Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

9 reviews

tetrootz's review against another edition

challenging inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, and Misogyny

Moderate: Racial slurs, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Vomit, Cursing, and Blood

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.

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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.

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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

frantically's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring medium-paced

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

3.5

Beth is a really annoying little girl but, thankfully for her, I have a soft spot for annoying little girls.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Addiction

Moderate: Death of parent

quejk25's review against another edition

dark inspiring tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Grief, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Car accident, and Death of parent

boobies's review against another edition

dark inspiring tense fast-paced

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

3.0

ughh I love it but I hate it.
its a fast paced, easy read book that anyone could get into, it was a bit dark but I think that was Teviss' goal, the themes of mental illness, addiction, adoption and feminism are well done in my eyes. I dont know if anyone else thought that Beth was autistic but that was a strong vibe I was getting. However :( , this book is soo obviously written by a man who has no clue about young women, tbh it was a bit annoying. plus all the characters had deep flaws which make most of them unlikeable and the ending was predictable. ♡

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Grief, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Racial slurs

Minor: Car accident, Cursing, and Death of parent

claudiam's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

sarahaf712's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

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. 

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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