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A review by hannahcolechin22
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
4.5
“It is foolish to run the risk of going mad for vanity’s sake.”
After watching the TV show three times back-to-back during the 2020 lockdown, I was elated to find out that it had been based on a book of the same name by Walter Tevis. The story follows the life of fictional female chess prodigy Beth Harmon. Sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth is quick to realise that chess is one of her natural talents. As she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings, Beth starts to lose control of herself as she is introduced to the world of drink and drugs.
I loved the moral of this story. From her complicated childhood to her successful career as a chess player, I loved the exploration of Beth’s addictions, flaws, and struggles. Another aspect of the book I quite liked was the exploration of a female trying to make her way into a male-dominated sphere.
I hate to say it but one very harsh criticism I have of this book is aimed at some of the descriptions of the chess games. I found that explaining the chess games move-by-move and in extreme detail was rather confusing and made some parts of the book quite slow-paced.
After watching the TV show three times back-to-back during the 2020 lockdown, I was elated to find out that it had been based on a book of the same name by Walter Tevis. The story follows the life of fictional female chess prodigy Beth Harmon. Sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth is quick to realise that chess is one of her natural talents. As she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings, Beth starts to lose control of herself as she is introduced to the world of drink and drugs.
I loved the moral of this story. From her complicated childhood to her successful career as a chess player, I loved the exploration of Beth’s addictions, flaws, and struggles. Another aspect of the book I quite liked was the exploration of a female trying to make her way into a male-dominated sphere.
I hate to say it but one very harsh criticism I have of this book is aimed at some of the descriptions of the chess games. I found that explaining the chess games move-by-move and in extreme detail was rather confusing and made some parts of the book quite slow-paced.