The Queen's Gambit

By: Walter Tevis

Narrated by: Amy Landon

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.

I loved it

Simply wonderful totally engrossing and wonderfully read Highly recommended. You must listen to it !

A truly enjoyable read.

The novel and audiobook were really well executed. I found the narration to be engaging and the overall story both entertaining and informative as someone who has the most limited knowledge of Chess, I hadn't realized there was so much that went into it. I haven't seen the mini series but now I'm very interested!

SO GOOD!! MUST READ!

I wasn’t 100% sure about the story going into it, but I completely loved every minute of it! The characters are so well written, the plot Was surprisingly exciting and interesting, and the performance was fantastic! Five stars and more!

Riveting, even without a clue about chess

I ate through this book almost non-stop. The namesake Netflix series was beautiful; I loved "Mockingbird"; was a big fan of "the Hustler" (movie), so this was a natural for me to grab from Audible. I don't need a narrator to "act" the characters, and Amy Landon delivered in a measured, dry tone, which is perfect for me. If the writing is good, it doesn't need an emotive narrator, just clear annunciation and perfect pacing with just a hint of personalization. And Tevis's writing measures up. Even detailed chess jargon was rendered interesting and exciting with just a sprinkling of colorful embellishment. He keeps the reader involved in the psychological drama, and in becoming intimate with this powerful lead character with her human frailties and almost supernatural talents. I'm now a hardcore Tevis fan and owe it to him to move on to reading his whole body of work.

Loved it !

I know nothing about chess but this book grabbed me from the beginning. I read that a lot of people didn't care for the narration but I thought it was well done. You won't be sorry if you give this book a chance.