The Talented Mr. Ripley

Bleurgh.

Firstly, I had to buy a second hand copy because Amazon have replaced the first in the series with an image from the Netflix adaptation, and I am not an Andrew Scott fangirl (although he does have a suitably reptilian look to play Ripley). Secondly, I absolutely hate whiny bitches in fiction, especially when the narrative is from their perspective and the reader is stuck in their head, and Tom Ripley is the queen of all whiny bitches. Oh, my parents died and my aunt was mean to me, and I have nothing and nobody pays any attention to me, so clearly the world owes me a favour, uwu. Marge pigeon-holes him best by calling him 'a nothing', but she also thinks he's 'a pansy', which is an insult to gay men, quite frankly. 'He hated show more going back to himself as he would have hated putting on a shabby suit of clothes, a grease=spotted, unpressed suit of clothes that had not been very good even when it was new. His tears fell on Dickie's blue-and-white striped shirt ...' And his answer to being a creepy little shit who clings to other men like snot and dresses in their clothes when they go out?

Kill them and take on their identity! Because we're supposed to believe that Tom the snivelling toad is so like the wealthy and charismatic Dickie that nobody will notice. He arrives in Italy to spy on Dickie for his father and goes to the beach dressed in budgie-smugglers and leather shoes, doesn't leave Dickie's side for a second and then wonders why Dickie's friend Marge can't stand him. And the murders aren't even convincing, he just gets away with bashing people over the head and dumping their bodies because plot; Tom humping Dickie's dead friend down the stairs to his car was so improbable that the scene probably inspired Weekend at Bernie's.

On a bit of a tangent, the reason why I finally got around to reading this 'American classic' was because of Jay Sebring, the 1960s pioneering man's hairstylist who was murdered by the Manson family alongside Sharon Tate. When Sebring was killed, this creepy little 'apprentice' from Albuquerque turned up and claimed, conveniently, that Jay had told him just prior to his death that if anything happened, he wanted the creep to take over running his chain of hair salons and celebrity clients. And boy did he! He took over the business (badly), but also Jay's house, car, clothes and even went after the women he had dated! He got off on his mentor's death, claiming it was an exciting time, and even kidded himself that his own life was at risk before the killers were caught. And I thought, this would make an excellent story - and then I remembered the plot of TTMR. And Ripley is the creepy hairdresser from the sticks to a T; Ripley even comes up with the same 'inheritance' scheme: ' ... a will, signed by Dickie, bequeathing him his money and his income. Now that was an idea.' Sadly, money doesn't buy talent, charm or taste.

Full praise to Patricia Highsmith, because I absolutely detested her twitchy little antihero. Tom Ripley repelled and repulsed me, just like everything he encounters in the story (mainly women and losers just like himself). I'm not sure if we're supposed to cheer him on though, because there are sequels - but I will not be following his trail of slime any further. show less

I found this book at a thrift store - and picked up because of a barely remembered movie that involved a very creepy man. I'm glad I did pick up that book - this was a book about a very creepy psychopath that you can't help but root for. Which says a lot about the author's ability to write. A lesser author wouldn't have been able to keep Tom as such as an engaging character, even with his criminal activities.

As for the ending - it really kept me guessing. The part of me that absolutely was horrified at the main character and really wanted him to pay for what he did, but the other part (the part that was cheering Tom on) wanted him to get away with it all.

The writing was excellent - the author captured how young Americans in their 20's show more would probably act when given free rein in Europe. Tom Ripley is a horrible person - always thinking he deserves better, but at the same time - he is highly relateable. Seeing the world through his perspective (highly skewed) view makes him a very understandable protagonist. show less

I have finally read this brilliant, creepy portrait of a murderer. Tom Ripley is sent to Italy by Herbert Greenleaf to find his son, Dickie, and persuade him to return home to New York. Dickie's mother is ill and his parents want him home to assume his place as successor to his father in their lucrative and successful business. Tom finds Dickie and a friend (girlfriend?), Marge, in an Italian seaside village; he befriends them and half-heartedly tries to persuade Dickie that he should return home. Instead of success at that mission, however, Tom ends up deeply intertwined with Dickie's carefree lifestyle, desiring for it never to end. One thing leads to another, Dickie ends up dead, and Tom's assumption of Dickie's identity becomes the show more main story. Fascinating and psychologically complex, this masterpiece deserves its reputation.

I have seen the film with Matt Damon starring as Tom; the images permeated my reading of the novel but in no way detracted from the experience. show less

To Tom Ripley, being bored, being around dull people and having nothing to do are among the WORST things in existence. Of course, he never has to be bored again after brutally murdering his friend and assuming his identity.

Tom is recruited by Mr. Greenleaf, (the father of Tom's acquaintance, Dickie) to bring his son home from Italy. Tom is even given a hefty sum with which to support himself in Italy while working his come-home-magic on his friend. Unfortunately, Ripley has no luck persuading Dickie to do anything, other than to get stumbling drunk nearly every minute of the day. Then, shortly after an awkward scene where Tom is caught trying on Dickie's clothes, Tom decides to whack Dickie and that's where this story really begins.

I'd show more seen the movie with Matt Damon a long time ago, but I've always been fascinated with the character of Tom Ripley and wanted to read the book for myself. In the 50's, stories from the viewpoint of the murderer were rare, not like today. I think it was also rare, (feel free to correct me), to have the antagonist be likable at times. I mean, there you are, in Ripley's mind rolling along thinking about your afternoon cocktails and that evening's parties and then BAM! He's whacking someone across the head with an oar. And then whacking them again. And then across their neck. And then stabbing them with it as if it were a sharp instrument. He's wheezing and out of breath and he's still going. And there's the reader, a bit stunned, wondering how we got to this point and where did everything go wrong? This right here is what I liked best about the story.

Now we have Criminal Minds and FBI profilers that write books about serial killers, sociopaths and the like. In the 50's when this book was written, that was not the case. I think Patricia Highsmith had the thought processes of Ripley down pat. Nothing is ever his fault. He is just so clever and everyone else so dull and stupid. The depravity of his thoughts are presented so matter-of-fact-ly that they could almost pass for normal. His ability to read the emotions and thoughts of others and anticipate what they'll do and how they'll react in certain situations is astonishing. It's almost like Ripley was not a person at all, but instead just a collection of facial expressions and witty banter wrapped around an all encompassing greed. He was a mimic of a person. He had nothing within himself-all that he was came from outside.

"He loved possessions, not masses of them, but a select few that he did not part with. They gave a man self-respect. Not ostentation but quality, and the love that cherished the quality. Possessions reminded him that he existed, and made him enjoy his existence. It was as simple as that. And wasn't that worth something? He existed."

He was so good at his machinations that he, himself believed them. He would imagine scenes in his head over and over again-so they would become real. To him, real in his head equated to real in reality. He believed so totally and utterly that it was easy for him to make others believe too. To me, this is where the strength of this book lies-the creation of Tom Ripley. He is such a fascinating character that I can see myself reading this again in the future.

This story really wouldn't work in today's world, with all of our phones and cameras and facial recognition software-in that regard The Talented Mr. Ripley is dated. However, as far as the creation of a believable sociopath, Tom Ripley would be right at home in an episode of Criminal Minds-and he would give the investigators a good run for their money.

Highly recommended! show less

This book fascinated me and held my attention as few have this past year. I couldn't put it down and after I was finished my brain was still absorbed in it's details. Tom Ripley is approached by a wealthy ship builder to visit Italy to try to talk his son into coming home, who is an acquaintance of Tom's. When he finds Dickie, the son, Tom becomes obsessed with him, his lifestyle, and his wealth. Tom's from a broken home, raised by an extremely overbearing aunt who seems like Satan in a dress, and is tired of his tight finances and having to run with a crowd of friends that aren't rich and popular. Needless to say I won't be spoiling what happens once Tom finds Dickie and is unable to convince him to return, but I will say it kept me show more awake at night.

The psychological themes involved in this book are terrific. I loved that you are witnessing the story through the eyes of the "bad guy". You really get to see how he tries to justify the things he's done and the amount of thought that goes into planning and executing his crimes. You see how simple gestures or comments made by others are taken as fuel for his hatred and given as reason to commit these crimes. The peek into the mind of the criminal is a wonderful twist in this book that I loved. show less

Highsmith does a superb job of putting you inside Tom Ripley’s head as he tries to take Dickie Greenleaf's place, which makes him the quintessential anti-hero. I wanted him to succeed because of where Highsmith puts the point of view, but at the same time he is despicable and I wanted him to get his. Every encounter with another character heightens the tension. Will Tom be able to pull this off? Will he convince the tourists he meets that he’s Dickie?

This is one messed up book, and because of that it is pretty damn good.

(Full review at my blog)

Much like Highsmith's The Price of Salt, The Talented Mr. Ripley can be slow going at times. Highsmith takes her sweet time to set the stage and develop her characters. I almost found myself loosing interest after nothing much happens within the first third of the book. Thankfully that changes in a surprising way. It's because of this surprise that I'm especially glad to have gone into The Talented Mr. Ripley completely blind; I think more than most books it benefits from that lack of foreknowledge. Her lenghty character development sets the framework within which the many dramatic twists and turns can be most effective.

Ripley is, without a doubt, a psychopath. He's manipulative, jealous, selfish, deceitful, all without showing an show more ounce of remorse. He is a tried and true people pleaser who nonetheless curates a deep hatred for many of his companions, more than willing to keep his internal thoughts to himself right up to the point that he stabs them in the back. Ripley's character is a testament to Highsmith's writing because, despite all of these traits, Ripley never becomes insufferable. Much of his personality can be tied to a deeply traumatic past that many can relate to. Ripley desperately wants to escape his own identity, to becomes cooler, more popular version of himself, or someone else entirely if he can. As the walls of his own decision making come closing in around him, I couldn't help but almost root for him to escape against what appear to be insurmountable odds. Ripley's emotions often swing between extremes of complete despair and an almost lackadaisical confidence that everything will work out.

Ripley, while certainty the highlight of the novel, is not its only draw. While not quite as on the nose with its exploration of queer identity as The Price of Salt, The Talented Mr. Ripley also dances the razor-thin line that Highsmith was forced to work within to grapple with a lot of the same issues that faced the queer community in the 1950's. It's also a deft commentary on the relationship with the United States and Europe post WWII. Ripley is but one of many foreign expats that roam Italy with moral and legal impunity as they spend their newfound wealth/power in a county that finds itself struggling to reorganize and modernize. Perhaps Ripley's selfishness, obsession with a leisure filled life, and lack of moral compass reflects Highsmith's opinion on post-war American values.

It's not surprising that Highsmith felt there was much more she could explore with such a complex character as Tom Ripley. While I'm not exactly sure if I'll ever dip my toes into the many sequels, I can confidently say the first in the series was well worth my time. show less