The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis

Is it too late to tell you not to watch The Queen’s Gambit until you’ve read the book? Probably.

We still think this is definitely worth a read even if you do have a full picture of the characters in your mind.

Hajar absolutely loved it. Curtis was only slightly less enthusiastic with his praise, but very much enjoyed it too.

Our last episode of Series 2 is, erm, ranty.

Haj takes sudden and violent exception to the notion that books for grown-ups need trigger and content warnings, and decided that the pod was not the time for calm and reasoned consideration of both sides. Anyway, we loved the book and the Netflix series. Devour both!

NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES starring Anya Taylor-Joy from Academy-Award nominee Scott Frank and BAFTA nominee Allan Scott

 ‘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.

‘Few novelists have written about genius – and addiction – as acutely as Walter Tevis’ The Telegraph

Read the book, listen to the podcast, and tell us what you think.