Thrilling Cities

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The book is a collection of articles originally written for the London Sunday Times examining 13 cities throughout the world based on two trips Fleming took between 1959 and 1960. As Fleming states in the opening of the book, the idea originated in October 1959 when Sunday Times features and literary editor Leonard Russell suggested that he should make a ’round trip of the most exciting cities in the world and describe them in beautiful, beautiful prose.’ warm and lively city (also thanks to strip-tease shows and prostitutes whose activity is legalised and supervised by medical staff)

Like the Bond books, it’s an enjoyably atmospheric read, filled with an array of sharply defined characters, memorable scenes and period ambience, but with the added bonus of humour. I wish he’d done more. This is a book that is a collection of newspaper pieces written before I was born, by someone who died before my 3rd birthday about places that probably aren't there anymore or if they are certainly aren't the insanely low prices he quotes in the articles. No city blends ancient wonders with hipster cool quite like Athens. The history is obvious and usually visible, as the temple-crammed Acropolis citadel — chiefly built by Pericles in the 5th century BC — looms on an outcrop. There are also neoclassical mansions here and Byzantine churches there, yet Greece’s spirited, ever-creative capital is also home to young restaurateurs and cutting-edge coffee bars. The critic for The Financial Times, James Bredin, declared that Thrilling Cities "can—and will, compulsively—be read at a sitting", [34] although he found that overall "it is an unsatisfying report" because of the brevity of the subject. [34] Honor Tracy, providing the critique for The Guardian thought Fleming praiseworthy, as he "writes without any pretension at all", [35] while also managing to be "invariably entertaining and often funny". [35] Overall Tracy considered that Thrilling Cities was "a lively, enjoyable book, written from an unusual point of view and well illustrated." [35] Writing for The Observer, Francis Hope was surprised by Fleming's written style, which he found to be "more flabby verbose than one expects of a thriller writer", [36] although this was redeemed by Fleming having "some interesting conversations with local experts on crime". [36] The chapter on Geneva is the best in the whole book. Fleming's reflections on the Swiss character are fantastic - " For the solidity of Switzerland is based on a giant conspiracy to keep chaos at bay and, where it blows in from neighboring countries, or pollinates within the frontiers, to sweep it tidily under the carpet." The whole chapter is quite amusing.Discover the best things to do in New York Christ the Redeemer overlooks Rio de Janeiro (Getty Images) 3. Rio & the Iguazu Falls, Brazil a b c Grosvenor, Peter (12 December 1963). "The Oriental lady and the spy". Daily Express. London. p.6. As you would expect from Ian Fleming, the writing is good, a bit off the normal travel tome path, and a bit sexist and a tad racist (the early 60s and late 50s were not a high point in cultural nuance, and Fleming was the high ground of that period anyway). When the collection was published in the early 60s, it ended up being almost a travel guide for the Playboy set (a Baedeker for boobs and booze).

The 007 in New York short story was only included in US editions of Thrilling Cities and for several decades remained the only place for literary Bond fans to turn to read it (although the story was originally published in the The New York Herald Tribune in 1963). It finally debuted in the UK in 1999 in a magazine supplement to the Sunday Times. Following this, it was added as the fourth short story to the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection, which was first published in the UK by Penguin Books in 2002 and in the US in 2004. It remains in this collection in all reprints and new publications since then. NOTE: wherever he went, he was pursued by catastrophic events such as earthquakes, volcanoes erupting, aerial disasters, rainwater leaks] Where to stay The Alex* is a trendy boutique overlooking the Athens Riviera, while Hydra Town’s Phaedra Hotel* is small and romantic (booking well in advance). a b c Kirsch, Robert (22 June 1964). "Ian Fleming Travel Pieces Aren't Thrillers". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p.C11. Food is indifferent, waiters rude, strip-lighting hideous, and musicians play nonstop, except for a pause to push a plate in your face.The second series of articles started on 31 July 1960 with Fleming's trip to Hamburg, [23] and finished with his visit to Monte Carlo. [24] Overall the series was considered popular and successful. [25] Release and reception [ edit ] In addition, as others have mentioned, the book isn't particular useful as a travel guide. The establishments referred to in the guide section, which ends each chapter, are likely all gone, and tend to skew toward towards the "wrap yourself in the comforts of home to protect yourself from the country you are visiting" variety. There's more than one mention on where to get a good British or French meal in, say, Tokyo or Hong Kong. Eternally overshadowed by Sydney or Melbourne, sophisticated Brisbane abounds with terrific galleries and has a flourishing food scene. There’s plenty of wonder to explore nearby, too: the beach-strewn Gold and Sunshine Coasts, plus experimental cool-climate vineyards and the Darling Downs area’s long-standing indigenous culture. Viennese girls are ugly because they are a mix of those races: Poles, Czechs, Rumanians, Hungarians and Jewish, which are horrible This book appears to have been out of print for a long time, but I had never heard of it until it became available as an e-book.