The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab
Source: NetGalley and Wm. Morrow Paperbacks
Rating: 3/5 stars

The Bottom Line: If you’ve been with me for any length of time, you know I am like a moth to a flame when it comes to Holocaust reads. I can’t resist this part of history and find the individual stories of courage and heroism utterly fascinating. I wish I could say I found Maria utterly fascinating, but I did not. Even considering the extraordinary circumstances and the historical fiction labeling, I found Maria to be something of a stretch as a character. While I don’t doubt someone like Maria existed and was likely imprisoned by the Nazi regime, I just couldn’t get behind her being singled out for survival because she was holding a chess piece when she arrived at Auschwitz. Furthermore, I had a hard time believing the revenge aspect of this story and how it all played out in the end.

All the above begs the question, how can I still be at three stars if I found the lead character so unbelievable? The answer to that is easy: I found two of the minor characters quite believable and far more sympathetic which led me to see their stories through to the end. Hania and Irena played out as far more believable characters who used their own strengths and cunning to survive unbearable and tremendous circumstances. Both Irena and Hania served as a strong counterbalance to Maria, and I was so glad to read the ending of the respective stories. In all, these two women saved this read for me and kept me reading until the very end. I want to recommend this book to readers, but I don’t feel completely comfortable doing so. There are just too many issues with the main character to make this a truly good and recommendable read.

The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab

Since a few months into Covid I have not been able to read any book that was depressing, especially those dealing with the Holocaust. Then I started The Last Checkmate and I was hooked from the beginning.
Ms. Saab made all the characters come alive. I found myself fighting to survive with Maria, Hania, and Irena. They became my friends. They became my family. Normally when an author bounces back and forth in time with different chapters I am bothered but not so with this book. Ms. Saab’s transitions were so smooth that at times it took me a few minutes to realize time had changed.
This is the debut novel for Gabriella Saab. I look forward to finding out what she is working on for her next book. I will definitely read it!
09.18.21

Prisoner 16671

The horrors on Auschwitz unleashed on a fourteen year old girl. Nazi atrocities carried out by the most heartless Nazi's in history at the death camp. Heartbreaking, emotional and unbelievably sad, the story of Maria, Irena and Hania, their families and their friends. The story of Father Kobe , the priest in Auschwitz for helping the Jewish brought hope to so many of the prisoners.

It is the very depth of cruelty when Nazi's not only torture and murder those in resistance movements, but innocent people simply because they were relatives. They even tortured and murdered little children. Thousands were sent to their death in the crematoriums simply because they were of the Jewish faith. The other prisoners were made to watch and breath the ash that rained down upon the camp.

Members of the resistance and how they worked to smuggle out Jewish from the Warsaw ghetto in Poland. How the resistance came to be inside Auschwitz as futile as it was. The prisoners never gave up, the survived to tell their story to the rest of the world. Those that didn't survive were heroes in their own way.

Even after they are out of the camp and the war is ended, they cannot escape the memories of that time easily. It was very hard for them to resume a normal life with so much missing and taken from them. This was a very sad time in history and it should never be repeated. If anyone should doubt the horrors of this time period, read this book , it will bring tears to your eyes. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Gabriella Saab, William Morrow Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book for my honest review.

Maria was caught during one of her resistance jobs, and her entire family was punished and sent to Auschwitz.

Her family was murdered when they arrived, but Maria was sent to the camp simply because she had slowed up to look at something. She wishes she would have been murdered too.

The camp officer, Fritzsch, was the most evil person she had ever known. He enjoyed hurting people both physically and mentally. This officer also found out Maria played chess, and he made her play chess against other prisoners and himself.

Playing chess helped her stay alive even though she wishes she were dead.

THE LAST CHECKMATE describes the horrors the prisoners went through and how Maria kept on fighting as her friend Father Kolbe told her to do.

Maria tries to get Fritzsch in trouble so they will transfer him. She goes through more horrors when this happens.

She knows he is the one who had her family killed and vows to make sure he is punished after the war when she finds out he survived.

She met him and challenged him to a game of chess in the same place where he had treated her like an animal.

How will the game turn out? Will Fritzsch win as he always did even without his wartime power or will Maria triumph?

THE LAST CHECKMATE is very well written, very well researched, has a very clever use of a chess game within the story line, but very difficult to read as any WWII book.

An amazing, heart wrenching debut. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A new twist on the WWII novel - a girl is spared because of her chess playing and entertainment of a specific guard. This novel touches on so many themes and is heart-wrenching.

A big thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow and Custom House for the e-ARC!

I’d never read a story about Auschwitz that started from the very beginning, describing the transitions from labor camp to a death camp and what the prisoners had to go through. This is the most detailed to date and I’m glad for that knowledge and the research that followed.

The main character of this story is fictional but those surrounding her are based on real people. I’m not sure if it was because Maria, the one POV, was fictional but I felt there was a flippancy to some of the writing that made the very horrible experience too lighthearted. That aspect was a bit of a problem for me. The chess aspect also didn’t do much for me, but I don’t play so maybe those who do will appreciate it more.

I’m glad I read this and am sure plenty of people will want to read this when it comes out October 19.

Dual time line book about Maria's survival in Auschwitz. The dual time, I felt, was not really necessary. The book would have flowed just fine in a linear timeline. Excellent story and a unique look at how some survived Auschwitz. Maria survived by befriending individuals, being outspoken, getting others transferred, and playing chess. It showcases a few new historical figures from WWII as well.

As a huge historical fiction fan who's a little burned out on all of the WWII books that have been published over the last few years, I wasn't sure I was ready for yet another one. But I had nothing to worry about, as the author gave this one a fresh twist that didn't feel like so many of the others.

Maria is a young Polish girl whose involvement with resistance lands her in Auschwitz at the age of 14. Imprisoned for 4 years, she is tortured and forced to play chess in order to keep living. But she also develops a bigger plan that flames her desire to stay alive. Live. Fight. Survive.

4 /5 for me. A few too many convenient coincidences with Fritzsch, and with the connections between the survivors took away from the authenticity of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House, and author Gabriella Saab for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Warsaw, 1941. Maria, is a 14 year old Polish girl who loves playing chess with her father. She and her family are arrested as political prisoners by the SS. They are quickly sent to Auschwitz. Maria is the only one in her family to escape the first selection for death. She uses chess, not only the game but as a rule of life, to endure the inhuman and brutal treatment of the guards and life in the camp. Maria is a prisoner for about 4 years and survives with the help of a crucifix, a rosary, a couple of friends and the desire to bring justice to the guard that killed her family. The author did a great deal of research and wrote a marvelous novel.

THE LAST CHECKMATE by Gabriella Saab is a beautifully-written and heart-wrenching story of a young girl working for the Polish underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Fourteen-year-old Maria Florkowska is captured by the Gestapo while delivering documents for the resistance. After a brutal interrogation, Maria and her whole family are sent to Auschwitz, but only Maria survives the first day. She is saved by the sadistic camp deputy, Fritzsch, but only when he learns she can play chess and he can use her to entertain the camp guards. She knows he will kill her when he becomes bored with their matches. Guilt-ridden over the deaths of her family members, Maria only finds the will to live when she is befriended by a kind Catholic priest and the only other woman prisoner in the men’s camp. Facing unthinkable atrocities over her four years in prison, her only wish is to survive long enough to bring down her family’s killer. It all comes down to one final chess match. Can she bring the murderer to justice? Although the descriptions of the torturous conditions and the suffering and loss in the camps was very difficult to read, this is ultimately a story of courage, perseverance, friendship and love. I really appreciated the extensive Author’s Notes, details of the real historical figures and the miscellaneous facts the author shared at the end. It made it very clear where she took fictional liberties. Be sure to read these sections, but not before reading the book. I enjoyed this compelling and moving story and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

I don't want to spoil anything for you in any way. I just want you to know that this book is a little bit different than most books set at Auschwitz. We have Maria that was working for the resistance and she is caught and sent to prison. That part is a bit like the other books you may have read, but the fact that her chess-playing skills may save her life is a story we do not know. We do see friendships, betrayals, murders (there isn't a better way to say what went on here), and starvation, and the one thing we usually see in a book with this setting, HOPE!

Overall, I enjoyed the book about survival.

If I could give 10 stars I would. Heartbreaking book about a Polish girl Maria's struggles in Auschwitz where she was imprisoned for 4 years for being part of the resistance. . Maria is tortured and forced to play chess in order to keep living.

She said early on in the novel that she wanted to become a chess champion. Her favorite chess piece is the pawn and indeed she becomes one at the prison camp.

Characters came alive for me and descriptions were very vivid. I have to say I cried more than once but it was so gripping that I found it hard to put down. Her friendships that she forged were lifesaving and life affirming.

An enthralling and emotional read and I truly enjoyed Ms. Saab's debut novel. I hope that she has more to come!

Thank you to NetGalley for provide the ARC of this book that is due out in October.

A beautifully written historical fiction story about a young girl Maria, who at 14 is working for the resistance but is caught and sent to Auschwitz with her family. Her family are sent to their deaths but she is kept alive as she can play chess and can entertain the guards. Playing chess, her friends in the camp and revenge keep Maria alive.
A story full of emotion: despair, sadness, hope, courage and survival. There is no shying away from what life was like in Auschwitz but the author weighs these horrors with the bravery and resilience of the people who lived the horrors.
I could not put this book down as I had to find out what happened to Maria.
As in a game of chess there is always a final checkmate!

The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab is a fascinating WWII-era historical fiction novel that kept me on edge and enthralled from beginning to end.

This book took me through the full gambit of emotions: stress, sadness, despair, hope, and I have to say not many novels can do all that.

Reading Maria’s story, it was horrific yet her responses were intriguing, suspenseful, and fascinating. The narrative and pace were written perfectly. It had me on edge, rapidly turning the pages to find out the end.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and William Morrow for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Maria is a Polish teenager working for the resistance. She is caught, and her entire family is sent to Auschwitz. Maria survives only because a guard learns that she plays chess, and wants to use her as entertainment. Her chess play is what initially prevents her from being killed, but it is not the entirety of the book. Her relationships with a Catholic priest and a Jewish prisoner sustain her, and she is determined to get revenge on guard. This is a different take on the World War II Resistance.

Warsaw, 1941. Hitler has begun working towards the genocide of anyone he deems unfit. Citizens, willing to risk their lives for the resistance, are finding ways to hide, provide, and save those being targeted. One such citizen, a fourteen-year-old female named Maria.

Upon Maria’s capture, she quickly loses all she has ever loved, except chess. Forced to engage in numerous challenges by the camp deputy, Maria utilizes her knowledge of chess to not only play the board game for the SS Guard’s entertainment, but towards life itself.

In "The Last Checkmate", Maria is one of Gabriella Saab’s fictional characters. However, you would never know it from reading the story. Gabriella’s ability to describe not only some of the horrendous events that occurred during World War II, but the hidden gems of resistors as well, is a true testament to her research.

The one hitch found was an influx of profanity, deeming it a 4 out of 5 stars. None the less, profanity should be expected in a story regarding such a dark time in our world’s history, and should not deter you from it.

As with any content relating to war, especially the Holocaust, there is much cruelty, racism, physical and sexual abuse, executions, mind altering psychological warfare, and many other atrocities within this book. So please read with extreme caution if triggered by these events.

With that said, this book is filled with an abundance of resilience, strength, determination, love, and friendship. It is difficult to imagine that so many good things could come from a life and time of such terror. Yet, Gabriella not only paints the dreadful picture, but allows the reader to see the beauty as well.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow, #GabriellaSaab for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review.

"The Last Checkmate" by Gabriella Saab
Release Date: 10.19.2021

Maria, a 14-year-old, works for the Polish underground resistance in Warsaw. She is captured by the Gestapo while running an errand and sent to Auschwitz; her family is sent to their deaths. Fritzsch, the camp deputy, finds out that Maria plays chess. He forces her to play chess to entertain the guards at camp.

Through her friendship with a Catholic priest, Maria decides that her life is worth living and fights to survive during her four years while imprisoned.

What a story of resistance, courage, and hope! I had goosebumps while reading this book. Despite the losses Maria experiences, she survives and brings justice to the man who murdered her family.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

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