt's diaries after her death. As Bond fans know, Moneypenny was the faithful assistant to M, the head of MI-6. She was also the target of regular flirtatious advances by James Bond, although both knew that nothing would ever come of his romantic suggestions and that they were actually good friends.
The conceit of...more
The conceit of...more
This is a book I picked up in Japan airport while on holidays. It is a delightful spin off from the James Bond 007 series. On the back blurb simple one line hooks, ‘Thrilling’ Joanna Lumley, and ‘A damned good read’ Roger Moore. I took the bait and bought the tale and I’m glad to say it was worth it.
Ten years after her Aunt Jane’s death Kate, a Trinity College, Cambridge Lecturer receives her legacy from her Aunt in forty leather bound diaries. They had arrived in three packages wrapped in brown...more
Ten years after her Aunt Jane’s death Kate, a Trinity College, Cambridge Lecturer receives her legacy from her Aunt in forty leather bound diaries. They had arrived in three packages wrapped in brown...more
Nov 09, 2012
Mark
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
James Bond Literary fans
Recommended to Mark by:
James Bond literary fans
Another take on the world created by Ian Fleming. Au contraire to most recent updates of the James Bond tales this adventure takes place in the times Ian Fleming actually created James Bond 007, and this times it is through the eyes of the famous Miss Moneypenny. Like Higsons Young Bond this book got some critism by 007-fans that is was a bit too far exploiting the 007-verse. However those who took the effort reading them discovered that they were perhaps a very worthy addition to the literary w...more
This book almost made up for not being able to go see the new James Bond movie. Almost. Very very good, for anyone who likes James Bond books. I hope the author writes more.
It is interesting, adding books to goodreads several years after I read them - I have the benefit of perspective and time. I have been copying and pasting my original reviews. I don't think I would have rated this as 5 stars right after reading it, but in the two years since reading it, I have thought about it more than a few...more
It is interesting, adding books to goodreads several years after I read them - I have the benefit of perspective and time. I have been copying and pasting my original reviews. I don't think I would have rated this as 5 stars right after reading it, but in the two years since reading it, I have thought about it more than a few...more
Bit of a disappointment, this one. It started off well enough, but towards the end the plot became more and more contrived and unbelievable with Moneypenny becoming a textbook example of a Mary Sue (and not just because of the whole premiss of her being the 'author's' aunt) who was better and awesomer than all the professional secret agents put together, and basically Bond's One True Woman.
Bond himself was also out of character, alternating between a naughty womanizer whose conquests Moneypenny...more
Bond himself was also out of character, alternating between a naughty womanizer whose conquests Moneypenny...more
Aug 03, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
James Bond fans, fans of slightly dry political thrillers
I was so inspired by the first book I read from the series (#2) I went on to Amazon.co.uk and bought the two remaining books. They're a funny mixture of James Bond minutia and lightweight romance. In fact, I'm not exactly sure who to recommend these books to. Part of me thinks that any James Bond buff would like them. After all they are jammed packed with references to Fleming's works and feature numerous interesting backstories about the political climate at that time.
I think perhaps the most...more
I think perhaps the most...more
It's hard to imagine a James Bond book ending up dry and with footnotes, but that's pretty much what happens here. The setup is that after her aunt's death, Jane Moneypenny's niece gets a package which contains Moneypenny's secret diaries. She's shocked to find that Ian Fleming's James Bond novels are entirely true and that her aunt is the Moneypenny, and the conceit is that this book is Moneypenny's diary of the Cuban Missile Crisis - with annotations and copious footnotes from her niece about...more
Jun 24, 2008
Julia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Bond junkies
The Moneypenny Diairesis a clever, cunning story published and related by the supposed niece of Jane Moneypenny. Yes, that's the same Moneypenny who is M's secretary and helps oversee the 00's missions in the Secret Intelligence Services world. Of course, she has kept these diaries secret, only releasing them to her niece ten years after her death. Because it seems Miss Moneypenny was more than just a well-turned out desk girl for the SIS. She was called into service to help rescue Bond, no less...more
I was lucky to have found a copy of The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel, by Kate Westbrook, as it� s not even published in the States. I was able to find a fairly inexpensive, used copy on Amazon. But it was obviously published in England. I only found out about it, because I was researching the James Bond novels on Wikipedia. It sounded interesting, so I hunted down a copy.[return][return]This was written mainly as journal entries from Jane Moneypenny, the secretary to � M� at MI6, and colle...more
So most of you know that I'm a James Bond fan; I collect the paperbacks and the movies, and last year read through the entire run of books. This book, Moneypenny Diaries: Secret Servant is the second in a spinoff series that revolves around (who else) M's secretary, Miss Moneypenny. (If you don't know who she is, you might as well stop reading now...) Anyway, they are absolutely captivating (can I use that word?) and well-written. This one weaves the events going on in the real world (the Kim Ph...more
I'll never look at Ian Fleming's Miss Moneypenny in the same light again.
An enjoyable read, even the overload of footnotes - the niece's addition to clarify who's who and what's what in her Aunt Jane's diaries - became interesting in their own right I suppose. As with any novel of espionage and intrigue one is left with unresolved questions and issues that demand a sequel. It would be interesting ....
An enjoyable read, even the overload of footnotes - the niece's addition to clarify who's who and what's what in her Aunt Jane's diaries - became interesting in their own right I suppose. As with any novel of espionage and intrigue one is left with unresolved questions and issues that demand a sequel. It would be interesting ....
After seeing "Skyfall" last month, I wanted to check out "The Moneypenny Diaries", which I bought from Barnes & Noble last year but haven't gotten around to finishing. Once I saw "Skyfall", I gain interest in reading it once more. It's very British but it's still very much in line with the tone of a James Bond story.
I rather enjoyed this. It's nice to look in at Bond's adventures from the PoV of Miss Moneypenny - and to discover that there's more to her than met Fleming's eye. (I'm now wondering if the Skyfall screenplay writer knew of the series, given the way the latest movie incarnation of Moneypenny's been written.)
A chance to read about Bond from Monneypenny, though still felt there should have been more to her character. Not enough of Bond either in my opinion, must admit Samantha Bond was my favourite Moneypenny. Did love her little digs in the films she appeared in with Brosnan.
It's a clever idea, to look at a character like Moneypenny, and I admit I tend not to read books which take works by other authors and then write sequels.
It's a clever idea, to look at a character like Moneypenny, and I admit I tend not to read books which take works by other authors and then write sequels.
I wasn't too sure about the premise of this book when I first picked it up but have really enjoyed the read. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a work of fiction. I thought it was really well written with a great James Bond-esque plot. A really enjoyable read.
Great Read; the Story of Miss Moneypenny of James "007" Bond fame. First authorized "Bond" book written by a woman and she catches the flavor of the Bond franchise. I recommend it for lovers of 007 and of the spy genre in general. As it is the Diaries of Miss Moneypenny, it does have a different take on many of the "known" Bond events (especially On Her Majesty's Secret Service and shortly thereafter.)
Marketed as a comedic chic lit romp, this is actually a fairly straight spy adventure with added romance and an excess of historical footnotes. An uneasy mix but with some charming moments - good for those who get bored with the Bond franchise's treatment of women.
This was not a bad book it was kind of interesting because I really enjoy the 007 movies. However it was a slow read because their was so much detail. I also almost felt like I was reading a school book with all the footnotes that told you what everything meant. However I still enjoyed reading it.
I wish...I don't know what I wish. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (minus the copious footnotes), but I wish that JM didn't actually go on an adventure with Bond. I rather enjoyed the turn of events at home so much more.
I'm not sure if I'll read the next one. I wish this was just one book, not a series. We'll see.
I'm not sure if I'll read the next one. I wish this was just one book, not a series. We'll see.
This didn't read like a diary. It was very dry, I might almost say boring. It did have stretches of excitement, weaving the tale of a missing father through a series of vignettes on the tales of 007. I did not really get into it.
Jul 28, 2011
Sian Taylor
added it
I still can't decide whether this was meant as a factual novel, and the author's aunt really was the Moneypenny who knew James Bond, or if it's a very elaborate wind up. Hmmmmmmmmmmm?
This book caught my eye months ago- I loved the premise; M's reliable and loyal secretary, Miss Moneypenny, kept a diary where she recorded the events in her life, particularly where it intersects with a certain Agent 007. There are 3 books in the series, the first 'Her eyes only' is the one I've read but I will be keeping an eye out for the other two. I love a book which entertains me but which also teaches me something and as the Bond books are set at one of the most unsettled times in world p...more
I was expecting a lot more in the story between Moneypenny and Bond, but there was so much historical info I found it boring.
I am a self-confessed Bond addict and I really enjoyed this - though the footnotes were a bit annoying.
This is an official Bond spin-off series and it was highly entertaining! It's the diary of Jane Moneypenny, M's personal assistant and Bond's go-to girl. This book pretends it's a work of non-fiction and explains how Ian Fleming didn't just come up with the Bond stories, but wrote them from his and the real Bond's personal experiences in the British Military. The author includes footnotes within the diary entries to expand and clarify events that take place in its pages, and further continues th...more
blah... honestly, the only reason i finished this book was because i was too lazy to get up. the main character was indecisive and tedious, and the story dragged... then ended with a cliffhanger... but by that point, i didn't even care.
A thoroughly entertaining read - not sure how historically correct it is, but the section on the Cuban Missile Crisis was 'sit on the edge of your seat-tastic' - must read up on that in a bit more detail!
Clever, but I got bogged down in all the footnotes!
I do not think that I am a good judge for this book. I am not a fan of spy novels,nor have I read any of the James Bond novels by Ian Flemming. I feel that someone who has read these or is a fan of spy novels would get far more from this book than I did. One thing that I didn't like was the vast usage of footnotes to the point of annoyance. Even if you don't read them, they are still within sight, making it more than tedious to sort through what is story and what can be skipped. Read the book fo...more
Cute idea. Not well executed. Boring. I skimmed more than read this one.
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Samantha Weinberg is a British novelist, journalist and travel writer. Author of Books such as A Fish Caught in Time : The Search for the Coelacanth and the James Bond inspired trilogy The Moneypenny Diaries under the alias Kate Westbrook. She currently resides in Wiltshire, England.
In 1994 she wrote Last of the pirates: in search of Bob Denard (ISBN 0224033077), about French mercenary Bob Denard....more
More about Kate Westbrook...
In 1994 she wrote Last of the pirates: in search of Bob Denard (ISBN 0224033077), about French mercenary Bob Denard....more
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