Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Gambito de dama

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Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Gambito de dama by Walter Tevis

102 reviews

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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abe26's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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charliesmith1564's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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lemonzest's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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aysha_blake's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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zakcebulski's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

I, like most people, am familiar with the game of chess, and, the mass wave of popularity is partially from the Netflix adaptation of this book.
I picked this book up when I couldn't find anything else to read at the time and this book completely floored me.
In it we follow the growth of one Beth Harmon- an orphan who is taught the basics of the Royal Game while at an orphanage in Kentucky.
Beth takes an immediate liking- nay, an addiction to chess. She swiftly rises through the chess world crushing opponent after opponent with ease.
I thought that her meteoric rise in the chess world was so fucking awesome to read through. Beth is a character who is so likable, that even her brashness, and her agitation are somewhat forgiven. Beth is a fantastically written character, who happens to be a chess prodigy.
Beth suffers from addictions throughout this book, namely tranquilizers which were given to her as a child in the orphanage, and later alcohol and elicit sex.
I thought that the exploration of addiction in this book was very well done. It is absolutely not romanticized past the point of necessity by the addicted one.
I thought that the way one vice was substituted by another was very well done, as that is how addiction works in real life- people are taken hold by one thing after another after another and ultimately it kills them.
I quite enjoyed the exploration on what it means to have an innate god-given talent, and what it means to be a prodigy, which is explored in this book. Beth is a prodigy in chess in every sense of the word, but, there are still folks who she has to prepare for and study ad nauseum to stand a chance against. I honestly liked that though Beth was outstanding at chess, there were still characters, mainly Borgov (the big bad) and Benny Watts- a former prodigy and then a rival-turned-lover and even coach. Beth must train to overcome these folks, and, eventually does, and it is with the payoff of all of the obsessive training that we get some truly sweet victories. I loved when Beth was playing Borgov and she realizes that she needs to rely on herself and her own capabilities in order to win against Borgov- it is a triumph as she has largely doused her self confidence with a steady flow of alcohol and booze.
Talking about characters- I felt that each character was fleshed out perfectly well. There are some characters who are good sports and are supportive of Beth, and some who are sexist and are indianite about losing to a girl in a "man's game". I think that while this is uncomfortable to read through, this also gives Beth the opportunity to shut these fucks up with her chess playing. The amount of times Beth advocated for herself was outstanding.

I thought that the technicality of the book was exceptionally well done. It is evident on a page by page basis that Tevis was an avid chess fan, like myself. I have to praise his prose which made the game of chess jump off of the page and feel like a truly action packed event. The references to players like Mikhail Botvinnik and Paul Morphy was awesome to read, as I have studied games by them, and their play styles to my (admittedly limited skillset) are faithfully recreated. Everything else regarding ratings, rankings, playstyles, down to the way the players carry themselves is exactly what you see while watching chess, or playing it yourself. Tevis did his research and took inspiration from real life, and I really appreciate it.

All in all, I felt that this book struck a specific node of sheer enjoyment. I flew through this book, and enjoyed every step of it.
Beth Harmon, to me, is one of the great characters of the 20th century. I thought that the exploration of sexism, addiction, and what it means to be a one time prodigy who due to aging is just a person with skill was fantastic. When I was younger I was one of those "bright kids" who is destined for greatness, and as I aged, I just became a person who was a prodigy. I think that this is a topic that resonated deeply with me.

I implore people who do and do not know a lot about chess to read this book. I think that watching the literal rags to riches and back and forth story of a young orphan all the way to the top of the chess world is outstanding and worth the price of admission alone. If you are a chess fan, then I think the program and the book will bring you a ton of enjoyment.

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genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition

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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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kmaron's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

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abundantlyamy's review against another edition

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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

4.5

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gymjam_reads's review against another edition

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informative inspiring tense 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? Yes

2.5

If you love playing or studying chess, this is a book for you. If (like me) you don't know anything about chess, there will be times it may seem like you're reading a novel in another language but it's still a good read. A great insight into the life/mind of a chess genius but I felt like it could have delved a lot deeper into her emotions/alcoholism/sedative drug addiction/relationships with others rather than having such a huge focus on game play.

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