The Moneypenny Diaries (Hardcover)

by Kate Westbrook (Editor) "By the end of 1961 the world was precariously balanced on a political see-saw, with the USA and the Soviet Union vying to load greater..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Moneypenny, Old Man, Cuba Group (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Hardcore Ian Fleming fans and Cold War historians will best appreciate the initial installment of Miss Moneypenny's diaries, edited by Kate Westbrook (the pseudonym of British author Samantha Weinberg), the niece of the iconic James Bond supporting character, who was introduced in the first Bond book, Casino Royale. Covering the year 1962, the diary entries center on personal issues important to Jane Vivien (for the first time readers learn Moneypenny's full name), like her search for information about her father's mysterious disappearance in 1940. The Cuban missile crisis eventually looms large in a narrative slowed by copious footnotes. James Bond, still in mourning for his bride, Tracy, who died in a tragic car accident, acts surprisingly wimpy, except during a Cuban adventure when some much needed heat between Moneypenny and 007 is briefly generated. Two more volumes, hopefully more thrilling, will follow from the woman many revere as the first Bond girl. (May)
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* There are so many things to love about this book, it’s difficult to know where to start. It’s a dead-on simulacrum of a published diary, complete with copious footnotes and editorial commentary. The diarist, Jane Moneypenny, the “Miss Moneypenny” of the James Bond stories, is one of spy fiction’s most interesting and underexplored supporting characters. The period covered by the book, the year 1962, is an important one in the life of Mr. Bond (it’s the year he marries and soon thereafter becomes a widower). And the book provides fans of Ian Fleming’s most famous creation with a fresh and insightful new angle on the life and career of 007—not to mention a glimpse into the life of Miss Moneypenny herself, who emerges as a charming woman with her own secret adventures. This is the first of a series of Moneypenny Diaries, some of which have already been published in the UK, where the series initially prompted speculation that the diaries were real and that Miss Moneypenny and Bond himself actually existed. The book’s so-called editor, Kate Westbrook, eventually admitted that the diaries were a spoof and that she was the author (Westbrook is a pseudonym for Samantha Weinberg). Even without controversy over their provenance, Miss Moneypenny’s diaries will delight American readers who still enjoy the mix of fantasy, adventure, and comedy that made the Bond books such fun. --David Pitt

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312383185
• ISBN-13: 978-0312383183
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #507,146 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Oh, Jane...", May 16, 2008

By	John Cox (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

The Moneypenny Diaries is the first in a trilogy of books by Samantha Weinberg (a.k.a. Kate Westbrook) chronicling the heretofore untold adventures of M's popular personal secretary. Until now, Miss Moneypenny has only been a figure behind a desk with a particular fascination for an agent with the number 007. But now she has a first name (Jane), a rich past (colonial Africa), and quite a few "Bondian" tales to tell of her own. The Moneypenny Diaries also reveal exactly what happened to 007 during those dark days between the books 'On Her Majesty's Secrete Service' and 'You Only Live Twice.' We even get to see Bond and Moneypenny join forces and play a major role in the real-life Cuban Missile Crisis!

I've now read the entire series (via the already released UK editions) and I highly recommend getting this excellent first book and getting hooked. It is a VERY good series and a must for Bond fans. Fans of the films might be a bit surprised to see their super agent in such a poor mental state after the murder of his wife, Tracy...but that's what makes the Bond books such a different (and, IMO, a far more rich) experience. The Moneypenny Diaries is a great way to start that experience.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining book, May 11, 2007

By	M. Haddad (Cairo, Egypt) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Moneypenny Diaries~Kate Westbrook (Paperback)

I thought this book would be full of laughs and "behind-the-scenes" giggles at the expense of Bond (all in good fun, of course). It isn't, not at all, but it is, nonetheless a really good book! It is well written, with details that correspond to the Ian Fleming series, and even to Ian Fleming himself. I look forward to the next in the series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boooorrrring!, August 25, 2008

By	ginnyk "ginnyk" (Glenside, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Incredibly dull, incredibly boring. Slathered with footnotes and purported printouts of "official" documents which are equally boring. I like James Bond and enjoyed the Fleming series. This is nothing like Fleming's writings. Very little action, very little interaction, a fair amount of introspection, much of it about fairly dull and boring non-events. Very little romance, and most of it introspection and non-romantic. Glad I got it from the library rather than spending money on it.