I've just read this thread from start to finish and found it a very depressing experience. Like others I have just installed Opera 17 and wondered what had happened to bookmarks. Having tried the help page, it does not tell me why there are no bookmarks but just that I can import them into Speed Dial. I tried that and confirmed to myself what I had suspected, that it was not an appropriate replacement.
So I searched on Google and this thread came out as the top response, so it is the natural one to follow. Unfortunately what I found, instead of a succinct discussion of the issue and a clear reply is a long dialogue between multiple parties seemingly more intent on picking points out of each other than addressing the question being asked.
As a loyal Opera user since v3 I have put up with the foibles and stayed the path, but right now I am uncertain, as much because of the nature of what I have read as because of the specific failings of v17. Remember, this is the thread that many people with this challenge will be coming to.
Having read the thread all the way through, I think I understand the position but I do have to say Opera has not made it easy.
For example various entries and links make it clear that Opera 17 is still a work in progress, but go to opera.com and you are taken to downloads for Opera 17, no mention anywhere that this is other than a full release product, no mention of bookmarks and no mention that Opera 12 is still available (until you go off into help). Then if you look for bookmarks in help you get the information mentioned above.
As I said, this thread does have buried within it a lot of information about the situation, various options that are available at the moment (Speed Dial & import, Quick Access Bar) plus that Opera have recognised the error and will be providing bookmarks again, at some unspecified point in the future.
I would like to suggest (assuming it can be done) that, given this thread is #1 on Google, it would be really helpful if a succinct but complete summary could be made and pinned at the top of the thread, including an indication of when we might hope to see bookmarks back. This would save a lot of people like myself having to read through the whole thing and see some exchanges which don't help improve Opera's image as a good alternative to the "big boys".
For now I'll be deinstalling 17 and I guess I'll have to work with Firefox to be able to use Evernote web clipping, until Opera gets fixed.