A review by booksinasuitcase
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

reflective sad 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

3.0


I must say, the story worked better for me as a Netflix show. This is simply because I really don't care for chess, and watching the show I could just lean back and enjoy the atmosphere of the tournaments while Beth was playing. In the book however, the moves were described with great detail and I found myself just skimming these parts.

What I liked: 
Beth is a rather good (and hard to find) example of a well-written female character in a book written by a man. She is super messed up while still likeable, interesting while very silent, feminist and not keen on being reduced on being a girl while liking nice dresses and so on.
The writing style is rather plain and pragmatic most of the time and usually fits the mood of the scenes. I would just have liked a  few more description to drag me more into the world of the 50s and 60s in the way the show managed to.

One more thing I still want to point out is the very ambiguous, problematic and yet really warm mother-daughter-relationship between Beth and Alma Wheatley. I found it very interesting how in a way Mrs Wheatly is partially responsible for Beth's self-destructive path but on the other hand is also a source of love and warmth for her. 

What bothered me: 
Apart from Mrs Wheatly, the side characters could have been better executed, especially Jolene. But that is probably due to the shortness of the book. One more thing that bothered me though was the very disturbing sexual assault scene between Jolene and Beth in the orphanage. I am not sure why the author thought this was a good plot element, because it was not. Also: Working out with a friend for a few months can probably help with overcoming an addiction. But can you overcome a year-long addiction just with that? Naaaa.... not sure.

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