The Queen's Gambit (now A Major Netflix Drama)

By (author) Tevis, Walter
Short description/annotation:
A modern classic about a troubled chess prodigy and her battle to survive --- a coming of age story of feminism, chess and addiction
Description:

NOW A MAJOR GOLDEN GLOBE-WINNING NETFLIX SERIES

''Superb'' Time Out
''Mesmerizing'' Newsweek
''Gripping'' Financial Times
''Sheer entertainment. It is a book I reread every few years - for the pure pleasure and skill of it'' Michael Ondaatje
''Don''t pick this up if you want a night''s sleep'' Scotsman

When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself. But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, there''s more at stake than merely winning and losing.

''I loved it. I just loved it, it really drew me in and I know nothing about chess... The writing about addiction is just fantastic. I underlined so many bits of it... I didn''t want it to end'' Bryony Gordon on BBC Radio 4

''Few novelists have written about genius - and addiction - as acutely as Walter Tevis'' Telegraph

Biographical note:
Walter Tevis was an American novelist and short story writer. Whilst a student at the University of Kentucky, Tevis worked in a pool hall and published a story about the game for an English class. He would later revisit his love for pool in the novels THE HUSTLER (1959) and THE COLOR OF MONEY (1984), both of which would be adapted into multiple award-winning films starring Paul Newman. Among his other works, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1963) and MOCKINGBIRD (1980) are considered masterpieces of science fiction. Tevis died in 1984.
Review quote: previous work:
Gripping reading . . . Nabokov''s The Defense and Zweig''s The Royal Game are the classics. Now joining them is The Queen''s Gambit - FINANCIAL TIMES

Mesmerizing - NEWSWEEK

Don''t pick this up if you want a night''s sleep - SCOTSMAN

More exciting than any thriller I''ve seen lately; more than that, beautifully written

What Walter Tevis did for pool in The Hustler, he does for chess in The Queen''s Gambit - PLAYBOY

A psychological thriller - NEW YORK TIMES

Walter Tevis is famous for writing The Hustler and The Man Who Fell to Earth, but this is my favorite book of his. It is about a girl who, guided by her somewhat unreliable mother, becomes a child prodigy at chess. Even if you do not know how to play chess, it is a great thriller - Literary Hub

Tevis was a great storyteller