Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

17 reviews

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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stateofhailey's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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_zrtx_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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poirot's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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atalea's review against another edition

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

2.5

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naomipearl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I’m a sucker for books that detail European life and also books that dig into social interactions way beyond the dialogue. This book does both, narrating omnipotently but simultaneously from Tom’s point of view. I think that is the exact point, given the central theme of identity to the plot. While the scheme itself is dark and uncomfortable to readers, reading everything from Tom’s calculating, objective, introspecting perspective kept my attention the whole way through. 
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jay_hobday's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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carls_d's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

In had a difficult time to get into the book and disliked it at first. However, around page 100 I fell in love with the book
due to a plot twist: the murder of Dickie
. It is very interesting how Patricia Highsmith has portrayed Tom Ripley. You almost symphatize with him, the sociopath, and you secretly hope that his secret won't be revealed. 

Some things were a bit unbelievable. Like when Marge had suddenly found the rings. And the envelope which said 'Don't open til June' was also a bit unbelievable. Why would someone forget that he had possessions of Dickie when these were obviously very important details for the invesitgation. Even at these moments, Tom wasn't suspected for the murder.


All in all, I loved this book and I thought that it was very interesting to read how a sociopath thinks.
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wossyboy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

So good, so perfectly written. But so tense! I had to put it down at several points because I was too anxious. At other points I was flipping through the pages as fast as I can. Highsmith brilliantly changes pace to keep you on your toes and eek out the tension as long as possible.

I also really loved the romantic descriptions of Italy and Ripley's Italian life. It gave the book a sunny edge to what is otherwise quite a dark tale of death and deception.
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neali's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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