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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Watching the white ball perform, watching it nudge balls in, ease balls in, slap balls in, and hearing the soft, dark sounds the balls made as they fell into the deep leather pockets gave him a voluptuous, sensitive pleasure."
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The movie version is excellent but I think the book is slightly better. The subplot with Sarah ends differently and I like the book result better.
Fast paced and gripping even if you know diddly-squat about pool (or gambling). An incisive look at toxic masculinity, although maybe not the author’s intention.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Clearly written by a man who knew the game and the seedy characters that so often surround it. This story is so finely written that one feels as if they know these characters by the end. It's a classic and needs no further intro - 5 star book!!
So, the world and her dog are watching and loving The Queen’s Gambit, so of course I decide to read The Hustler based mostly on seeing a tweet by William Boyle. “Fast” Eddie Felson makes his way to Chicago to take on the best pool players in the land and hopefully earn his fortune, but things do not go as smoothly as anticipated and he needs to pick himself up and raise the funds to try again. I’m sure most are familiar with the Paul Newman film, but I haven’t actually seen it, so this story was fresh to me.
Ostensibly, this is a character study with big writing chops as we follow Eddie through his arrival in Chicago to his first attempt at taking down one of the best players at Bennington’s pool hall and through the aftermath of this failure. The pool hall scenes are captivating, exciting and in their own, good way, exhausting as Tevis recounts mammoth pool sessions taking place for huge sums of money. The heart of the book rests in the scenes between Eddie and Sarah, the alcoholic student he meets not long after his initial defeat at the hands of Minnesota Fats. Sarah is a great foil for Eddie and is wonderful in as much for what she doesn’t say than what she does.
The character of Bert, however, left me cold and he happened to whittle on a fair bit. He is important to the story, but the scenes between he and Eddie sometimes pull the air from the story as they discuss the ins and outs of gambling and what makes/marks the winners and losers in life and in the pool hall.
Really loved this classic novel and look forward to reading the sequel soon, which again I’ve never watched either!!
Ostensibly, this is a character study with big writing chops as we follow Eddie through his arrival in Chicago to his first attempt at taking down one of the best players at Bennington’s pool hall and through the aftermath of this failure. The pool hall scenes are captivating, exciting and in their own, good way, exhausting as Tevis recounts mammoth pool sessions taking place for huge sums of money. The heart of the book rests in the scenes between Eddie and Sarah, the alcoholic student he meets not long after his initial defeat at the hands of Minnesota Fats. Sarah is a great foil for Eddie and is wonderful in as much for what she doesn’t say than what she does.
The character of Bert, however, left me cold and he happened to whittle on a fair bit. He is important to the story, but the scenes between he and Eddie sometimes pull the air from the story as they discuss the ins and outs of gambling and what makes/marks the winners and losers in life and in the pool hall.
Really loved this classic novel and look forward to reading the sequel soon, which again I’ve never watched either!!
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very solid 4-star read. A one-sitting read. Really, really liked it.