The Queen’s Gambit Book Review ~ Chess Moves that Moved Me
I must admit, when my husband suggested this as our next Netflix binge I was iffy at best. An entire series on chess? How completely boring, I so wrongly thought! This series was so fascinating that as soon as I realized it was based on a book by Walter Tevis I had to read it! The book did not disappoint.
Book Review
The Queen's Gambit
An orphaned girl glows up to become a shark in the world of chess shocking men around the globe. This book takes place in the 1950s when women are still considered intellectually subpar. Beth is both young and female as well as battling an addiction which started at the jarring age of nine. But she is also clever, calculating and extremely good at chess.
The Queen’s Gambit is a heartwarming and empowering coming of age novel. I immediately formed a deep bond to little Beth. She was such a real protagonist that I longed for this book to be based off of a true story just to know that Beth really existed and overcame. Tevis truly entered the psyche of a young girl turned young woman. I didn’t feel a male presence behind the story at all, even when Beth started her first period during a chess tournament.
After watching the entire series and knowing what was going to happen, I still couldn’t stop reading this book. (Which by the way, the Netflix show is a great adaptation of the book; a seamless and respectful transition that covers all important details.)
The Queen’s Gambit hit all of the emotions- an overall incredibly sad but inspiring journey with heartwarming moments of friendship, love and pure joy. I’m not sure why I had never heard of this book before. I highly recommend it to all!
You can buy The Queen’s Gambit here from Amazon or you can also choose to support local bookstores by purchasing it from Bookshop.
Tevis also wrote The Hustler, The Color of Money and The Man Who Fell to Earth which were made into major films. The Hustler was adapted into the 1961 movie featuring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason inspiring a generation of pool sharks.
Recipes
“She didn’t move, even though the girl behind her was pushing against her. “Where are the green ones?” “You don’t get them anymore,” Mr. Fergussen said. Beth stood on tiptoe and looked over the counter. There, behind Mr. Fergussen, stood the big glass jar, still a third full of green pills. There must have been hundreds of them in there, like tiny jellybeans. “There they are,” she said and pointed. “We’re getting rid of them,” he said. “It’s a new law. No more tranquilizers for kids.”
He stared at her. “You should be upstairs with the others.” She looked at him levelly; something about this man and the steadiness with which he played his mysterious game helped her to hold tightly to what she wanted. “I don’t want to be with the others,” she said. “I want to know what game you’re playing.” He looked at her more closely. Then he shrugged. “It’s called chess.”
Pinned Pages
If you are planning on reading (or have recently read) this book, I recommend checking out my Pinterest Board- especially the vintage fashion. It’s stunning!
Other sections: music, movies and books mentioned as well as an article on the true story behind those green tranquilizer pills……
The Queen’s Gambit
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