Reviews

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig

taehn's review

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4.0

i love how the ending was left to interpretation ♟️ dr. b quit chess because of his preference to live a “normal” monotonous life, despite his eccentricism, which is only showcased when partaking in his passion :(

4/5

it allows the reader to decide whether they want to blend into a norm or create their own future regardless of the judgement they may receive. a very insightful read!

tonyv379's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.25

owlreader's review

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

wisery's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

granitoman's review

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reflective medium-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

4.25

quatryanca's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

saab_rinaa's review against another edition

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reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Dernière nouvelle de Zweig avant sa mort qui lui a été inspirée par sa propre vie, ce qui la rend encore plus brillante et passionnante, c’est un 10/10.

Ce livre aborde différents sujets tel que la condition humaine à travers un contexte historique difficile (allégorie de la montée du nazisme en Europe, seconde guerre mondiale), les violences psychologiques, la solitude, puis la survie. Monsieur B. est poussé dans ses retranchements, presque dans la folie.  Le livre peut être lu d’un point de vue historique, mais aussi psychanalytique. 

Utiliser les échecs pour traiter ce type de sujets apporte une plus-value à l’histoire : c’est un jeu « royal » qui est décrit entre science et art. Il peut être assimilé aux deux protagonistes Monsieur B. et Czentovic qui sont diamétralement opposés.

Stephan Zweig a un talent incroyable pour la narration. J’ai été happé par la construction des personnages, par le huit-clos et par la tension que le livre procure jusqu’à la dernière ligne.

« Les gens qui sont possédés par une seule idée m’ont toujours spécialement intrigué, car plus un esprit se limite, plus il touche par ailleurs à l’infini.»

« Car c'est bien connu, rien sur terre n'oppresse autant l'âme humaine que le néant. »

Le pire qu’il puisse arriver, c’est de tuer l’esprit.

cimoore1999's review

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dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

thatflowerjazmin's review

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emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bookw0rm93's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0