The Chess Garden: Or the Twilight Letters of Gustav Uyterhoeven

There is so much to this novel, it almost defies description. Part tragic love story, part allegory, and part Apology, it has the beauty that so many modern novels lack. Hansen's language is gorgeous, and his thoughts inscribe a circle around such far-flung matters as the Christian Church, Arthurian Legend, how to deal with the pain of losing a young son, and Emanuel Swedenborg. Novels like this only come along once in a very very long time, and even though I have written nearly twenty pages for an assignment and read it a dozen times, there are still parts to this that haunt me, to the point where I want to pick the novel up again every once in a while just to savor the parts I love, look anew for threads I have missed, and immerse myself in the language and times of the mid and late 19th century. It is, and will remain one of those books on my 'Books to read once a year' list.

A friend of mine insisted that I read this book, and after examining the slip jacket, I reluctantly agreed. However, once I started I could put it down. This book is both a literary marvel as well as a fascinating spiritual commentary. The story is captiving, and the imagery is brilliant. I would recommend it both to the child and to elder. Read this book.

I found that this was a very thoughtful and beautifully written book. It is very rare that I feel moved to tears by the power of a piece of fiction, but I felt deeply moved by this novel. I hope others will find it and enjoy the journey of this man's life characterized by his mysterious letters home from South Africa which serve as a chronical of it.

I've read "The Chess Garden" only once, four years ago. But a week rarely goes by when my heart and mind don't return to it. I don't pretend to grasp all of its themes. But as a parent, I found deep meaning in this book, wherein God's presence is revealed most fully in the love we feel for our children. And our experience of this love then allows us to turn outward to others, more completely and authentically. Mark Helprin's "Memoir from Antproof Case" touches on this theme, but not with the same power. The Doctor's spiritual quest after the death of his young son rang so emotionally true, so heartbreakingly real, that I've been unable to read it again. (Though I'm sure I will eventually) It's a sad and hopeful book. For those of us who struggle with doubt and strain to glimpse a loving, personal God, we should spend a few summer afternoons in The Chess Garden. Of course, it's only fiction. It merely points the way to what we all have access to, every day, in our real lives.

The Chess Garden is simply one of the best books I have ever read. The protagonist deals with many issues confronting every one: spiritual ambiguity and conviction, passionate love, tragic loss, and one's sense of place and community. The novel moves in three timelines: the doctor's growing up in Europe and courtship of his wife, his imaginary tale of Gulliverian wanderings in the mysterious land of Antipodes, and his hometown of Dayton 13 years after the doctor's famous letters from abroad. I wanted to restart it as soon as I finished it!