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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-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
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
OK, so I feel like I'm so attached with the characters the way that the author wrote about each character is fascinating. They are so different yet so similar and inspiring i loved this so much
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's just... meh.
I've wanted to read the story for quite some time now but I would say I'm a little disappointed. This is a story about, as the title suggests, a chess match between two very different individuals, and most of the novel is spent telling the backstories of the two players. For me I just can't get what the story is trying to tell, and it feels like a half-baked psychoanalysis of these two. I guess the ending is the climax where Dr. B is edging closer to the psychological meltdown, but really nothing happens. The long build-up results in nothing. Zweig is known for the writing style of using a narrator to see the main event from a third-person angle to create a distance, while telling the story mainly from monologues of the true protagonist in first-person to create intimacy, but sadly I don't find it very intriguing for me.
It's not bad writing, but for me not particularly good either, and the story is so very forgettable. The part where Dr. B tells his story in the "hotel" is the best part of the book for me, imaging what it's like to be confined in nothingness, to be tormented by nothing, but it's still in some way quite lackluster. The whole novella is like watching two people playing a chess match while the commentator tells you the backstories of the players, and you left baffled by nothing.
I want to give it a 2 stars but at least I didn't regret spending the time reading. So 2.5 stars for me.
I've wanted to read the story for quite some time now but I would say I'm a little disappointed. This is a story about, as the title suggests, a chess match between two very different individuals, and most of the novel is spent telling the backstories of the two players. For me I just can't get what the story is trying to tell, and it feels like a half-baked psychoanalysis of these two. I guess the ending is the climax where Dr. B is edging closer to the psychological meltdown, but really nothing happens. The long build-up results in nothing. Zweig is known for the writing style of using a narrator to see the main event from a third-person angle to create a distance, while telling the story mainly from monologues of the true protagonist in first-person to create intimacy, but sadly I don't find it very intriguing for me.
It's not bad writing, but for me not particularly good either, and the story is so very forgettable. The part where Dr. B tells his story in the "hotel" is the best part of the book for me, imaging what it's like to be confined in nothingness, to be tormented by nothing, but it's still in some way quite lackluster. The whole novella is like watching two people playing a chess match while the commentator tells you the backstories of the players, and you left baffled by nothing.
I want to give it a 2 stars but at least I didn't regret spending the time reading. So 2.5 stars for me.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes