Book 404: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, Random House, originally published in 1964.


I grew up with the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang playing every holiday season.  I liked it -- sort of.  I could have done without the songs (except for the one about the car itself), and Truly Scrumptious, and Vulgaria.  I've known for a while that the movie was based on a book, and I knew the book was written by Ian Fleming, but I still avoided it.  Until now.

The book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is about the car -- the marvelous, magnificent, magical car.  And that is pretty much it.  Yes, there is a family of adventurers and inventors.  Yes, there is an adventure.  But the star of the book is the car.  As it should be.  And as it should have been in the movie.