Reviews - The Hustler | The StoryGraph

117 reviews for:

The Hustler

Walter Tevis

3.91 AVERAGE

bigtomlaff's review against another edition

3.25

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A bit of a shame really, I picked this up after watching the film expecting the rule of the book is always better to be the case, unfortunately it wasn't. Eddie I find is strangely distant here, he's cold, he doesn't have as much depth as it seems in the film, and what's worse is he doesn't feel like 'fast' Eddie, perhaps 'flat' Eddie would be more suitable. Not one I'd recommend.

j_wx's review

4.5

adventurous reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

anjreading's review against another edition

4.0

I may be the only person I know who hasn't seen the movie of this book, so I won't go into the details of the actual story. Eddie Felson is a brilliant young pool hustler who has trouble getting out of his own way. After a humbling loss to Minnesota Fats, he eventually sorts his life out (sort of). Honestly, this had a very similar vibe to The Queen's Gambit, though I that was a better book overall. But I enjoyed this more than I expected to, thanks to a tight narrative, interesting characters, and well-written dialogue.

daimencianci's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

iainkelly_writing's review against another edition

5.0

Loved the atmosphere of the smoke filled Chicago pool rooms and the characters and world of the hustlers. It's hard not to picture Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason in the main roles, but that's not a bad thing, must be one of the best book to film adaptations. My first Tevis book, looking forward to more.

bkbailey8521's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

njw13's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

testpattern's review against another edition

5.0

An absolutely perfect novel. Tevis is a writer who makes me go "Holy shit, did you fucking see what he just did there? That was bad-to-the-ass!" Seriously, a textbook about how to write a perfect novel. I read it in three hours.