Walter Tevis 的《The Queen's Gambit》並非我最推薦或認為最精彩的小說,只是最近讀完的一本。378Please respect copyright.PENANAMW8MRs8DAx
378Please respect copyright.PENANAJllLYOeuVh
同名改編電視劇《The Queen's Gambit》乃 Netflix 冠軍收視之作,相信不少人早已看過或最少聽說過這套「神作」,不用我多介紹。
會讀小說原著,亦出於希望更深入那個故事世界。畢竟讀過太多影視化的小說作品,原著比電影或電視劇出色太多太多了:Chronicles of Narnia、Left Behind series、Cirque Du Freak、The Twilight Saga (雖然第一集連小說都太狗血肉麻,要不是友人極力推薦大抵看不下去,第三、四本故事很精彩)、A Wizard of Earthsea、The Lovely Bones、Percy Jackson and the Olympians、The Hunger Games……改編電影簡直破壞了小說原著的神髓。唯一例外大概是《Howl's Moving Castle》,宮崎駿的《ハウルの動く城》比小說原著動人得多。378Please respect copyright.PENANAeqwpPLua4r
378Please respect copyright.PENANAw6eRPcgHLU
抱著這樣的心態去讀《The Queen's Gambit》,期望難免有所落差。個人而言,電視劇的改動令故事變得更有張力。咦?原來 Beth 當時根本不在車禍現場?可是這樣的改動能令觀眾更易投入;哦?原來養母和她的互動並不如電視劇般動人……讀著讀著,與女主角的距離感反而更強烈。378Please respect copyright.PENANAbtMGzxQLL6
378Please respect copyright.PENANAFLIRbyzwjV
唯一欣賞的,是作者請了兩位國際象棋大師作顧問,對棋局的鑽研一絲不苟。還有就是女主角不單對別人冷漠,對自己也很殘忍:
“It's an entire world of just 64 squares. I feel safe in it. I can control it; I can dominate it. And it's predictable. So, if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame.”
大概只有這樣理性果敢的人才能攀上頂峰吧。
Synopsis:378Please respect copyright.PENANAxUgqEoWgKK
378Please respect copyright.PENANA88fevTx4xy
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.