The Queen's Gambit

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 sixteen, 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.

“"There's more excitement in Beth than in the collected works of Robert Ludlum."”

The Queen's Gambit is sheer entertainment. It is a book I reread every few years-for the pure pleasure and skill of it.

-- "Michael Ondaatje, New York Times bestselling author"

Compelling...A magnificent obsession.

-- "Los Angeles Times"

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 (London)"

It's advisable to tape your fingers before opening The Queen's Gambit. Otherwise, the suspense may bring on nail-chewing right to the elbow.

-- "Houston Chronicle"

Tevis traps us in the breathless drama of the moment and makes us feel the same intense involvement his characters feel.

-- "Cleveland Plain Dealer"

There's more excitement in Beth than in the collected works of Robert Ludlum.

-- "Forth Worth Star-Telegram"

Walter Tevis (1928-1984) was an English literature professor at Ohio University. He was the author of seven books, including three that were the basis of major motion pictures: The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Hustler, and The Color of Money. His books have been translated into at least eighteen languages.Amy Landon, Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a voice artist and classically trained actress with numerous film, television, and off-Broadway stage credits. Her voice can also be heard on many television and radio commercials. She has an easy facility with dialects, which she also coaches and teaches, and she is happy to find her lifelong obsession with books pairing up with her acting and vocal work. Her narration of Texts from Jane Eyre placed as a finalist for the Audie Award for Best Humor Narration in 2016.

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