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  • Live and Let Die

  • By: Ian Fleming
  • Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
  • Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,598 ratings)

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Live and Let Die

By: Ian Fleming
Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
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Summary

When 007 goes to Harlem it’s not just for the jazz. This is the kingdom of Mr Big, master of crime, voodoo baron and partner in SMERSH’s grim company of death. Those who Mr Big cannot possess, he crushes – like his beautiful prisoner, Solitaire, and her would-be saviours James Bond and Agency man, Felix Leiter. All three are marked out as victims in a trail of terror, treachery and torture that leads from New York’s underworld to the shark-infested island in the sun that Mr Big calls his own.

Ian Fleming was born in London in 1908. He was educated at Eton and worked as a journalist in Moscow and a banker and stockbroker in London before becoming personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during the Second World War. He wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952 at Goldeneye, his home in Jamaica. Since then James Bond has gone on to become a global phenomenon.

Rory Kinnear, a renowned theatre actor, won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for his performances as Angelo in Measure for Measure and the title role in Hamlet, and gained an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode. His TV credits include Count Arthur Strong, Lucan, Women in Love and Black Mirror, and he played Bill Tanner in the Bond films Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.

©1954 Ian Fleming Publications Ltd (P)2013 Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. © AudioGO Ltd, 2012. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under licence by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd
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Critic reviews

"Speed… tremendous zest… communicated excitement. Brrh! How wincingly well Mr Fleming writes." ( Sunday Times)
"Tense; ice-cold, sophisticated." ( The Evening Standard)
"Don’t blame me if you get a stroke." ( The Observer)
"This is an ingenious affair, full of recondite knowledge and horrific spills and thrills." ( The Times)
"The second adventure of his Secret Service agent fully maintains the promise of his first book…containing passages which for sheer excitement have not been surpassed by any modern writer of this kind." ( Times Literary Supplement)

What listeners say about Live and Let Die

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A fantastic Liston, I true Peice of English history

The words used hit the mark in every sentence.
The performance was excellent,
Thank you for bringing this book to life for myself.

Robert jackson

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly Classy!

Well read, fantastic story and characters!

This is a must listen for all Bind fans, the book really gets into the head of bond and the result is a much more likeable and relatable character that can hold is own against any modern hero!

Brilliant book! Much better than the film!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Terrific

Rory Kinnear is absolutely tremendous. Every character and detail played to perfection. Extremely captivating. Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

the iconic spy story

the 2nd novel from the iconic spy story series, published in the 1950s. i started listening to Fleming’s novels because i was always curious about the originals. suspenseful plot, interesting details, legendary characters, definitely at this point, after so many spy movies were made from the series. this version also contains the original extended ending, added extra.
good performance, a nice depiction of Bond, the accent and style of speaking.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Totally failed to grip me

Ian Flemming's books are not much like the movies, this I knew and accepted.

However, choice of a good narrator can make a heck of a difference to te excitement levels of a book.

Flemming's writing has the potential to be a gripping thriller to listen to, but this felt like it was being read by 'Derek from Accounts' trying to be interesting.

I'll try the others in this new set of releases, but this was a fail.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but too brief

Decent enough story, there's just not much depth to it so it all happens very quickly and is wrapped up before you know it. Everyone knows who James Bond is, but there's no insight into characters so you're just going along with the story not necessarily buying into the danger and intrigue because you don't feel connected to the characters at all. Most of Fleming's Bonds are the same though so you just have to take him as he comes!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Really good read

Very good listen. The novels are so much stronger and more authentic than the films that were made in the 60s and 70s.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Original Fleming gives Bond new angle

I never read Fleming books and I knew Bond only as movies. I have to say these audiobooks are like discovering new angle to the stories you seen as movies. I am enjoying it and I believe anyone who loves James Bond movies should get this audiobook book too.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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brilliant

so much better than the film well read certainly a page turner great holiday reading

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Dated

Written at a particular time and hasn’t dated very well in my view. Film was a lot better than the book in my view

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