Reviews

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

gabthebookworm's review against another edition

emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Sexual assault

rcpope's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.0

heartdelan's review against another edition

reflective 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

4.0

lisakerd's review against another edition

3.0

I adore this story. However, the excitement and drama of the chess matches translate far better in the television medium.

c_ab_bage's review against another edition

4.0

the show was undoubtedly better than the book, but i think the books stands alright on its own, honestly. if i took out all the comparisons i was making to the netflix series, the book was actually very enjoyable (aside from the very obvious issues that are direct effects of the white, male author). and while that’s true, i do think my connection to beth that i made watching the series carried over to this book a lot, making her a more enjoyable character to read while i found her to be lacking depth in the book.

either way, i found the book to be perfectly pleasant to read; nothing more, nothing less.

al_jewells's review against another edition

veryyyy slow and disappointing 

eclecticlittleadventures's review

informative medium-paced

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

3.75

lenaoknihach's review against another edition

4.0

Seriál jsem neviděla, ale slyšela jsem o něm všude. A když jsem se dozvěděla o knižní předloze, rozhodla jsem se jí dát přednost.

A už vůbec jsem nečekala, že by mě kniha o deskovce mohla takhle chytnout. I když bych si já šachy zahrála pouze na amatérské úrovni, moc mě bavilo sledovat, jak Beth Harmonová vymýšlí a plánuje tahy dopředu, i když bych vám ani teď nedokázala popsat sicilskou obranu nebo samotný dámský gambit.

Jestli je v příběhu ještě něco jiného než šachy? Ano! Něco málo tam je. Závislost, osamělost, naděje, ale především jde o královskou hru. Já si příběh užila od začátku do konce, který - podle mého názoru - nemohl být lepší.

angietravel's review

emotional

4.5

Liked the series so I read the book….
Loved the book more, really good story!!
I don’t know anything about chess but was able to understand.
I would read again and recommend!!

potplant's review against another edition

"She decided not to take the offered pawn, to leave the tension on the board."

Intense and beautiful. I loved that passion and wellbeing were as important for Beth as study. 

However, it's disappointing that Jolene, while endearing falls into several harmful trops including being the brash 'black best friend'.