The Queen's Gambit (Television Tie-in)
- Downloads：2769
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2020-12-16 04:12:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Walter Tevis
- ISBN：9780593314654
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
The Queen's Gambit is sheer entertainment。 It is a book I reread every few yearsfor the pure pleasure and skill of it。” Michael Ondaatje
“Compelling。 。 。 。 A magnificent obsession。” Los Angeles Times
“Beth Harmon is an unforgettable creationand The Queen's Gambit is Walter Tevis's most consummate and heartbreaking work。” Jonathan Lethem
“Gripping reading。 。 。 。Nabokov's The Defense and Zweig's The Royal Game are the classics: now joining them is The Queen's Gambit。” The Financial Times
“More exciting than any thriller I've seen lately; more than that， beautifully written。 “ Martin Cruz Smith， author of GorkyPark
“It’s advisable to tape your fingers before opening The Queen’s Gambit。 Otherwise， the suspense may bring on nail-chewing right to the elbow。” Houston Chronicle
“Tevis traps us in the breathless drama of the moment and makes us feel the same intense involvement his characters feel。” The Plain Dealer
“There’s more excitement in Beth than in the collected works of Robert Ludlum。” Forth Worth Star-Telegram
Reviews
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Read it thoughtfully and more than once。
Helen Wheels
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Beth has all the cards stack against her from childhood。 An awkward， shy， unattractive girl who was left at a state orphanage when her parents died。 Given tranquilizers at a young age to keep the kids calm begins her spiral addiction to them as well as alcohol。 However， through everything she has against her， she begins her journey into a man’s world of chess taught by a janitor at the school。 Engaging， thrilling and well written。 I didn’t have a problem with the narration as others did but I di Beth has all the cards stack against her from childhood。 An awkward， shy， unattractive girl who was left at a state orphanage when her parents died。 Given tranquilizers at a young age to keep the kids calm begins her spiral addiction to them as well as alcohol。 However， through everything she has against her， she begins her journey into a man’s world of chess taught by a janitor at the school。 Engaging， thrilling and well written。 I didn’t have a problem with the narration as others did but I did speed it up。**Triggers: sexual content， drug abuse， child abuse and strong adult language。 。。。more
Loes
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really really enjoy this story。 Haven't been taken away in a story this much for a while really really enjoy this story。 Haven't been taken away in a story this much for a while 。。。more
Melanie
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All the stars！！ I loved this book so， so much， I haven’t watched the adaptation 。。。 YET！！
Andrea
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Beth Harmon is a chess prodigy。 She learns chess when she is eight from a janitor at her Kentucky orphanage。 Even at age eight， she has drug addiction issues。 The orphanage has a habit of giving the girls tranquilizers before bed each night。Beth quickly picks up the game。 She has a photographic memory and is able to play the game in her head and clearly see all her moves。 The orphanage however uses her love of the game as a punishment and forbids her to play。 She is adopted as a teenager by a lo Beth Harmon is a chess prodigy。 She learns chess when she is eight from a janitor at her Kentucky orphanage。 Even at age eight， she has drug addiction issues。 The orphanage has a habit of giving the girls tranquilizers before bed each night。Beth quickly picks up the game。 She has a photographic memory and is able to play the game in her head and clearly see all her moves。 The orphanage however uses her love of the game as a punishment and forbids her to play。 She is adopted as a teenager by a lonely woman who has addiction issues of her own。 Beth takes up the game again in earnest and goes on to become a champion。 Beth's personal life is full of ups and down。 Her games are thrilling。 I would have given this book a 5 star rating if I understood the game。 Often it was like reading a book in another language。 It is still a fabulous read。 。。。more
Christine Schmidt
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I know nothing about chess， but thoroughly enjoyed this。 I'm not sure how this would work as a movie if you didn't play and couldn't understand what was happening if they only showed you the board。 I don't have Netflix but loved the book。 I know nothing about chess， but thoroughly enjoyed this。 I'm not sure how this would work as a movie if you didn't play and couldn't understand what was happening if they only showed you the board。 I don't have Netflix but loved the book。 。。。more
Marta Aldrete
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I wanted to read this book because of the Netflix movie。 The movie is promoted as more of a fight with drugs （I haven’t seen it yet）， but the book is very heavy on chess strategies。 I had no idea what they meant， but it was still a great read。 The only thing that bugged me， was she never seemed to grieve her birth mom。 Beyond that， the characters were well written and the story a triumph。
Jessica Highland
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This was a free audiobook with my Audible subscription。 They definitely cleaned up some of the messy narrative for the Netflix show。 I found Jolene's character a bit problematic， as she sexually assaulted Beth soon after they met at the orphanage。 This was not dealt with in the book after it happened， which I found really bizarre。 That scene was totally dropped from the beginning of the Netflix version which is why my sister watched the show with me。 After I told her about the sexual abuse she w This was a free audiobook with my Audible subscription。 They definitely cleaned up some of the messy narrative for the Netflix show。 I found Jolene's character a bit problematic， as she sexually assaulted Beth soon after they met at the orphanage。 This was not dealt with in the book after it happened， which I found really bizarre。 That scene was totally dropped from the beginning of the Netflix version which is why my sister watched the show with me。 After I told her about the sexual abuse she was initially uninterested in the show and refused to watch it with me。 Which I understand。 It's not an easy topic to deal with。 Jolene， in general， also generally played into black woman stereotypes instead of being written as someone independent of her white friend's needs and storyline， which was disappointing。 She comes and goes only as Beth needs her instead of standing on her own as a strong character in her own right。 Beth， herself， is not terribly introspective and somehow overcomes her drug/alcohol addiction with Jolene's help at the gym but never goes to therapy or gets to the root of why she has addiction issues。 I've never had a substance abuse problem or serious emotional instability that would manifest itself in an unhealthy way but I'm pretty sure that's not how recovery works。 Not a book I'd probably have picked up on my own and I think people interested in the story may be just as good with the show as the book。 。。。more
Ummeyusuf
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3。5/5
Oyinda
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I really enjoyed this one， and I learnt so much from it。 I highly doubt that I'll put any of what I learnt in practice though， because I have never been a chess-head。 This book has a way of making the most complicated things come across as simple， and that's a testament to the author's prowess。 I thoroughly enjoyed being taken along on this whirlwind of a ride and I could follow all the chess games even though I know next to nothing about chess。This book is about a girl's journey to chess succes I really enjoyed this one， and I learnt so much from it。 I highly doubt that I'll put any of what I learnt in practice though， because I have never been a chess-head。 This book has a way of making the most complicated things come across as simple， and that's a testament to the author's prowess。 I thoroughly enjoyed being taken along on this whirlwind of a ride and I could follow all the chess games even though I know next to nothing about chess。This book is about a girl's journey to chess success as she battles through life and addiction。 Battle might be a bit of an exaggeration， but she went through a lot。 However， Beth was able to overcome the hurdles that stood in her way by sheer will of force， determination， hard work， and the help of some amazing characters。 One of such amazing characters and one of my favorites in the book was her adoptive mother。 I love how supportive she was of Beth's chess career and even though some of that support might have been borne out of selfish reasons， she was still there for Beth till the end。This was a bildungsroman， and it was so intriguing to see Beth grow from a tiny tot at the orphanage to a force to be reckoned with in the world of chess。 There was a loud theme of feminism in this book， and how Beth had to work extra hard to make her mark and carve a path in a male dominated game。 There were recurring instances of Beth walking into a tourney and being the only female participants。 I felt a lot of her frustration when papers and journos focused more on her being a girl than on her being a Chess Master。This was fast paces and I loved every bit of it。 Even parts that served as fillers from one tourney to the next were really interesting to read。 I might watch the series but who knows， all I want to do all day is listen to audiobooks。 I enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator did such a great job。Beth's battle with addiction to drugs and then alcohol from her childhood is another powerful theme in this book。 I kept wanting her to do better and be better and was disappointed when she'd relapse again。 I could hardly blame her， because her loneliness was so jarring and I felt so much pity for her sometimes。This is a very powerful and thrilling book that I highly recommend！ 。。。more
DT
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Thrilling， despite not knowing anything about chess。 Read this if you've been suffering withdrawal syndromes after finishing the TV series， which was a faithful adaptation。 Thrilling， despite not knowing anything about chess。 Read this if you've been suffering withdrawal syndromes after finishing the TV series， which was a faithful adaptation。 。。。more
JL
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It's really hard not to compare it to the Netflix series， but I'm really surprised how well the book translated to film。 Every scene that Tevis includes is immensely purposeful and perfectly conveys what is going on。 Mostly I adored Beth Harmon， who is beautifully and tangibly written considering the author is male （from what Ive read so far， the only other woman as well written by a man might be Carrie by Stephen King）。 From her early childhood to budding adulthood， her selfishness， her impulsi It's really hard not to compare it to the Netflix series， but I'm really surprised how well the book translated to film。 Every scene that Tevis includes is immensely purposeful and perfectly conveys what is going on。 Mostly I adored Beth Harmon， who is beautifully and tangibly written considering the author is male （from what Ive read so far， the only other woman as well written by a man might be Carrie by Stephen King）。 From her early childhood to budding adulthood， her selfishness， her impulsiveness and also her emotional repression resounded with me。 Its such a fresh look for women in fiction！ But something in this book pales in comparison to the series， which is just so much more vivid， so I don't think I can give it a full 5 stars。 。。。more
mimo
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I don't know anything about chess， but this book still had me hooked from start to finish。 In both structure and style， it has a taut， deliberate quality， like the moves in one of Beth's winning games。 The writing is economical yet emotive and engaging — I was rooting for Beth all the way， celebrating her wins and shaking my head whenever she succumbed to her problems with addiction。There's a certain appeal， for me， to stories about genius and prodigy。 Especially where it's limited and has to be I don't know anything about chess， but this book still had me hooked from start to finish。 In both structure and style， it has a taut， deliberate quality， like the moves in one of Beth's winning games。 The writing is economical yet emotive and engaging — I was rooting for Beth all the way， celebrating her wins and shaking my head whenever she succumbed to her problems with addiction。There's a certain appeal， for me， to stories about genius and prodigy。 Especially where it's limited and has to be worked on。 Maybe I like that tension between the grace of talent and the dedication required by hard work。 Maybe I just like reading about neurotic characters who allow their passions to take over their lives。 One quote from Diderot， referenced in this book， sums it up: "It is foolish to run the risk of going mad for vanity's sake。" But oh， is it entertaining to watch a character be foolish in a quest to be great。This is immensely satisfying。 A triumph of a story。 。。。more
Kaitlin
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It definitely made me want to learn chess！
Martha
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The Queen’s Gambit ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I enjoyed this faced paced story about a young orphan girl who becomes a chess prodigy while dealing with addiction issues。 The only issue for me was that for a good share of the book I just could not bring myself empathize with the protagonist。 I wanted to love Beth， I really did！ The chess tournaments are very well written and really gave a sense of dramatic tension。 I look forward to watching the miniseries， and this might be one of those times that the screen ada The Queen’s Gambit ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I enjoyed this faced paced story about a young orphan girl who becomes a chess prodigy while dealing with addiction issues。 The only issue for me was that for a good share of the book I just could not bring myself empathize with the protagonist。 I wanted to love Beth， I really did！ The chess tournaments are very well written and really gave a sense of dramatic tension。 I look forward to watching the miniseries， and this might be one of those times that the screen adaptation is better than the book。 。。。more
Kristina
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Normally I'd rather read the book before seeing the adaptation， but that didn't happen in this situation。 I loved Netflix's limited series of 'The Queen's Gambit' so much and had to read the book for more about Beth Harmon， her demons， and her chess genius。 I enjoyed the book quite a bit as well and while many sections are faithfully recreated there are some notable things about characters Jolene and Harry that were changed， even omitted for the adaptation。 I'm a little worried there will be a s Normally I'd rather read the book before seeing the adaptation， but that didn't happen in this situation。 I loved Netflix's limited series of 'The Queen's Gambit' so much and had to read the book for more about Beth Harmon， her demons， and her chess genius。 I enjoyed the book quite a bit as well and while many sections are faithfully recreated there are some notable things about characters Jolene and Harry that were changed， even omitted for the adaptation。 I'm a little worried there will be a second season of 'The Queen's Gambit' and it will be similar to the enervated time suck known as the unnecessary second season of 'Big Little Lies。' 。。。more
Leah Randall
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I absolutely ate this book up。 Anyone who suffered through Mr。 Poole's attempts to teach twelve-year-old me to play chess will attest that it is simply not one of my gifts。 Despite the fact that I understood next to none of the chess play （and there's a lot of it）， I found it to be riveting。 I didn't mind the fact that I didn't understand exactly what was happening in the games - the overall tenor of the games， the suspense， and the pacing all come through clear as a bell。 The build of the plot I absolutely ate this book up。 Anyone who suffered through Mr。 Poole's attempts to teach twelve-year-old me to play chess will attest that it is simply not one of my gifts。 Despite the fact that I understood next to none of the chess play （and there's a lot of it）， I found it to be riveting。 I didn't mind the fact that I didn't understand exactly what was happening in the games - the overall tenor of the games， the suspense， and the pacing all come through clear as a bell。 The build of the plot was tense， frustrating， and satisfying in all the right ways。 Her relationships （romantic and otherwise） were fascinating side-plots without turning Beth's story into a romance。 I thoroughly enjoyed it and am excited to finally be able to sit back and watch the Netflix series that everyone is raving about。 。。。more
Diep Nguyen
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4。5⭐️A quick and engaging read。 Loved， although I do feel like the show was slightly better， in terms of relationships between the characters。 Beth in here was more mechanical and her psychological world was not really well explored nor dealt with。 But other than that， I have nothing complain about。 The chess games were detailed， cerebral and excellently analyzed。
Sherril Gerell
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I knew nothing about chess when I started this book and I still don't know anymore now。 But this book is not to teach me how to play chess。 It's a story about a young girl in an orphanage who learns to play chess from the janitor to become a master chess player。 An interesting read。 I only read this book because my friend is watching the series on Netflex and said it was very good。 Not my kind of read。 I prefer historical novels。 Definitely suspenseful but not one you couldn't put down。 I knew nothing about chess when I started this book and I still don't know anymore now。 But this book is not to teach me how to play chess。 It's a story about a young girl in an orphanage who learns to play chess from the janitor to become a master chess player。 An interesting read。 I only read this book because my friend is watching the series on Netflex and said it was very good。 Not my kind of read。 I prefer historical novels。 Definitely suspenseful but not one you couldn't put down。 。。。more
Zea
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anyone who relates to any part of this， myself included， needs to contact a therapist immediately。 i cried like 5 times tho
Chang
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I suspected that it would be rare to come upon this book （in 2020） not because of Netflix， but because of your boss。 This is very lighthearted and fun book to read。 And easily drink through it in two days。 I came across it because of my boss's nostalgia。 He was a Russian-American immigrant and currently a professor in the biological science field。 If it was not for his parents sake and survival in the U。S。， he would be a professional chess player。 His recognition has been young， and went when he I suspected that it would be rare to come upon this book （in 2020） not because of Netflix， but because of your boss。 This is very lighthearted and fun book to read。 And easily drink through it in two days。 I came across it because of my boss's nostalgia。 He was a Russian-American immigrant and currently a professor in the biological science field。 If it was not for his parents sake and survival in the U。S。， he would be a professional chess player。 His recognition has been young， and went when he beat Yasser Seirawan。 And while reading this book， I can relate a lot of emotionsl that he might felt。 Of course， I admire my boss and that's why I have this feeling for him。 Well， I will be defense my Ph。D thesis shortly， and no doubt the goodby to him， the man who is always dressing his mind with a tuxedo， will be hard。 will see how that go。 。。。more
Levi
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I wasn't too impressed by this book。 I wasn't too impressed by this book。 。。。more
Alison Eichler
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Although I had seen the Netflix series I really liked this book。 I listened to the audio version and， as a non-chess/math geek I think listening made the story much more accessible。 I cannot imagine reading all the technicalities （moves， position of pieces） and enjoying the story。
Meredith
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This was great！ I randomly saw it on Hoopla and had no idea it was a book。 I haven’t seen the show yet but I know people love it， too。 I listened to this while running solo， and it was something I looked forward to each time I got to listen to it。 Can’t wait to see how Netflix brought this to life and the differences。
Jamie
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Rated 2⭐ （OK）I probably would've enjoyed The Queen's Gambit a lot more if I hadn't already watched the miniseries on Netflix。 The book suffers a lot from telling， not showing。 Many lines simply read "Beth was angry" or "She was frightened。" Ok， but why！？！？ And you hardly get any feel for Beth's relationships with Jolene， Alma， or Benny。 Sure， Tevis says Beth is attached to them， but WHY！？！？ We get one explanation of Beth enjoying her travels with Alma because they gossip and laugh together on th Rated 2⭐ （OK）I probably would've enjoyed The Queen's Gambit a lot more if I hadn't already watched the miniseries on Netflix。 The book suffers a lot from telling， not showing。 Many lines simply read "Beth was angry" or "She was frightened。" Ok， but why！？！？ And you hardly get any feel for Beth's relationships with Jolene， Alma， or Benny。 Sure， Tevis says Beth is attached to them， but WHY！？！？ We get one explanation of Beth enjoying her travels with Alma because they gossip and laugh together on the plane。 Sure would've been nice to actually "see" that！ Beth's interactions with other people are consistently robotic。 The writing style itself is very detached and mechanical。 In short， Beth kinda-sorta lacks a personality， but Anya Taylor-Joy's incredible acting skills made the character 1000% more compelling in the show。 Overall， the miniseries is an extreme faithful adaptation with only a few thoughtful changes。 In fact， several conversations in the series were taken verbatim from the book， and it appears as if set pieces were designed or chosen specifically from Tevis' descriptions （I'm thinking of the Ohio tournament in particular）。 I'm also eternally grateful the showrunners decided to cut out the child-on-child sexual assault scene。 Yikes。 。。。more
Becca Moss
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I know nothing about chess， so I was slightly surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did。 The characters， the fast paced drama， the back and forth plays as Beth ranked up while competing for the Championship， I loved it all。 Very excited to start the Netflix adaptation now。
Robby Bissell
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 While I was reading the last 30 pages of this wonderful book， I could have ripped my hair out， chewed my nails to bits， and jumped up and down in my seat。 Never in my life has a book kept me so intrigued， in awe， and on the edge of my seat as this one has。 Beth Harmon is now one of my favorite characters of all time。 I know this is a work of fiction， but I am from Lexington， KY （where most of the book takes place） and I could see the streets， buildings and smell the city while reading it。 It mad While I was reading the last 30 pages of this wonderful book， I could have ripped my hair out， chewed my nails to bits， and jumped up and down in my seat。 Never in my life has a book kept me so intrigued， in awe， and on the edge of my seat as this one has。 Beth Harmon is now one of my favorite characters of all time。 I know this is a work of fiction， but I am from Lexington， KY （where most of the book takes place） and I could see the streets， buildings and smell the city while reading it。 It made the experience all the more wonderful for me。 Even though I never have been， now I am kind of proud to be born and raised in the same city where Beth is from。 I’m sure i’ll humble brag about it one day。 What a legend she is！ 。。。more
Steffi
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If it wasn't for the first 100 pages， which were actually really interesting， I'd give this book 1 Star。 The book introduces the reader to a bright orphaned child， which not only brilliant at chess but that develops an addiction at a young age。 Following her through her childhood was fascinating but also disturbing at times。 （view spoiler）[Honestly， why did the author feel the need to casually throw in a rape scene and writing an eight-year-old trying to masturbate？？？ Just WHY？ （hide spoiler）]On If it wasn't for the first 100 pages， which were actually really interesting， I'd give this book 1 Star。 The book introduces the reader to a bright orphaned child， which not only brilliant at chess but that develops an addiction at a young age。 Following her through her childhood was fascinating but also disturbing at times。 （view spoiler）[Honestly， why did the author feel the need to casually throw in a rape scene and writing an eight-year-old trying to masturbate？？？ Just WHY？ （hide spoiler）]Once she reaches her teenage years， things get very quickly very boring。 One chess-tournament after another。 She's still addicted to pills。 And it seems there's only ever one emotion she feels: anger。The writing style is clunky and lacks depth。 We never know what anyone feels or thinks， other than "Beth was angry/annoyed/furious"。 The author definitely never heard of show， don't tell。 The random time-skips made it occasionally very confusing。 The chess scenes were boring and poorly described。 I skimmed them most of the time。 Overall， it felt like the story was presenting ideas but wasn't going with them anywhere， and only repeated the same things over and over again。 Some things， though they had or should had an impact on her life， were never resolved or talked about again。 （view spoiler）[The first and only genius girl chess player - yet， in the end， she needs help from a man。 The addictions were just there。 It was never resolved or properly discussed。 Not even when she was getting help。 And don't get me started on her "parents"。 （hide spoiler）] In addition to the stale and one-dimensional characters， it's a book that I'll probably forget rather quickly。 。。。more
Kait Riesmeyer
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I decided to read this book after I watched the show。 I definitely think the show missed out on a couple of key points that would have added value to the storyline。 My only beef with this book is that there seemed to be some stray side bars going on that were probably not necessary。 I also felt like 40% of this book was in chess notation， so if you know nothing about the game， the genius of the moves is a little lost and you have to take the author’s word for it and assume it was awesome。
Jason A
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Good flow through the book and like the characters arc。
Christelle
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