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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Do I know a single thing about chess? Nope.
Do I prefer the Sicilian? Yes.
Do I prefer the Sicilian? Yes.
I really enjoyed the book but i dont know how I feel about the very uniquely female experiences being written by a man it feels off
challenging
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:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
one thing i get for sure now is when the fans tell you "oh the book is good but the tv adaptation is IMMENSELY better" you listen to them.
Let's say someone asks me my opinion about Lemony Snicket's a series of unfortunate events, i would probably say, "oh the books are good but what the tv show did to them is IMMENSELY better" and you'd be dumbass for not listening to me. [even though i haven't read all the books. Think about it though WHY did i, a person who never had trouble reading and always had trouble watching, consciously choose not to continue with the books and instead watch ALL THREE seasons of the show? Yep.]
This book is fine I guess? It is a story about a woman who makes big in a game dominated by men, gatekept from women by men, throughout history. Yeah the whole her being a 'her' thing matters. A lot.
Reading this was not engrossing, and I am by no means throwing shade to the long wordy illustrations of chess games. That WAS the fun part, in fact.
The characters were flat. I can describe them in 2-3 words each: fat chess player; strict; unpredictable; supportive; absent; beautiful + sporty; pretty chess player; gifted chess player; russian chess player; russian chess player (2). It's like Tevis attributed an adjective each to all the main characters off the top of his head and called it a day. Even Harmon, the woman around whom the story revolves, was underdeveloped {like a bishop still stuck on e2 14 moves into the game.} {i know chess too} {that's so smart of me} {innit}
The only thing that happens in this book is, you guessed it, chess. "Of course the focus was supposed to be on chess; what are you getting at?" The other things that do follow are only ushered for the sake of some semblance of a rickety structure. The tragedies, the relationships, the friendships and the romances, they had hardly any weight and contributed nothing to the story.
Let's talk about Elizabeth Harmon:
1. She likes chess.
2. She's a chess prodigy.
3. She's gifted.
4. She likes winning
5. She doesn't like losing
6. She has always had a heavy addiction problem BUT it doesn't really affect her life, and later, her career too. It was just another passive motif.
7. She has as much emotions as those robots we used to visualize decaes ago. {i.e not chatgpt!}
I am looking forward to watching the show now, and I have dared to have expectations.
[p.s: if the show is disappointing, I will take another star bwahaha]
one thing i get for sure now is when the fans tell you "oh the book is good but the tv adaptation is IMMENSELY better" you listen to them.
Let's say someone asks me my opinion about Lemony Snicket's a series of unfortunate events, i would probably say, "oh the books are good but what the tv show did to them is IMMENSELY better" and you'd be dumbass for not listening to me. [even though i haven't read all the books. Think about it though WHY did i, a person who never had trouble reading and always had trouble watching, consciously choose not to continue with the books and instead watch ALL THREE seasons of the show? Yep.]
This book is fine I guess? It is a story about a woman who makes big in a game dominated by men, gatekept from women by men, throughout history. Yeah the whole her being a 'her' thing matters. A lot.
Reading this was not engrossing, and I am by no means throwing shade to the long wordy illustrations of chess games. That WAS the fun part, in fact.
The characters were flat. I can describe them in 2-3 words each: fat chess player; strict; unpredictable; supportive; absent; beautiful + sporty; pretty chess player; gifted chess player; russian chess player; russian chess player (2). It's like Tevis attributed an adjective each to all the main characters off the top of his head and called it a day. Even Harmon, the woman around whom the story revolves, was underdeveloped {like a bishop still stuck on e2 14 moves into the game.} {i know chess too} {that's so smart of me} {innit}
The only thing that happens in this book is, you guessed it, chess. "Of course the focus was supposed to be on chess; what are you getting at?" The other things that do follow are only ushered for the sake of some semblance of a rickety structure. The tragedies, the relationships, the friendships and the romances, they had hardly any weight and contributed nothing to the story.
Let's talk about Elizabeth Harmon:
1. She likes chess.
2. She's a chess prodigy.
3. She's gifted.
4. She likes winning
5. She doesn't like losing
6. She has always had a heavy addiction problem BUT it doesn't really affect her life, and later, her career too. It was just another passive motif.
7. She has as much emotions as those robots we used to visualize decaes ago. {i.e not chatgpt!}
I am looking forward to watching the show now, and I have dared to have expectations.
[p.s: if the show is disappointing, I will take another star bwahaha]
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Pretty good. The show is actually an improvement on this and is say that is the better way to take in the story.
[5 stars]
“ ‘With some people chess is a pastime, with others it is a compulsion, even an addiction. And every now and then and a person comes along for whom it is a birthright. Now and then a small boy appears and dazzles us with his precocity at what may be the world’s most difficult game. But what if that boy were a girl—a young, unsmiling girl with brown eyes, brown hair and a dark-blue dress?’ “
I’m going to be honest, I watched the Netflix series before reading this book—actually, only reading the book because I liked the show so much. There really weren’t any HUGE differences between the two, which I found surprising.
Despite the lack of differences, the way the story is told is why I kept reading. Netflix made chess cinematic, but the book made it seem like a fierce ballet, dueling dancers on a checkered board.
But the story really isn’t about the chess, is it? It’s about Beth. Beth, a character who will always stick with me. Beth, who you want to root for so badly, but then she digs herself into these ginormous holes. Most of her problems being self-inflicted.
Whether you’ve watched the show or not, this is a worth while read—even if you don’t have a clue about chess!
Happy reading!
“ ‘With some people chess is a pastime, with others it is a compulsion, even an addiction. And every now and then and a person comes along for whom it is a birthright. Now and then a small boy appears and dazzles us with his precocity at what may be the world’s most difficult game. But what if that boy were a girl—a young, unsmiling girl with brown eyes, brown hair and a dark-blue dress?’ “
I’m going to be honest, I watched the Netflix series before reading this book—actually, only reading the book because I liked the show so much. There really weren’t any HUGE differences between the two, which I found surprising.
Despite the lack of differences, the way the story is told is why I kept reading. Netflix made chess cinematic, but the book made it seem like a fierce ballet, dueling dancers on a checkered board.
But the story really isn’t about the chess, is it? It’s about Beth. Beth, a character who will always stick with me. Beth, who you want to root for so badly, but then she digs herself into these ginormous holes. Most of her problems being self-inflicted.
Whether you’ve watched the show or not, this is a worth while read—even if you don’t have a clue about chess!
Happy reading!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I liked it but it didn't catch me. It was foreseeable imo and I am sad that it's an open ending
From what I remember of the Netflix series, it was very faithful to the book. It was an enjoyable read, though I found myself skimming over the longer chess move descriptions (I do not have the patience to try and imagine the moves and have to take the word of the author on their cleverness). The book was the right length as well.
One thing that I liked was that it didn't not try to overcomplicate itself. There were precisely two plot points: Beth's desire to beat Russian grandmasters and her substance abuse and fear that held her back. That's it. Sure, there were side characters, but there weren't B and C plot lines. The plot was simple and well worked out.
My primary complaint is the ending. What happens after? We never see Beth attempt become a grandmaster or attempt to become World Champion. The whole plot surrounds beating the four Russians. The rest is implied and set up. While there are clear plot implications regarding the substance abuse and chess, I would've liked an extended epilogue. A common theme throughout the book was the idea that chess is literally the entire lives of these children prodigy. The child that Beth played couldn't understand what Beth was asking when she asked him what he'd do after being World Champion at 16. She similarly couldn't answer the question. Even Borgov had a family. Does Beth recognize her accomplished goals and apply her mind to something else? Does she peter away her whole life playing chess?
One thing that I liked was that it didn't not try to overcomplicate itself. There were precisely two plot points: Beth's desire to beat Russian grandmasters and her substance abuse and fear that held her back. That's it. Sure, there were side characters, but there weren't B and C plot lines. The plot was simple and well worked out.
My primary complaint is the ending. What happens after? We never see Beth attempt become a grandmaster or attempt to become World Champion. The whole plot surrounds beating the four Russians. The rest is implied and set up. While there are clear plot implications regarding the substance abuse and chess, I would've liked an extended epilogue. A common theme throughout the book was the idea that chess is literally the entire lives of these children prodigy. The child that Beth played couldn't understand what Beth was asking when she asked him what he'd do after being World Champion at 16. She similarly couldn't answer the question. Even Borgov had a family. Does Beth recognize her accomplished goals and apply her mind to something else? Does she peter away her whole life playing chess?