Rank the Ian Fleming novel Main Girls

Books Ian Fleming
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This week’s ranking deals with Ian Fleming’s main Bond girls from the novels. Once again, those from the short stories are NOT included.

So how do you rank them? Here’s mine:

  1. Domino Vitali – THUNDERBALL – Domino is perhaps the most fleshed out Bond girl and, in my opinion, the best.

  2. Tatiana Romanova – FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE – As a big fan of Daniela Bianchi’s film version, I may be somewhat influenced by her. Still, I think the novel’s Tatiana is an enjoyable one.

  3. Tiffany Case – DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER – Another well-fleshed out Bond girl who is tough and street smart, she has a really good relationship with Bond.

  4. Vesper Lynd – CASINO ROYALE – The original Bond girl is one of the best ones and casts a big shadow over the rest of the series.

  5. Tracy di Vicenzo – ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE – Similar to Vesper in that her presence is highly felt throughout the rest of the series–including the continuation authors. Her relationship with Bond is good which only makes the tragic ending hit that much harder.

  6. Pussy Galore – GOLDFINGER – Pussy is a little more aggressive/antagonistic towards Bond than she is in the film, but I still like her. She is unique in the series.

  7. Gala Brand – MOONRAKER – I know she’s a popular Bond girl around here, but I’m not as wild about her as most seem to be. Still, she is a solid character who has a unique relationship with Bond.

  8. Simone Latrelle aka Solitaire – LIVE AND LET DIE – I like Solitaire and think she works well in this story. She may not be the most independent of Bond girls, but that just brings out Bond’s protective attitude more towards her.

  9. Kissy Suzuki – YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE – This may seem like a low rating, but I do like her. In fact, I like ALL Fleming’s Bond girls a lot and think there isn’t a bad one in the bunch, but some have to be lower than others–and Kissy is one of those. I suppose her being the novel less than most hurts her a bit with me in comparison.

  10. Mary Goodnight – THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN – Bond’s former secretary is similar to Kissy. I like her before and in this story, but she’s not in the novel that much either which hurts her ranking.

  11. Honey Rider – DOCTOR NO – For some reason, I’ve never ranked Honey among the best Bond girls in either the novel or the film, but she’s still a solid character. I just like the other Bond girls more.

  12. Vivienne Michel – THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – The “worst” of Fleming’s girls, but she has her moments and is not a bad character.

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  1. Tracy Di Vicenzo - It takes a special woman to make Bond want to hang it all up. We also get more of her backstory that is strangely omitted from the film.
  2. Tiffany Case - One of the best written of the Fleming girls.
  3. Vesper Lynd - The first and the one that still influences Bond’s life 13 books later.
  4. Honey Ryder - A fun, iconic character with a broken nose.
  5. Pussy Galore - A no-nonsense character that is fiercely independent, but eventually comes down on the right side.
  6. Gala Brand - The first main Bond girl that Bond doesn’t sleep with. A strong independent woman, unusual for Fleming.
  7. Tatiana Romanova - Comes across as a bit of a plot device. It’s interesting that, unlike in the film, we never figure out where her true loyalties lie.
  8. Domino - A fun, but forgettable character.
  9. Vivien Michel - A woman with a very bad relationship with men. She’s a very fleshed out character, but I’ve never before nor since heard a woman say “all women love semi-rape.”
  10. Kissy Suzuki - The one woman who may or may not have given Bond a child, but also lied to him when he had amnesia. I’m not sure what to make of her. EDIT: I should mention the one woman in literature that may have given Bond a child.
  11. Mary Goodnight - The book needed a warm-bodied female so I guess Goodnight fits the bill.
  12. Solitaire - Just a nothing character. Jane Seymour did some heavy lifting to make this character interesting in the film.
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From best to worst:

Vivienne Michel: the most fully drawn, since she narrates an entire book, telling all about herself. Effective “literary transvestism,” aside from a certain notorious sentence.

Tiffany Case: hardboiled, neurotic, and subject to drastic mood swings; yet also very vulnerable, drawing the best out of Bond.

Domino Vitali: fiery, vengeful, villain-slaying Italian, but also with a sweet, imaginative side, as seen in her Player’s cigarette story.

Kissy Suzuki: hardy, strong-willed and proud (as in her disdain of Hollywood racists), and not above keeping Bond to herself, out of altruism and selfishness.

Honey Rider: an independent, resourceful, child of nature, used to getting her way. Too much sex kitten behavior in the captivity scene perhaps, but part of her naivete.

Tatiana Romanova: the book’s unusual structure allows Fleming to show us her thoughts and everyday life, revealing an appealingly normal, innocent woman at the mercy of Smersh.

Tracy di Vicenzo: a sort of second-draft Tracy. Fascinatingly damaged in her suicidal opening chapters, but less compelling after she gets cured.

Vesper Lynd: dully self-contained in the first half, but made interesting by her despair and melancholy in the second.

Gala Brand: ultra-professional and self-sufficient, to the point of being almost immune to Bond’s charms, though there’s not much else to her.

Solitaire: notable for her belief in the occult, but lacking personality and not given much to do.

Pussy Galore: a cartoony consolation prize for Bond after Tilly flames out, albeit a fun cartoon.

Mary Goodnight: barely in the book and not much in the way of attributes, beyond being slightly bashful.

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Here is the results of the three people voting on ranking the Ian Fleming novel Bond girls:

  1. Tiffany Case – DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER – with a cumulative score of 7 points for a 2.3 average.

  2. Domino Vitali – THUNDERBALL – with a 12 score for a 4.0 avg.

  3. Tracy di Vicenzo – ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE – with a 13 score for a 4.3 avg.

t4. Vesper Lynd – CASINO ROYALE – with a 15 score for a 5.0 avg.

t4. Tatiana Romanova – FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE – with a 15 score for a 5.0 avg.

  1. Honey Rider – DOCTOR NO – with a 20 score for a 6.7 avg.

t7 Gala Brand – MOONRAKER – with a 22 score for a 7.3 avg.

t7. Pussy Galore – GOLDFINGER – with a 22 score for a 7.3 avg.

t7. Vivienne Michel – THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – with a 22 score for a 7.3 avg.

  1. Kissy Suzuki – YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE – with a 23 score for a 7.7 avg.

  2. Simone Latrelle aka Solitaire – LIVE AND LET DIE – with a 30 score for a 10.0 avg.

  3. Mary Goodnight – THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN – with a 33 score for an 11.0 avg.

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