This book tells a story that takes place over multiple time periods, the 1960s, 1970s, and 2015, telling the story of some 18 year old boys. In 1979 Vincent is a recent high school graduate who is looking for a job to earn some money to buy beer. He ends up working on a construction crew with two Vietnam Vets, and what he learns that summer will impact his life forever.

Dugoni told a story that needed to be told. I understand PTSD a little better after reading this book and have more empathy for those who risked their lives for us. The story was well written and easy to follow. I didn't want to put it down.

I've read several other titles by author Robert Dugoni that I have enjoyed, but "The World Played Chess" is hands down my favorite. I am a big fan of history, but don't care for a lot of historical fiction because much of what has come out in the last few years has bordered on historical romance featuring more romance than history. I thought this book did an excellent job setting the stage for readers to get a real feel for what it must have been like to grow up with the threat of the Vietnam War hanging over the country. This war in particular had a lasting effect on the people who fought, who didn't fight, and who were too young or old to do so, but saw their friends, family, and neighbors sent overseas only to return to a hostile nation. We too often ignore the stories of people who have seen and experienced things many of us have no frame of reference for, and the things Vincent learns are valuable lessons for the rest of us to learn from

I had high hopes for The World Played Chess after reading The Extraordinary Life of Same Hell and Robert Dugoni did not disappoint me! This story revolves around 3 time periods, each focusing on the life of an 18 year old boy. I was enthralled with the ways that the stories all connected and I couldn't put this one down. I highly recommend this very moving story.

The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni is an amazing book about hope. About growing up and finding your place in the world.

It took me several tries to get into this book. It did not grab me from the beginning but I think that this is because this kind of book is so far off from what I normally read. I am so glad that I kept with it because it was really impactful and meaningful. The ending blew me away.

I was very excited to get an advanced copy of this because The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is in my top 5 favorite books and I figured this would be just as good.
The World Played Chess is different than Sam Hell but Mr. Dugoni filled it with just as much compassion, empathy, and feeling. The World Played Chess is a coming of age story with 2/3 of it written in journal entry form. We get to see an 18 year old, William, on the front line of the Vietnam War and how that experience shaped him into the man he became 10 years later. We get to see an 18 year old Valedictorian, Vincent, the summer before he leaves for college in 1979. While different from William’s story, Vincent still has a coming of age moment. The last 18 year old is Vincent’s son, Beau, in 2017. This part is told current day through the eyes of now adult Vincent. Because of this, Beau’s coming of age isn’t as pronounced, however I think it speaks volumes. I can’t speak for all parents, but I constantly watch my kids and remember my teenage years. I try to guide them to make better decisions than I did but at the same time most of the time all I can do is watch from afar and hope they make the best decision for them.
Mr. Dugoni is a brilliant story teller and this book did not disappoint.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Robert Dugoni has quickly become one of my favorite authors and The World Played Chess is a work of art. I approached this book cautiously; afraid it wouldn’t be for me. I’m old enough to vaguely remember the Vietnam war and a book with Vietnam vets seemed to be a heavy subject. I shouldn’t have worried as Dugoni has effectively weaved several themes into one book. Think coming-of-age and Vietnam war and later-in-life regret. Somehow the author ties these all together with a neat bow.

This story is about Vincent, an 18-year-old graduate in 1979 ready to take on the world, William, a young Vietnam vet who can’t find his footing due to PTDS and befriends Vincent, and in 2015 Vincent, a middle-aged man with children and regrets. The book is told in multiple timelines alternating between past and present but woven together so skillfully the reader never misses a beat.

I strongly recommend this compelling story to everyone and thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest opinion.

Some books don’t fall into a neat category. They won’t fit into a single box that gives you an idea of what they are about or how they will likely play out. Dugoni has written such a book. It is both Vietnam war experience and coming of age. It is a story of friendship and loss. It feels entirely authentic.
While growing up, my best friend’s father would occasionally tell us a little about his Vietnam experiences. This book reminded me of those stories, though Mr. W. was not very detailed or graphic in what he shared with his two 15 year old charges. He did, however, generally treat us like men and expected us to act accordingly.
If you are looking for a surprise read - a book that you might think isn’t for you, or that you approach with trepidation - this book will not leave you disappointed. I found nothing lacking in it whatsoever. I came to know and appreciate the protagonists and the secondary characters were developed to the proper level for advancement of the tale.
I give this book five stars; it is worth every one of them. Do yourself a favor: put on your grown up undies and read this book. You will be rewarded.
My gratitude to Lake Union Publishing and Robert Dugoni via Netgalley.

The World Played Chess ties together the stories of 2 men in 3 different ways--one young man who has fought in the Vietnam War, and one as an 18 year old fresh out of high school and later as a middle aged man with children of his own.

Dugoni interweaves these stories with such mastery, and ties together lessons of life in a beautiful way. As William recounts what he experienced, Vincent (fresh out of high school) begins to realize he doesn't really know anything about the world. It changes his viewpoint and how behavior. As an older man reading William's diary, he relates what he reads to raising his own children.

It is an absolutely beautiful novel. It is raw, and heartfelt. The characters are flawed but relatable. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoy ROBERT DUGONI's writing. It's solid. He writes great characters, and a compelling story to match.

THE WORLD WHO PLAYED CHESS is not actually about chess (luckily). It's about a man who has returned from the Vietnam War who meets a boy and who has a huge impact on him and how he views the world. The man is William and the boy is Vincent. We follow two point-of-views across three timelines. The first is William's story in Vietnam, the second is Vincent's story when he meets and works with William and the third is Vincent when he all grown up with his family.

It's a character driven story, and although it didn't bring me to tears it did touch me.

Novel about growing up and shifting perspectives. Excellent story that reveals a fathers past, as he grapples with
a future for his son. Learning to identify what makes a life, and how to live it well. Excellent book.

Robert Dugoni is an award-winning versatile author who has mastered some well done police procedurals, including the very popular Tracy Crosswhite series, and the extraordinary novel, "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell." His newest standalone, "While the World Played Chess," is thought-provoking, well written and should be read by every father and his 18 year old son - along with the rest of us.

It is truly about three 18 year old young men, the decisions they have made and where those actions lead them. The novel is very character driven, and Dugoni demonstrates the insecurities the boys feel, how they struggle with themselves to come to terms with crises in their lives and how they meet them.

One of the young men is William who enlists in the army at the height of the Vietnam War thinking he can be a war photographer and then go to college on the GI Bill. The next is Vincent, the middle son of a very large family, recent class valedictorian and construction worker banking cash for college. Our final boy is Beau, from an affluent family who is going to the college of his choice on a football scholarship. Each of the young men have different plans for their futures, but all find themselves in situations that change their directions.

Dugoni skillfully puts 18 year old Vincent on a construction crew under the direction of 30 year old William who is suffering from PTSD. Through time digressions, we see the brutal conditions William faces in the jungle and the losses of almost all his buddies. William sees in Vincent the faces of his friends and tries to give him the skills he needs for adversity. Their stories are told through alternating chapters of past and present which vividly depict the realities of their pasts and present.

With a tragic ending, Dugoni once again exhibits his ability to detail the agony of fear and personal loss in ways that make it all so momentous. A very skillful writer, Dugoni has again given us a novel rich with interesting characters who astonish us with their abilities to survive and thrive.

Thank you Netgalley, Robert Dugoni and Lake Union Publishing for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I so wanted to like this book. It was a really interesting topic but I found the endless switch between past and present tiring. I wanted more focus on the past. Not for me.

The World Played Chess was another moving book by Robert Dugoni. Reading about Vincent was not nearly as exciting of a read of as Sam from The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell." Worth the read but didn't stay up all night to finish it, for me personally it just didn't hit the mark.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

Ok, so here is the thing. I love Robert Dugoni. I mean. LOVE HIM. However, this particular title was not a good fit for me. I have picked it up and put it down multiple times. I have made the decision to not pick it up. I will absolutely read Robert again...this title was not for me.

I unabashedly love this author. To be honest, I dig his mystery novels a bit more, but this is because I prefer this genre above all. But his human stories (like this one) are as touching and full of wisdom as the mystery ones (and yes, the crime novels can be full of wise thoughts) and they are even more personal and frank, as Mr Dugoni goes deeper in sharing his soul and musings.

This one is about becoming a man. Vincent Bianco met a Vietnam war veteran William during the summer after his school graduation. Working alongside him, Vincent learns much about what being a man means, the kind of one who has no chance but maturing in the situations where his life has been at stake. Unbeknownst to him, he is going to heed William's stories, opinions and advice as a guide for all his life.

William also has a voice here, as Vincent reads his diary of Vietnam during the present time line - to share about the hardships, pain, guilt and suffering no 18-year-old should ever experience.
Now we have a war in Europe, too, so this part touches me on a more personal level. How much unnecessary of suffering.

The ending chapter is a very tender reading. I was touched to read that that summer meant so much for William, too. We are ships meeting on the sea at the moment, as a famous saying goes - but that moment might be the deciding one.

Also, I feel the need to say something as a practicing Catholic - I think that this is a read that shows a mature faith. The kind of where one fights God about all the suffering of innocents in the world - only to come to the deeper conclusions of the issues of trust in God. That the one believes more deeply, not as a naive child, but as a man who sees the good of God.

Mr Dugoni, if you ever read this - thank you for sharing this novel with your readers.

Three generations three different times but same ages. The magic 18 when a boys become man.

Vincent worked in constructions and he met the veterans. Their story is touching. And consequences were not nice. How to somw back to normal life after a war. And after 40 years his boy is leaving for college. Are they simmilar or different.

We get many lessons of life. Really a beautiful story to keep. A life is build a lifetime but it ends in a moment.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this opportunity.

Book • Review
The World Played Chess
Robert Dugoni
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me preface this by saying that this book currently has a 4.51 on Goodreads, so I am in the minority. You may love this, so check it out if you are interested!

The World Played Chess is a historical fiction novel that follows three different men, in different decades, all during their time as an eighteen year old. Or at least, that was my understanding going in.

I was very eager to read this book, as I loved Dugoni’s novel The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell when I read it a few years ago. It pains me to say it, but this book did not live up to my hopes. The World Played Chess, while full of heart, fails to do anything fresh or particularly original, and fails to fully come through on the promises it makes.

Like I said earlier, this book follows three eighteen year old men, one during the time of the Vietnam war, one shortly after the war, and one in the 2010’s. Sort of. This is somewhat accurate, though the third and most recent eighteen year old is not particularly relevant to the story, and feels like a cardboard cutout son who behaves shockingly unlike a teenager. This was a bit frustrating.

The friendship between protagonists, Vincent and William, was a pleasure to read about, and I enjoyed the way this relationship was explored. Also, the observation of PTSD and its effects on a veteran is an important perspective in this novel. I just wish that Dugoni had balanced these qualities a bit more with something more substantial in the actual story. Even Vincent suffers from not seeming to act like a normal eighteen-year old, which removed me from the story.

All that said, if you are looking for a multi-timeline, historical fiction, with characters that struggle with emotional and mental turmoil, this may be the book for you. I enjoyed some things about this book, and am glad I read it. I just wanted it to do a bit more, for me.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing, Netgalley, and the author for the review copy of this novel.

5 total stars for The World Played Chess! This was my first novel by Robert Dugoni. I was immediately intrigued to request it when I read the synopsis. I have always been fascinated by The Vietnam War, as my parents were newly married during this time, and I always enjoyed their stories from this period of history. You can tell that the author put in so much research, and it almost felt like a memoir at times. I highly recommend this, and this book will stay with me for quite some time.

Whether you enjoy his Tracy Crosswhite police procedural series or you fell in love with THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL, there’s no doubt you’re already a fan of Robert Dugoni’s work --- or you will be very soon. In THE WORLD PLAYED CHESS, he explores the lives of a Vietnam veteran struggling with PTSD and a man over a decade younger who just missed the call to action. Alternating perspectives and timelines, Dugoni paints an epic portrait of a world stripped of innocence and the shaping of these two men's destinies.

When we meet Vincent Bianco, the year is 2015 and he is a successful lawyer, happily married and the father of two children. His son, Beau, is a sports-obsessed high school senior, and Vincent often catches himself recalling his own final year of teenagerdom. But when a mysterious package arrives, Vincent reflects on his friendship with William Goodman, who he met while working on a construction site during the summer before college. Though only about a decade older than Vincent, William was wisened and aged by his time in Vietnam as a marine and photographer. Now he has entrusted Vincent with his journal from that battle-worn, traumatic time. His only request is that Vincent read the entire book in order, so that he can fully understand the way that Vietnam changed him --- and hopefully learn from it.

Alternating between William’s teenage journal entries, Vincent’s own last summer as a teen, and present-day Vincent watching his son become a man, Dugoni explores three people on the precipice of tremendous growth and change. Through young William, living in 1967, we see the early days of life as a marine: the brutal training in Parris Island, South Carolina, the first glimpses of Vietnam in Da Nang, and, of course, the brutalities and violence witnessed by too many young men.

A proud New Jersey boy, William has his eyes on the future, and with his high test scores, he hopes to leave Vietnam with not only his life but a resume that will help him secure a career as a journalist. When he is instead given a rifle, a pack of cigarettes and a camera, he starts to realize how deeply the war will affect him and how limited his perceptions of war have been so far. He quickly learns that “growing old is a privilege, not a right” when his bunkmate is killed on the very first night of open fire. His journal entries provide the backbone of the book, with his story driving most of the action and providing some of the most emotionally intense scenes.

Only 12 years later, in 1979, the William we meet has changed. Though he is only 30, he already has a dusting of white hair, and where he was once mostly sober, he is now known as a pothead by his fellow construction workers. When teenage Vincent begins working with William, introduced by his sister’s boyfriend, Mike, he is drawn to the veteran’s stoic, ponderous nature, and often stays late to drink beers and talk with the man. Already the differences in their lives are clear: Vincent points out that his generation is the first in the century to be able to plan for the future without a war hanging over their heads.

One of nine children, Vincent worries about finances and affording college, as well as losing his high school friends, but his concerns never stretch to murderous foes or nights spent squatting over a log in the jungle. Still, Vincent knows that he, too, is right in the middle of his own coming-of-age story, and that life will never again be quite as effortless or carefree. Already intelligent and the valedictorian of his class, he is further educated by William’s stories about life in Vietnam --- from the jokes about men who tease one another about their masculinity and sexuality to his accounts of venomous snakes and gun-toting enemies.

Of course, the changes in the world and in the freedom of America’s youth are never more clear than in the chapters written through an adult Vincent’s eyes in 2016. Watching Beau play football and party with his friends, he is never more aware of the value of his child’s life or the privileges that come with choice: the choice of what to do after high school, what to study and how to live. Although Vincent's present-day life makes up the third plot line, it is the storylines of young Vincent and young William that make up the meat of THE WORLD PLAYED CHESS, though their juxtaposition with Beau, especially as seen through his father’s eyes, makes for many interesting comparisons. Because Vincent is unpacking the stories of William’s life, reflecting on his own and watching his son’s, his plot line is the most complete and offers a lot of potential for discussions on fate, luck and destiny. Dugoni weaves three compelling, relatable coming-of-age stories, each of which are poignant, gripping and full of redemption.

As always, Dugoni excels at immersing his readers not only in his settings, but in his characters’ viewpoints and experiences. Never before has Vietnam come alive for me so thoroughly: the camaraderie of the men (even against their own wishes; it is harder to leave friends behind than it is to part with fellow soldiers who are essentially strangers), the smells, the brutal training and, of course, the double-edged sword of hoping to come home alive and not wanting to be responsible for another young man, even on the other side, not doing the same.

While William is uncomfortable with killing, the book does not shy away from showing us his fellow marines who delight in it, often to the eye-rolling discomfort of his peers. Dugoni has a real knack for unpacking the emotions and pivotal moments in some of our country’s most dangerous positions. Like he has with his Tracy Crosswhite and Charles Jenkins series, he makes the battlegrounds of Vietnam, previously an insular, practically unknowable world, feel immediate and vivid for his readers, especially those of us born long after the war.

Dugoni makes an interesting choice in allowing us to see William at 30 and, through his mysterious package to Vincent, 67. In many authors’ hands, these revelations would lessen the blow of the more dramatic scenes in Vietnam, as we already know that William survives. But Dugoni is a master of the slow reveal, and as a 30-year-old William starts to show signs of PTSD and a 67-year-old William makes one last desperate attempt to share his story, it becomes clear that while he may have survived, he is not without his scars, both physical and emotional.

Expertly weaving together three coming-of-age stories set in three dramatically different time periods, THE WORLD PLAYED CHESS is a masterwork of emotion from an author who seems like he hasn’t met a genre he can’t conquer. Rich with historical detail and as poignant and powerful as the best works of fiction, this novel is a gut-punch of a story that is as fearless as it is insightful. Don’t miss the author’s note or the acknowledgments in this one; Dugoni’s explanations for his research process and inspiration are nearly as compelling as the book. And if you haven’t read him yet, what are you waiting for?