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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I watched the TV series before reading this, so it is hard to disentangle how I feel about the book itself since I was picturing the show in my mind. The chess descriptions were actually more interesting than I expected (I know nothing about chess and find it boring) and conveyed the intensity of the games and Beth's thoughts and emotions pretty well. My lower rating is because the writing style is very sparse, and I suspect my enjoyment mostly came from filling in the blanks with the TV show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-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:
Yes
This is a remarkable story. The details are excellent, but the author pared the important characters to a minimum. Male writers don't usually get the details on female characters right, but he spared us the mismatch. It is a story for any age.
I find it really interesting, that this book seemingly took until the 2020s to finally catch on. I know absolutely nothing about chess, and therefore did not understand any of the action, and yet, that did not matter one bit.
This book isn't very high up on the book club scene's to-read list, however, it 100% fits the bill. The Netflix adaptation runs pretty close to the book, save for a few small changes here or there.
So, there seems to be plenty to draft questions on and/or talk about.
This book isn't very high up on the book club scene's to-read list, however, it 100% fits the bill. The Netflix adaptation runs pretty close to the book, save for a few small changes here or there.
Spoiler
As my mother would say, Beth is "fast". She doesn't have anyone to require her to be more traditional so naturally, as a young person with money, she does whatever she pleases. Her childhood orphanage abuses her and gets her addicted to drugs, a habit that doesn't go away when she is adopted or when she becomes an adult. She engages in alcoholism, has a string a lovers, and generally otherwise goes against the grain of what traditional society expected of women in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The world of chess requires her to prove herself and the men she beats are frequently upset that they were beaten by a woman - as if that makes them less. Beth even turns down money because when the organization requires that she make a statement supporting Christianity in the face of Russian communism, something Beth doesn't see a reason to denounce.So, there seems to be plenty to draft questions on and/or talk about.
I know next to nothing about chess and yet I was drawn to this book before even hearing it is a Netflix series. Now I must watch the series because I thoroughly enjoyed this narrative
This is one of the best written books I’ve read recently. Tevis writes so smoothly that you get lost in his lines even when you don’t know anything about chess. I couldn’t get enough of the book.
My biggest regret is to have watched the tv show before reading the book. I would love to imagine all myself. But I’ll definitely watch it again.
My personal opinion: when you restrict someone from doing the things they love, they always surprise you. We see Beth here from not being allowed to play chess in the basement with Mr Shaibel to forcing Borgov to resign in Moscow. Unbelievable. I would love to know where it goes later, yet I am sure she would win the next one as well.
My biggest regret is to have watched the tv show before reading the book. I would love to imagine all myself. But I’ll definitely watch it again.
My personal opinion: when you restrict someone from doing the things they love, they always surprise you. We see Beth here from not being allowed to play chess in the basement with Mr Shaibel to forcing Borgov to resign in Moscow. Unbelievable. I would love to know where it goes later, yet I am sure she would win the next one as well.
This was actually a bit of a letdown. Sort of well written, but with a quite uninteresting main character, who doesn't develop the slightest bit throughout the book. The plotline was entirely predictable, because her issues, which was the most interesting sides about her, didn't develop to a point where they actually affected her life at all.
3,5/5.
3,5/5.
Like every else, I got addicted to the Netflix series. I listened to the audiobook of this because it was free on Audible and I thought, “why not?” I wondered if I’d have cared about the chess moves if I hadn’t gotten the visuals first, but I did enjoy them. I find Beth that be a very likable heroine, but there were also times I want to shake her, so that makes a good story for me.
The Netflix series was pretty darn faithful to the book, with a few exceptions, like how her adopted mother plays piano and how Jolene seeks her out. They are all good choices for the change in media, so the book is worth reading on its own.
The Netflix series was pretty darn faithful to the book, with a few exceptions, like how her adopted mother plays piano and how Jolene seeks her out. They are all good choices for the change in media, so the book is worth reading on its own.