Baba's Reviews > The Queen's Gambit

I haven't seen the Netflix show, specifically because I wanted to read the book first, and indeed, got very much rewarded for doing such. Beth Harmon struggles to get anything out of the orphanage she is placed in, until she finds Chess and drugs! Her unlikely chess mentor at the orphanage is diligent at nursing her evident chess ability. It's in the mainstream and on the book cover, that she becomes a big cheese in chess; this is her life story from an orphanage to chess championships.

I can play, and do enjoy chess, and found the games in this book fascinating. This was an intriguing read as the style of the writing and third-person narration really gave the book a dispassionate voiceover feel whether talking about some sort of abuse or a chess match; and I feel that it worked perfectly for this read. I often say it's sometimes more about the journey than the whole, and in this case the journey is immersive and compelling, and I had no doubt that this book is set in the world of chess, a reality for the chess elite. Despite being written in 1983 I can't really tell 'when' this is set, as it is so immersed in Beth's life. Only my second Tevis after The Man Who Fell To Earth, and a well worthy Four Star 8 out of 12 jam.

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