I've never been a huge James Bond fan. Although I have seen a few of the movies, I have never read any of Ian Flemings novels. But Kate Westbrook's The Moneypenny Diaires appealed to me because I always felt Moneypenny was overlooked and thought she deserved more attention. The Diaries, recently released in the U.S., is the first in a trilogy previously published in the U.K.
Although forbidden to reveal anything about her work as personal secretary to M, Jane Moneypenny secretly kept diaries detailing her work for the Secret Service. The first in the trilogy chronicles the year 1962. While the Cubans have the American and British governments in a scramble, Bond is recovering from his bride's murder and Moneypenny is seeking answers surrounding her father's mysterious disappearance during WWII. Jane sees quite a bit of action herself, as she is involved in rescuing 007 from the Soviets in Cuba and gathering evidence of Cuba's missiles. Back in Britain, her inquest into her father's disappearance gets her involved with the wrong side, and reveals a leak in the Service.
Jane's diaries are edited by her niece, Kate Westbrook and each chapter reflects a month in 1962. At the beginning of each month, Kate interjects her own recollections of her aunt and she also includes copious footnotes with Jane's entries. Although I enjoyed Jane's entries, the footnotes and Kate's memories distract from the flow of the story and eventually just become annoying (I ended up skipping over these parts). But Jane's work for the Service and her relationship with 007 kept me hooked, and I look forward to the next installment.
No comments:
Post a Comment