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The Queen's Gambit

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The Queen's Gambit

Written by: Walter Tevis
Narrated by: Amy Landon
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Buy Now for ₹538.00

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About this listen

Engaging and fast-paced, this gripping coming-of-age novel of chess, feminism, and addiction speeds to a conclusion as elegant and satisfying as a mate in four.

Eight-year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appearances unremarkable. That is, until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control.

By the age of 16, she's competing for the US Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting.

©2018 Walter Tevis (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Genre Fiction Literary Fiction
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Walter has done well to keep the reading/listening interesting all thru. A good chess player would enjoy this book immensely. Narration by Amy complements the story well. overall a good timepass during journey or layover stop.

a good timepass book

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It’s easy listening. Queen’s Gambit flows well, you aren’t bored, in fact one wants to finish the book. I listened to it in 4 days flat. In my case I could finish a book without a break so that’s good as I’ve two dozen books in various stages of ‘Currently Reading’!

The narrator has pleasant voice, speaks lucidly, changing her tone to a gruff one, no matter which adult character’s lines she’s speaking, but one doesn’t mind that.

It’s Beth’s story. All the way.

A genius chess player, orphaned at 8. She is portrayed mostly as a friendless, alone, stoic girl, given to excesses, but with enough determination and self control to pull herself up by the shoestrings and go on winning chess titles. When needed, someone appears in order to help her out, but not fully as she goes to solve the problem on her own. And she does reach dizzying heights.

Put in an orphanage where kids were given tranquillisers and sedatives, she doesn’t face any brutal treatment mostly due to her grades. ‘Little Green Pills’ is a habit that keeps recurring and overflowing to liquor in later life.

There are enough tragedies and triumphs in her life, treated with equal equanimity by the author. And, that’s where the book is unable to climb to a higher place. Reader is left to her own devise in figuring out everything on their own.

Secondary characters are sketchy, staying around long enough to push Beth’s story forward. There are no sub plots. The hero is ‘Chess’. It’s heroine ‘Beth’.

The dialogues are ok too. None that one recalls, and I’ve just finished listening to it.

Book is very descriptive of what’s happening, without delving into the inner world of the characters, putting the book in the 3star category. That helps with visualisation, while skimming over anything deeper.

Very little happens, there are numerous chess playing scenes, and perhaps chess players may enjoy those, however only a few moves are described and not the entire game, so...

Are there any moments, yeah, one or two, like, after the death of Beth’s first teacher she discovers that he had followed her career. There are no moments that punch you in the solar plexus, or leave you breathless just by the sheer beauty of it. It’s a competent story ‘narrated’ by the author, that I’m already beginning to forget!

Easy read

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Brilliant story. Even someone who knows basics in chess will understand the story. The narration was superb!

Brilliant!

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even though Slightly different from the TV series, the tempo and theme is maintained

Excellent

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liked the audio story very much. the reading was quite good. often I was angry at Beth, but realised what to expect from a child orphaned at young age and grown without enough love and care. the part where she saw how the janitor guru was proud of her after his death, was very touching. the chess matches were all very interesting,

Loved it

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