West Across the Board [Paperback]

Andrew Jalbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2007

What are the elements of friendship that last a lifetime—the mysterious connection that can outlast great distances and long periods of separation to bring friends back together? For Lázaro, a salty Cuban mariner, and Dominic, a sophisticated Chicago engineer, the answers can be found in the game of chess.

From the time of their meeting and first chess match on Key West in the 1930s, each man’s win is scratched into the back of the board. As the game tally grows, so does their friendship. Now, both men are in their twilight years, but it’s Dominic’s life, weathered by cancer, which is reaching its conclusion. Lázaro, who fled from his island home and his friend years ago, learns that Dominic is rapidly dying and sets off on the long journey from Boston to Florida to see his old friend. Prior to leaving, Lázaro retrieves the old chessboard and makes a startling discovery. The number of scratches, first marked over sixty years before and uncounted until now, has the two men evenly tied.

As he drives toward Dominic and the keys, Lázaro is forced to confront a past he has struggled to forget while anticipating the reunion with his old friend and what could be their final game.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

As a professional archaeologist and scuba instructor, Andrew J. Jalbert has worked throughout the Great Lakes, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. His writing focuses on tropical subjects, and he has been published in scuba diving, natural history, fitness, and travel magazines. Jalbert currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (March 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595421946
• ISBN-13: 978-0595421947
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,474,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reads Like A Great Movie Of All Time..., January 28, 2008

By 

Geraldine Ahearn "Author Geri Ahearn" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: West Across the Board (Paperback)

Lazaro was a young boy, who lived in Cuba with his parents. His mother
died, and his father lost his job. Lazaro's father raised Lazaro during
a time when poverty reached its peak, forcing Lazaro and his father to
move to Key West. Lazaro's father worked in Florida, where Lazaro became
a mariner. While his father worked, Lazaro was fascinated with the ocean,
learning about the mysteries of the sea and navigation. Dominic is a
talented Chicago engioneer whose work introduced him to Key west. Lazaro
and Dominic met in Sloppy Joes, a bar where the two men bonded while playing
a chess game for the first time, which connected them to a lifetime of
friendship. Over the course of many years, the two men played one-
thousand games, carved on the back of this beaufiful, laminated board.
First-time novelist, Andrew Jalbert, takes the reader on a historical
journey through the lives of Lazaro and Dominic. History comes to life
from the 1930s, as well as the characters in this heartfelt story. The
bond between Lazaro and Dominic draws them close like brothers, while
sharing their life history over each game played with a chessboard, until
Lazaro is eighty-six years old. Dominic suffers a terminal disease to
cancer, and their last game is shared days before Dominic dies. The story
is not only amazing, but is touching to the soul. An emotional story,
packed with happiness, drama, sadness and tragedy.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a story based on history,
family ties, and friendship. The description of the mysterious sea, with
palm trees, and the ocean's salty smell makes the reader feel the gentle
breeze of Mother-Nature when she's calm. The author paints a beautiful,
peaceful scenery when the friendship grows through years of events that
take place in Key West. Lazaro learns that life is unpredictable, after
facing the death of his father and a good friend to a raging hurricane.
The storm changes his life, nearly destroying his friendship with
Dominic, while Lazaro isolates himself for many years, blaming himself
for his father's death. Reading West Across The Board is like watching
"Gone With The Wind." An incredible journey through history, love,
and tradegy.

Geraldine Ahearn IOM
Author of 6 books
Author Geri Ahearn's Book Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Plain Good, July 27, 2007

By 

Jason R. Kopras - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: West Across the Board (Paperback)

I have to admit that when reading fiction, I tend toward thrillers, but something about the cover (chess pieces over a tropical background) of this book intrigued me so I picked it up. It's a short read and I found myself immediately drawn in by the characters and their lives and read the book in one sitting. My only complaint is that I found myself wanting to know more at the end...which I guess is a good thing for the author...I'm looking forward to more from him. I highly recommend this book to anyone. I picked it up because of the tropical scene and found myself transported to a very well described historical Key West which I only know in it's present day. I found it fascinating, but my personal experience with the book's setting aside, I think that anyone would enjoy the well developed characters and scenes in this novella and will close the cover wanting more stories from Mr. Jalbert.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Historical Fiction, July 20, 2007

By 

Tracy Roberts (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: West Across the Board (Paperback)

Andrew Jalbert's novel, West Across the Board, chronicles one man's journey back to the Florida Keys to see his dying friend. For both men, it is a journey of lifetime reflection and liberation. In 1934, at a saloon in the Florida Keys, Lazaro, a passionate and brilliant fisherman, meets Dominic, a civil engineer graduate. The two young men instantly bond over a game of chess. The game would become more than recreation. It would become the cement that binds the two through a lifetime of love, loss, forgiveness, and redemption.

With such themes as the beauty and danger of nature entwining itself with the strength and frailties of human nature, a story of growth and survival unfolds. Drawing on Physicists research into the Chaos Theory, Dominic, a pragmatist, tries to find order from tragic events that affected the choices both he and Lazaro made. Lazaro, a man forever changed from the loss of his father during a storm at sea, reflects on his life in a more traditional sense. Dominic tries to find a logical pattern of events, while Lazaro buries his need to resolve issues that led to his choice to leave the Florida Keys for a life in Wisconsin. It is only when the two men come together that Lazaro is able to confront his past.

As historical fiction, the author delivers a carefully crafted and detailed account of life on the Florida Keys. The story is rich in the sights, sounds, and description of life in the 1930's. Drawing on real events from the past, the fictional story is well implemented within its historical context. The historical and nautical details illustrated within the story are well researched and accurately presented.

West Across the Board delivers a well crafted tale of two men's journey back together to find redemption and peace. The history and backdrop of the Florida Keys makes readers feel they are accompanying Lazaro on his journey. I highly recommend the book to readers who enjoy well written historical fiction that delves into the human condition.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services