Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

5 reviews

classicsandcocoa's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was wonderful. Any chess lover would be doing themselves a favour by picking this up. The suspense was incredible, and the visualization was on point. The character building was excellent, and while there were a few plot holes/cliffhangers, it was overall a read 100% worth it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Drug use, and Addiction

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Car accident, and Vomit

theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition

I wanted to finish this novel. The narrator, Amy Landon, has a soothing voice, and understood Beth’s emotional remove from others and what that might sound like. The author, Walter Tevis, has given us other important American stories turned into landmark films such as The Hustler, The Color of Money, and The Man Who Fell to Earth. 

But.

I truly believe you need to understand chess to follow this novel’s progression. Many of Beth’s plays, and tournaments’ rules and activities, are given without any explanation, which is frustrating. Plus, there is so much alcohol abuse, without it pressing forward the story. Both Beth and her mother drink beer like mother, often in physically impossible quantities and in a method of communication with each other and with other people. I am not sensitive to alcohol abuse or alcoholism per se, but even I became very uncomfortable with the frequency of it. I became so hyperaware of it that it took me out of the book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Forced institutionalization

genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was something that I picked up because I found it free on Audible and have heard wonderful things about the TV adaption. Unfortunately, it wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed. People who have an interest in chess might find it more entertaining than I did, but as someone who doesn't have much of an interest in the game, I just got lost, and at times annoyed, with all of the move-by-move descriptions. I also found Beth frustrating as a character, especially when she kept falling back on the same self-destructive tendencies. Even though the book covers a period of nearly 10 years, the presentation of the story somehow manages to make it seem painfully slow. Overall, this book was okay, but nothing more than that.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Grief, and Vomit

Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Bullying, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

nxcola's review against another edition

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Death of parent, and Death

pseudoliterature's review against another edition

 Ever since I finished the series I wanted to read the book, and now I'm conflicted. I do love the series, and I really like the changes they did with the character of Townes, and the development of Beth's relationship with her adoptive mother.
However, TW// sexual assault, there is a scene in the beginning of this book that is a very explicit sexual assault to a minor, and i know it got cut from the show, but the rest of the story didn't, it left a bad taste in my mouth, and this is full spoilers but it is also an important topic, he used the only character of colour in this book to reinforce a incredibly harmful stereotype, it didn't add anything to the story, it wasn't explore later, it was never mention again, it wasn't something to explore abuse in orphanages, it was him thinking the best way to show Beth's vulnerability was through sexual assault, and he chose the character who was going to commit it, villainized it, and then abandoned it. it was unnecessary, only harmful.
I'm a believer that you can enjoy things, but must also be able to recognize its problematic aspects and critique them, specially when it's straight up racism dressed as "commentary".
I'm not saying you should just ignore this book, there are good scenes in here, but it is also full of problematic things outside the main story and heavily integrated in it.
But that it's also what the book is about, destruction, determination, ambition. The mind of a teen through the lens of an adult man. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Vomit