The Color of Money (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Walter Tevis |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Sports novel, Cue sports novel |
The Color of Money is a 1984 novel by American writer Walter Tevis, acting as the follow-up to his 1959 work, The Hustler. This book was the sixth and final publication by Tevis prior to his passing in 1984.
Synopsis
Taking place in 1983, two decades after Fast Eddie triumphed over Minnesota Fats in Chicago, Eddie now manages a pool hall located in Lexington, Kentucky. Following a recent divorce, he has lost control of the establishment, which his former wife is in the process of selling. Although he has not competed professionally for several years, a cable television company approaches him to participate in exhibition matches against Fats in the Florida Keys. Now in his late sixties and financially secure, Fats agrees reluctantly for a higher payment, with Eddie receiving a share of the proceeds. Throughout the tour, Fats consistently defeats Eddie while offering him guidance.
During this time, Eddie encounters Arabella, an Englishwoman who motivates him to return to playing nine-ball pool. Shifting from straight pool proves difficult, but with Fats’s mentorship and a list of small-town pool halls to challenge, Eddie builds his skills. He wins most contests but suffers a defeat caused by cheating. Before their final scheduled match, Fats passes away.
Feeling discouraged, Eddie accepts a university position overseeing a student recreation center that includes a pool hall; however, he finds the role unsatisfying. Supported by Arabella, he opens a folk art shop which initially shows promise but is ultimately destroyed by a local youth following a personal dispute.
In the end, Eddie competes in and wins a nine-ball championship held in Lake Tahoe, overcoming younger competitors.
Critical reaction
Publishers Weekly referred to the novel as "taut and evocative," while the Chicago Tribune observed that "Tevis has added some of the glamor, but the grit remains."
The Washington Post lauded it as a "very fine book," emphasizing how "the staccato beat of the prose and finely drawn characters grab the reader and don't let go." The review highlighted Tevis’s talent for writing about pool with "power and poetry and tension," likening the sport’s excitement to that found in horse racing or football, making it appealing even to those unfamiliar with billiards.
Rick Bailey of the Lexington Herald-Leader stated: "Once more, as he did years ago, Tevis lays it on the line. Once more, he delivers."
Film adaptation
The 1986 drama film The Color of Money, directed by Martin Scorsese with a screenplay by Richard Price, was adapted from this novel. The movie notably departs from the book’s storyline and excludes the character Minnesota Fats. Although Tevis himself wrote a screenplay faithful to his novel, filmmakers opted to craft an entirely new narrative under the same title. Except for Felson, none of the novel’s characters appear in the film, nor do characters from the film appear in the book.
Starring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, with support from Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, and John Turturro, the film features an original musical score composed by Robbie Robertson.
External links
- The Color of Money (archived version)
- Cue Jumping