The World Played Chess

A Novel

By: Robert Dugoni

Narrated by: Robert Dugoni, Todd Haberkorn

“A fearless and sensitive coming-of-age story. I loved it.”—Mark Sullivan, bestselling author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky and The Last Green Valley.

Bestselling author Robert Dugoni returns with an emotionally arresting follow-up to The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.

In 1979, Vincent Bianco has just graduated high school. His only desire: collect a little beer money and enjoy his final summer before college. So he lands a job as a laborer on a construction crew. Working alongside two Vietnam vets, one suffering from PTSD, Vincent gets the education of a lifetime. Now forty years later, with his own son leaving for college, the lessons of that summer—Vincent’s last taste of innocence and first taste of real life—dramatically unfold in a novel about breaking away, shaping a life, and seeking one’s own destiny.

©2021 by La Mesa Fiction, LLC. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“With his usual narrative mastery, Dugoni takes on the often-overlooked ordeal of boys becoming men and does so fearlessly and sensitively, chronicling the coming-of-age stories of three different men linked by war, friendship, and family. I loved it.” (Mark Sullivan, best-selling author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky and The Last Green Valley)

“A riveting story of boys becoming men and the risks they take along the way.” (Library Journal)

“The World Played Chess is a shining example of a writer at the top of his game, and a deeply thought-provoking take on a man’s coming of age.” (Authorlink)

“Wondrously brilliant and poignant.... While not a Vietnam novel per se, the book resembles Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and Philip Caputo’s A Rumor of War in its sheer emotional resonance. Dugoni, though, seems to be channeling the lyrical storytelling magic of the great Pat Conroy more. The World Played Chess is this generation’s The Prince of Tides and a candidate for best novel of 2021.” (Jon Land, Providence Journal)

You won’t regret the time spent listening

I was hesitant to finish this book, once I realized it was about Viet Nam. It does have passages that are tough to hear, but war is terrible and ugly. This book kept me listening because it is SO much more than a war story. Dugoni created such believable, raw, honest characters I often forgot this is a novel. The plot weaves seamlessly between time periods … I never once wondered which decade was being presented or which character was speaking. I’m another Robert Dugoni fan!

Robert Dugoni never disappoints

What a wonderfully crafted story. I was a teen during the Vietnam era. I worked at a VA hospital. The images and memories of wounded soldiers returning never leave

Very profound

I rarely write a review, but I found this novel to be outstanding. It was hard at times due to the content, but also hopeful. I found myself in tears several times. The coming of age lessons, the lessons about how fragile life is are touching, which makes the pain of the Vietnam experiences valuable and manageable emotionally.

Heartfelt

This is the second book I’ve read of yours and again I’m sucked into another life. Feeling every word is truly an amazing feeling

Very good

Great job weaving the two story lines!
Relate-able and believable main characters and story lines.