Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Queen's Gambit

I read this book because I loved the mini-series. There are some scenes in this book that I feel are completely unnecessary for plot development and character development that thankfully the show omitted. I was hesitant to give it 4 stars because of these scenes, but I still enjoyed the story overall.

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v3ndetta's review against another edition

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avawetherall's review against another edition

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I love this show - but the book really disappointed me. It is in 3rd person which is not normally a big issue but I didn't get anything about how Beth felt so it became very bland. I wanted to know how she was feeling and what she was thinking, but it is written more like “Beth did this” and “Beth did that”. There is also a sexual assault which was not in the series so it really threw me off and I couldn’t read much more of it. Jolene assaults Beth in the orphanage and I was just very confused because I didn’t understand how they were going to continue to be friends throughout the book. Just stick to the series 🙂

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jonwood's review

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The book reads really fast with scenes that are very compressed, not much on dialogue. Tevis does deal with emotional ramifications of addition and trauma on Beth, but some of the choices he made I found problematic (particular the inclusion of an nonconsensual sexual experience of a minor). The more I think of it, the more I realize their is good craft in dealing with the mindset of addition, self-destructive tendencies, and need to win, perhaps I confuse the brevity of the book with simplicity. Regardless, I didn't find the book particularly rewarding, and honestly the chess games while well done and nontechnical to read (they could have been much dryer), seem to last a bit too long, but then again I don't like reading action scenes, so this may just be me.

For what it's worth, a member of my book club showed us that you could play through most of the major games if you wish. I wouldn't recommend the book, but I wouldn't discourage reading it either. Though, I think the Bobby Fischer biography "Endgame" by Frank Brady a much better Chess read.

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