Fast Eddie Felson Duo - Walter Tevis Audiobook

Written by Walter Tevis
Read by Jo Barrett, Michael Butler Murray
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

The Hustler (1959)
Joe Barrett - Narrator

Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Release date: March 22, 2016
Duration: 06:32:09

To Fast Eddie Felsen, a young pool hustler, there was only one thing that mattered: to make the big time and the big money in the world of pool by beating the best in the country.

Hustling suckers in small towns for good stake money was practice for his goal, and when he felt ready he went to Bennington’s pool hall in Chicago to find Minnesota Fats. Eddie and Fats pit nerve against skill in a fantastic match over an unbroken thirty-six hours. Eddie’s final painful loss teaches him that nerve alone isn’t enough-guts, stamina, and character makes the difference between winners and losers. It takes an interlude with Sarah, an alcoholic and a born loser, to bring the lesson home, and the shrewd advice and backing of Bert, a professional gambler, to put it into practice. Bert knows talent without character is nothing and stakes Eddie to a climactic all-or-nothing rematch. When it is over, Eddie knows a great deal more about big-time pool, about money, and about himself. In beating Fats he became the best in the country.

The Hustler was filmed in 1986 starring Paul Newman as Fast Eddie and TV comedian Jackie Gleason (who was an excellent pool-player) as Minnesota Fats.

The Color of Money (1984)
Michael Butler Murray - narrator

Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Release date: June 25, 2019
Duration: 08:17:39

Twenty years after he conquered the underground pool circuit in The Hustler, “Fast” Eddie Felson is playing exhibition matches with former rival Minnesota Fats in shopping malls. With one failed marriage and years of running a pool hall behind him, Eddie is now ready to regain the skills needed to compete in a world of pool that has changed dramatically since he left.

The real challenge comes when Eddie realizes that in order to compete with a new wave of young players, he must hone his skills in the unfamiliar game of nine-ball as opposed to the straight pool that had once won him fame. With a new generation of competitors, a higher-profile series of matches, and a waning confidence in his own abilities, “Fast” Eddie faces new challenges with unpredictable outcomes.

The Color of Money is the source of the 1986 film starring Paul Newman in the role he had originated in The Hustler.