- The Talented Mr. Ripley

Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a brilliant deep dive into the mind of a sociopath. The anti-hero, Tom Ripley is perfectly crafted as a conman whom the reader can both despise, yet root for. I only wish I had read this book before the schmaltzier Hollywood version starring Matt Damon appeared on the silver screen. Anne's version is more naturalistic, and deliciously written story, and if I hadn't already seen the movie, this book would have been a real nailbiter. I was so enthralled with this book that I've already begun reading "Ripley Underground". This book is a must-read!

I watched and enjoyed the movie years ago. The book was just as good, though some moments felt drawn out.

One of the reasons I love reading old crime novels is because something like this could never happen in 2010. How beautiful is it to think that you could go from a hum-drum existence to a fantastic life with only good luck and a clever idea? In this book Tom takes over the identiy of Dickie Greenleaf. We've all known a Dickie Greenleaf--someone who just takes everything he has for granted, never having to lift a finger. Most of us have also felt like Tom--someone who feels that they deserve better, tired of working hard and jealous of the Dickie Greenleafs of the world who live their life of leisure and beauty. The scenery of the grimy New York streets and the harsh realites of Tom's family of origin contrasts sharply with the politeness and ease of the Greenleafs and the beauty and freedom of Europe. And Dickie. That's why this novel works-- there are alot more Toms then Dickies. Highsmith shows us through Tom's ancedotes and thoughts how pitful he is inside and how he hungers for love and acceptance. There is no question that Tom is a textbook sociopath, but because you UNDERSTAND why he does the things he does, you really want him to get away with it. We never really get inside Dickie's head. We just see him through the eyes of Tom so we don't care too much for him. We see him as Tom sees him--a means to an end. Every time Tom almost gets caught in his treachery Highsmith creates this terrible anxiety in the book and you can really feel the anxiety Tom feels and you don't want him to get caught. You want him to get away with the horrible things he's done. For some reason, Highsmith's character is able to manipulate us into believeing that what's he's done is okay. The ends jusify the means. You feel like Tom deserves and can appreciate what Dickie has in a way Dickie doesn't. It's a strange feeling to side with the bad guy but you do. I have not seen the movie and I'm really glad I read this book first. Even though there are five books in the series, and you go into this book KNOWING he's going to get away with it she still has you holding your breath until the last few pages of the book. Read this book! This book is good and I would recommened it to anyone. Easy and fast read because it's intresting.

Una novela psicológica más inquietante que espectacular. A mitad del libro, la tensión y la paranoia del protagonista parecen anunciar un desenlace trágico, pero Highsmith elige un cierre frío y contenido. No hay catarsis ni castigo claro: Ripley no se derrumba ni se redime, simplemente se adapta. Esa normalización del daño es lo más perturbador del libro. Una lectura elegante, incómoda y muy coherente con la mente de su protagonista.

In March 2014, a great group discussed "The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith at The LGBT Center in NYC. (Highsmith, a lesbian, also wrote "Strangers on a Train," which Alfred Hitchcock turned into a masterful movie that kept the gay subtext. There are interesting parallels between "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Strangers on a Train.") Everyone liked this book a lot and some loved it, but most had a few quibbling reservations. Mostly, we were surprised at the empathy Highsmith could get us to feel toward a murderer. We all want to cheer for the underdog, but this seemed like an extreme accomplishment for the author. Someone raised the question (especially after reading "The Charioteer" by Mary Renault a few months ago), why is it that women in the '50's could write about gay men so openly and so well? Is there any parallel to gay or straight men at any time writing so clearly about lesbians? "The Talented Mr. Ripley" must be a period piece: Modern police practice (think of "CSI" or any "Law and Order" franchise or even "Columbo") would never allow Tom Ripley to get away with his paper-thin deceptions. So the fascination with the story comes from several other points. Tom is clearly queer and Highsmith has interesting ways to signal his queerness and his life on the "down low" in 1955. Again, Highsmith writes openly and yet subtly about Tom's queerness, but those of use who have learned to read between the lines clearly recognize Tom as gay gay gay. We raised the question but never fully decided whether or not his first victim, Dickie (Dickie?!?) Greenleaf, was queer or Tom was jealous of Dickie, or he was a love-interest that needed to be moved out of the way for Tom to assume his rightful role. The most interesting aspect of the novel is the adopting of a new identity. The psychology of Tom Ripley is fascinating. He's a narcissist but the reasons for it (such as being raised by a dragon-lady aunt) as well as his early con games and acting lessons that lead to his full-fledged sociopathology is something to follow carefully. Slowly he tests becoming another person before he quickly fills the role and then jumps back out of it, as required. There's also something very 1950's (and unhealthily) queer about Tom's attitudes toward women. Without the nearly perfect psychologizing, the book could merely be viewed as a tract on how sometimes evil does triumph over good. There were a few reservations: At times the book can seem a bit plodding with unnecessary characters and red herring occurrences. Whether this is because authors of the period felt the need to give a full-length book, or the convention of psychological and suspenseful mysteries require them seemed unclear. Ultimately, the book is about identity: how we form it in ourselves, and how a duplicitous character can bend it to become someone else. And, like all thrillers, how can luck play a major part in covering and uncovering a murderer.

Patricia Highsmith is one of my favorite authors of all, together with Graham Greene and Jeffrey Archer. But the Ripley-novels at the beginning were - unexpectedly - not quite my real favorites of her. I found them boring in some way because Tom Ripley allways seems to get away with everything he does, with no consequences for him what so ever. But in this time I haven't read the first one - the original - yet. And, having done so, I kind of started to see what makes it so special. The novel is groundbreaking in so much more ways than just telling a crime-story from the view of the murderer! It analyses the personality of a broken soul, its uncontrolable requires and their bad outcome. Besides I was surprised to get so many hints of homosexuality, which I never would have expected in a novel so highly appreciated by modern literature! All that makes it really worth reading in my eyes, to everyone. But no novel would be complete without good characters. And Tom Ripley is, from every point of view, an interesting and ambivalent person whose requires are ... kind of understandible but also scary in their results. And it definitely isn't just a killer-diary or something - the building of the suspence is its true worth! It allways left me in an uneasy feeling and the wish, never to be in a situation like his. So it may sound strange, but: the moments, in which nothing happens, are definitely the best in the whole novel! The tension is remarkable and lasts over so many pages. The murders are just the electrical discharge and the trouble they make build the actual tension of the novel. I highly recommend this book, like I do all Patricia-Highsmith-novels! It's a Classic in a macabre way and Tom Ripley an icon of modern thrillers.

the book surely is going to be a good read-- book quality for its price at 91 aed-- is not justifiable! The front cover is great-- when you open the book open the first page-- you have the last page of the novel LOL- if someone sees me read this book in public, it will look like I am reading the book upside down! this should be refunded really! should be sold cheaper than what I paid - due to its quality!

Um livro intrigante. Com uma história surpreendente. Rápido e bem divertido!

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a good book to crawl into. It moves slowly in circles surrounding you as you move thru it and then all at once find yourself not just enjoying the ride, but discreetly envious of the title character. Well, I was that! There is a certain ugly and cruel humor in Tom Ripley that does test one's senses of supposedly the easily defined as, Right and Wrong. Who is to judge really. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the feeling of corruption when viewing it in others and their petty lives and the attendant sense that so many people just never do what is in their heart. It has a good pace to it. The author has a good ear for conversation that doesn't sound staged or for merely effect to suit a particular scene. Under no circumstances allow the film version with Matt Damon as Tom cloud your view of him that appears in the book. Alain Delon and his portrayal is closer in the uneasy spirit of the Tom of the book, though that film does still fall short of allowing the cruelty under the eyelids of Tom Ripley to appear. Mr. Delon's looks also get in the way of the film narrative. Overall, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a memorable book that has intrigued me to want to read further the other Ripley books in the series.

Definitely a classic worth reading. By the way both film adaptations were superb in their own way. You understand why Patricia Highsmith was not terribly successful in her own day, and why her talent has come to be recognized over time.