Hardcover, 243 pages
English language
Published Jan. 5, 1983 by Random House.
Beth Harmon, an orphan by eight years old, is unremarkable. She is plain and she knows it. In the Kentucky orphanage, she hordes the tranquilizers handed to the children daily to quell the ache of dullness and routine.
A formidable math student, she is allowed to clean the blackboard erasers in the basement where she find the janitor playing chess daily. He is a sour old man and pays her no mind until she suggests a move he could have made. She learned the basics of the game by watching and he slowly teaches her the intricacies as she earns the right to learn them. Throughout the process her mind races and her dull, plain existence is replaced by the realization of prodigy.
By the age of sixteen she is competing, under the new freedom of adoption, for the US Open and is on her way to international stardom if …
Beth Harmon, an orphan by eight years old, is unremarkable. She is plain and she knows it. In the Kentucky orphanage, she hordes the tranquilizers handed to the children daily to quell the ache of dullness and routine.
A formidable math student, she is allowed to clean the blackboard erasers in the basement where she find the janitor playing chess daily. He is a sour old man and pays her no mind until she suggests a move he could have made. She learned the basics of the game by watching and he slowly teaches her the intricacies as she earns the right to learn them. Throughout the process her mind races and her dull, plain existence is replaced by the realization of prodigy.
By the age of sixteen she is competing, under the new freedom of adoption, for the US Open and is on her way to international stardom if she learns to prioritize her chess, her addictions, and the distractions of youth.
This book is remarkable.
The depth is profound, I am not a chess play and understand little of the game yet I was completely gripped by every chess game in the book. It is truly beautiful.
I should say up front that I've never played chess. And yet, this is still a ripping good story even with all the chess talk. The author does a masterful job of making sure that you will enjoy the story even if you know nothing about chess at all. That in itself is an amazing feat.
In fact, even though this narrator is highly annoying, I still loved the book. I had to crank up the speed to get past her deadpan delivery. Oh, I yearn to hear this book read by a skilled narrator, one who can bring emotional nuance to a complex character such as Elizabeth. Instead, we have a narrator who sounds like she takes as many downers as Elizabeth does.
Back to the writing. The story maintains tension with a degree of substance use that is quite frightening in places. We end the book with Elizabeth …
I should say up front that I've never played chess. And yet, this is still a ripping good story even with all the chess talk. The author does a masterful job of making sure that you will enjoy the story even if you know nothing about chess at all. That in itself is an amazing feat.
In fact, even though this narrator is highly annoying, I still loved the book. I had to crank up the speed to get past her deadpan delivery. Oh, I yearn to hear this book read by a skilled narrator, one who can bring emotional nuance to a complex character such as Elizabeth. Instead, we have a narrator who sounds like she takes as many downers as Elizabeth does.
Back to the writing. The story maintains tension with a degree of substance use that is quite frightening in places. We end the book with Elizabeth achieving her chess goals, but still dependent on pills. It feels... unfinished. I hope that means that there is a sequel in the offing. And I hope they'll hire a better narrator.
A n interesting read, although I think, tbh, that the TV series was more dramatic. There was, if memory serves, a less dramatic ending. But the character was very interesting and the setting very evocative, and, as with the series. It did an amazing job of bringing the cerebral gymnastics of chess to life.
I liked the book more than the series. But it's an old book and it shows. Also, the male gaze is overwhelmingly present, which nowadays is... a problem. It is usually subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) but once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Still, I think he did his best to write a strong woman. He did what he could, at that time.
The story moves along quite well. There is a lot of repetition in story patterns, and the story structure is rigidly formulaistic, but that's ok. This isn't about plot. This is about the main character and her development.
I like that he doesn't take some of the easy outs. He refuses to go with some of the tropes that treatened to jump in.
I was very annoyed with the inclusion of the one single 'handsome' boy as a possible love interest, but he ultimately …
I liked the book more than the series. But it's an old book and it shows. Also, the male gaze is overwhelmingly present, which nowadays is... a problem. It is usually subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) but once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Still, I think he did his best to write a strong woman. He did what he could, at that time.
The story moves along quite well. There is a lot of repetition in story patterns, and the story structure is rigidly formulaistic, but that's ok. This isn't about plot. This is about the main character and her development.
I like that he doesn't take some of the easy outs. He refuses to go with some of the tropes that treatened to jump in.
I was very annoyed with the inclusion of the one single 'handsome' boy as a possible love interest, but he ultimately didn't do anything with that.
And I loved the ending. Beth going alone to Russia, on her own. That phonecall could have made that go wrong ("strong woman still needs a man to rescue her"), but no, that she still did on her own..
I haven't read non-fantasty/scifi/specualtive fiction in ages, but it was a delicious in-between snack.
Quick warning though:
I read/listened to the Audible version. I absolutely hate the narration. It is bad. Look, I understand there were some bad narrators in the past, but come on, this is a freshly narrated book. The standard must be higher than this. This sounded like the ran the book through Amazon Polly. It was robotic, with sometimes weird/wrong emphasis or pronunciation.
There are plenty of excellent narrators out there. Just don't go for the budget robotic one ok?
"Her mind was luminous, and her soul sang to her in the sweet moves of chess."
This was a reread for me. I had never heard of Walter Tevis, but the description of this book interested me, so I bought it. It wasn't until later that I learned Walter Tevis was the author of [b:The Hustler|323170|The Hustler|Walter Tevis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348240339s/323170.jpg|1452221] and [b:The Man Who Fell to Earth|396329|The Man Who Fell to Earth |Walter Tevis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320467516s/396329.jpg|313881], both of which were made into movies. I have on idea why "The Queen's Gambit" was never filmed. It certainly should be. I haven't played chess since I was in junior high and I've forgotten a lot, but "The Queen's Gambit" brings it all back. You don't have to be familiar with chess, though, to enjoy the story.
Beth Harmon is eight years old when her mother is killed in a car accident. She winds up in an …
"Her mind was luminous, and her soul sang to her in the sweet moves of chess."
This was a reread for me. I had never heard of Walter Tevis, but the description of this book interested me, so I bought it. It wasn't until later that I learned Walter Tevis was the author of [b:The Hustler|323170|The Hustler|Walter Tevis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348240339s/323170.jpg|1452221] and [b:The Man Who Fell to Earth|396329|The Man Who Fell to Earth |Walter Tevis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320467516s/396329.jpg|313881], both of which were made into movies. I have on idea why "The Queen's Gambit" was never filmed. It certainly should be. I haven't played chess since I was in junior high and I've forgotten a lot, but "The Queen's Gambit" brings it all back. You don't have to be familiar with chess, though, to enjoy the story.
Beth Harmon is eight years old when her mother is killed in a car accident. She winds up in an awful orphanage where the children are drugged to make them more amenable. An introvert, Beth stays by herself most of the time, but eventually befriends Jolene, an older, streetwise, black girl. One day, Beth notices the school janitor, Mr Shaibel, playing some chess. She convinces him to teach her - and it becomes obvious that she has a rare gift. Beth begins to compete in small chess tournaments and wins game after game.
"Boys came in from the hallway and lined up along the back wall to watch the homely girl from the orphanage at the edge of town who moved from player to player with the determined energy of a Caesar in the field, a Pavlova under the lights."
After Beth is adopted by the Wheatleys, she begins to compete in larger tournaments for money - and wins them. She quickly becomes a star. When she is playing chess, Beth is calm, cool, collected, and totally in control. Her private life is another story. Beth has a hard time with interpersonal relationships and, except for her friendships with Mr Shaibel, Jolene, and Mrs Wheatley, always seems to be a distance with other people, even her lovers.
In many ways, it's a Cinderella story, but one where Cinderella rescues herself without the aid of a fairy godmother. Beth upgrades her chess set and her clothes with the money that she earns. She is supporting her small family - herself and Mrs Wheatley - from the time she is 13 years old. Of course, this comes at a high price. Then there's drugs and alcohol, which threaten to ruin everything. The climax, when she is playing against Borgov, was nailbitingly tense. After I finished the book, I had a smile on my face. I really like Beth Harmon and really enjoyed her story.
Very recommended.
