Reviews

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

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timothyjmcl's review against another edition

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4.0

Gives a new meaning to “be gay, do crimes”.

lukethrasher's review against another edition

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4.5

Have you ever had that experience when you’re reading this and at the part when Mr. Greenleaf asks Tom what he studied in college, Tom lies and says, “Accounting and English composition” because it was so boring an answer that it wouldn’t prompt more of a response, and you think about how those were basically the same two things you studied in college, and you realize you’ve just been called boring by Patricia Highsmith?

This book is really really good, Tom is such a good character and he’s also an insane person 😊

kat1776's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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

3.75

cjones16's review against another edition

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4.0

This was utterly gripping and unputdownable! Highsmith evokes a sun-drenched Naples and a bustling Rome, which places the reader right alongside Tom Ripley on his bid for freedom. A perfect example of what a thriller should be.

booksnacks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.75

antimony's review against another edition

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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

5.0

i looved this it was SO CRAZY. i impulsively got it at the thrift store bc i remembered listening to a video essay abt how saltburn plagarised the film adaptation of mr ripley and WHAT a good decisison that was. don't let my 4-days reading time fool you — i absolutely devoured this and wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as i did. i thought it would be 4 stars probably but was not anticipating 2 nights ago to have a DREAM about finishing it where i then complained abt the dream ending and made a goodreads tag called "unhinged" for it. it was SOO stressful watching tom make some of the decisions he made (the WILL??? HELLOOO???) and if i don't think about it i genuinely cannot believe he got away with all that but honestly if i take a minute i kinda get it.

because with no reason to suspect it why would anyone in the world think he was insane enough to kill dickie and pretend to be him for 4 months?? his thought process is sooo crazy.

anyway i was gaping for like half of this in part because of tom's insane thought process and decisions and in part because of the fact that being just a random guy in venice he could still get a house with SERVANTS for the modern day equivalent of $586/month HELLO? housing market take notes.

i finished this last night before bed so my phone was out of reach but there was a LOT i wanted to update goodreads about so i wrote those down and i'll add them here:
- pg 257: "If he'd only gotten his sight-seeing done all by himself, Tom thought, if he only hadn't been in such a hurry and so greedy, if he only hadn't misjudged the relationship between Dickie and Marge so stupidly, or had simply waited for them to separate of their own volition, then none of this would have happened, and he could have lived with Dickie for the rest of his like, travelled and lived and enjoyed living for the rest of his life! If he only hadn't put on Dickie's clothes that day—" this was kind of gay of him and i say that with love
- pg 258: what' crazy to me is that tom keeps doing this stuff like you'd think that by now he'd realize it isn't worth the risk. but no he

sends out the fake will

anyway. insane behavior.
- pg 268: THIS IS TOO CRAZYY. no way could this all ever work out nowadays.

they aren't checking the fingerprints against ANY confirmed ones?? they're just like ya the suitcases and his apartment are the same so it was him... but maybe they think the apartment ones are confirmed. because they have no anyone has any reason to believe someone was pretending to be dickie for MONTHS

- pg 270: crazy that everyone believes tom that he and dickie were as close as he says like i KNOWWW dickie is rolling in his shallow water grave right now
- pg 271: why was this not so different from the ending i dreamt about where he sailed away with no repurcussions. CRAZY i still can't believe

he got away with it all

my book also had the first chapter of book 2 at the end and i did write progress updates for those but i won't write them all out...i just have to say i cannot believe that this man married a woman he had a certain comfirmed bachelor je ne sais quoi

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