Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - The Talented Mr. Ripley

I really struggled with the book.
Tom Ripley is unbelievable unlovable as a Character. And I would go so far as to say that I almost don't know who he is. He is always putting on a mask to get what he wants.

The story switches in pace a lot. From long very slow (boring) passages ,to very fast and intense ones.

It can be very interesting but only in parts

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v_____'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Tom looked behind him and saw the man coming out of the Green Cage...

- The Talented Mr. Ripley, p. 1

This is my first encounter with this cult classic. I have not seen the film or read another book of the series. The reason I got interested in it was that Emerald Fenning, the director of Saltburn said that this book was an inspiration (amongst others) to her when writing the screenplay. Another reason was, that I found it in an open bookshelf. 🙃

I realize this edition is not the original. I did enjoy it a lot though, and I totally understand why this is such a beloved cult classic. It is thrilling and lighthearted at the same time. Some parts are deeply ironic and there is certainly some class criticism in it (if intended or not, I don't know).

I did find some parts to be toooo constructed, especially I don't think Tom is "good" at being a criminal.
Two examples:

- Why doesn't "Dickie" (aka Tom) just break up with Marge to get rid of her? His life would be so much easier!
- Why didn't Tom just leave the country right after murdering Dickie? Would have saved him so much trouble!

In my opinion Tom is not that talented at all 🤷‍♀️

I did however enjoy the critique of consumerism, which I find very spot on. This way of seeing things as status symbols has become worse in our society since the first release of this novel. As long as you have a big car, house, expensive clothes, you ARE somebody. Regardless of how you obtained them, regardless of if you are in debt or hate your job, but stay in it, since it pays well and substains your lifestyle.

... He loved objects, not mountains of them, but a certain few that he wanted to keep. They gave a man respect for himself. The things he possessed reminded him that he existed, and made him enjoy his life. It was as simple as that. He existed. Dickie's money gave him the opportunity to see Greece, to collect whatever he wanted, to join art societies if he cared to, and to give money to their work...

- The Talented Mr. Ripley, p. 67 ~ p. 68

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niliii's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3.0 for tense/atmospheric writing style, 2.5 for actual enjoyment of the book, hated all the characters and the storyline

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elisabeth_with_an_ess's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ashlynregan's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Meh. Where was the DRAMA? Where was the INTRIGUE? For a story about a murderous sociopath I was quite bored.

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_fallinglight_'s review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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woodenpersonality's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kimveach's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I've had this on my TBR list since the movie came out in 1999, and now I've finally read it. I doubt that I would have liked this book twenty-some years ago. It's a character study of Tom Ripley rather than a plot-heavy mystery, which I prefer. Having seen the movie, I was willing to give the book the time needed to appreciate the inner workings of Tom's mind.

I'm also looking forward to reading more Ripley books and some of her others.

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