Helpful Score: 4
The quiet malignity of Ripley's personality really gave me the creeps-a good story
Somewhere between page 10 and page 185, my reading of this book changed from mild and somewhat disinterested to riveted.
I have not seen the movie that is based on this book so I didn't have any idea what I was getting into. Honestly, I didn't care for Tom at first. It wasn't that I didn't like him but more that there wasn't enough to his personality to like or dislike. Not to say that it was a fault of the writer.
Oh no, this book is spectacular.
To keep it spoiler free. Crime novel/psychological thriller. A bit dated but fantastic all the same.
I have not seen the movie that is based on this book so I didn't have any idea what I was getting into. Honestly, I didn't care for Tom at first. It wasn't that I didn't like him but more that there wasn't enough to his personality to like or dislike. Not to say that it was a fault of the writer.
Oh no, this book is spectacular.
To keep it spoiler free. Crime novel/psychological thriller. A bit dated but fantastic all the same.
I thought this book was really good. It was a pretty quick read and flowed very nicely. This book really kept my attention and I always wanted to know if Tom Ripley was ever going to get caught.
I went in search of this book because of the movie. I must say that I found the book to be just "okay." Ms. Highsmith's Ripley was not an interesting character apart from being a pure sociopath. In my never to be humble opinion the movie took the somewhat dull elements and plot of a somewhat boring book and fleshed them out to add much more intrigue and tension. It was the book Ms. Highsmith would have written if she were a better writer. I don't recommend the book to fans of the movie. Sorry.
Highsmith's most famous book, but reads as if she were just finding her form, by the end though you'll probably want to read more about Mr. Ripley.
So creepy and good.
Chilling story. Much better than the movie!
Jennifer C. (Jenisthecuteone) reviewed The Talented Mr. Ripley (Ripley, Bk 1) on + 26 more book reviews
Youve seen the movie, now read the book! vERY GOOD!
Seems as tho the book is always better than the movie.......no exception here !
As wonderfully written and as chilling as its reputation. Gore Vidal describes Patricia Highsmith as "One of our greatest modernist writers."
Mr. Ripley is quite the thinker--planning a crime, thinking through the crime, thinking after the crime, thinking what the police will think. He is oh, so, cunning.
Due to this book, I would definitely read the other Ripley books and see the movie.
Due to this book, I would definitely read the other Ripley books and see the movie.
Tom Ripley is sent to Italy with the commission to coax Dickie Greenleaf back to his wealthy father.But Ripley finds himself very fond of this young american. He wants to be like him, exactly like him, and he stops at nothing to accomplis his goal.
I thought this book was a bit slow and had a hard time finishing it.
This is a really good book. a well written thriller that is disturbing and fun.
I really enjoyed this book. Can't wait to read the later Ripley novels!
"Highsmith has created a world of her own - a world claustrophobic and irrational which we enter with a sense of personal danger." -- GRAHAM GREENE
Amazon.com
One of the great crime novels of the 20th century, Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a blend of the narrative subtlety of Henry James and the self-reflexive irony of Vladimir Nabokov. Like the best modernist fiction, Ripley works on two levels. First, it is the story of a young man, Tom Ripley, whose nihilistic tendencies lead him on a deadly passage across Europe.
On another level, the novel is a commentary on fictionmaking and techniques of narrative persuasion. Like Humbert Humbert, Tom Ripley seduces readers into empathizing with him even as his actions defy all moral standards.
One of the great crime novels of the 20th century, Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a blend of the narrative subtlety of Henry James and the self-reflexive irony of Vladimir Nabokov. Like the best modernist fiction, Ripley works on two levels. First, it is the story of a young man, Tom Ripley, whose nihilistic tendencies lead him on a deadly passage across Europe.
On another level, the novel is a commentary on fictionmaking and techniques of narrative persuasion. Like Humbert Humbert, Tom Ripley seduces readers into empathizing with him even as his actions defy all moral standards.
