Reviews

The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

sjgrodsky's review against another edition

5.0

The best Ripley so far. All three of the previous Ripleys started well but dragged towards the middle. But this one moves at warp speed! And it presents Ripley as a (semi) likeable character — a big brother, if not a father.

In fact, after a very good start, I found that the Berlin pages rather dragged. I get that Highsmith was implying, though with plausible deniability, that Ripley is gay. She’s danced around that possibility before. But I am reading this work in 2023. “He’s gay” elicits only a slightly bored response: “So what?”

The important question I struggled with after reading the last page was this: How the heck does Ripley’s heart work? If he liked Frank enough to risk his own life (by rescuing Frank from kidnappers), how can he ignore Frank’s suicidal tendencies? You have the feeling that the neglect is knowing and intentional. But why?

Of course, we are talking about Tom, the well mannered, cultured sociopath. So maybe this is a dumb question.

quixotic's review against another edition

3.0

such an interesting installment in the series. highsmith gives us minimal murder and a much more sympathetic side to tom. lovvvvvvvve tom's reflections on his relationship with dickie FINALLY three books later, but I’ll take it. this book felt like the first time we Really started to address tom's sexuality and his dynamic with heloise

mikewa14's review against another edition

3.0

not the best Ripley book - full review here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-boy-who-followed-ripley-patricia.html

greymatter_24's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

purplemuskogee's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I found this Ripley story less compelling - we follow a young American runaway who has moved near Ripley and is in need of help, and I liked the idea of Ripley being a sort of mentor, but it felt slow, the plot was not as interesting as it was in previous books, and it could have been shorter and more dynamic.

molly9900's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-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

4.0

readingoverbreathing's review against another edition

3.0

"It had been strange to try to steer a young life like that, as he had tried — and to have failed."

Over the past couple of years, the Ripley books have become sort of a special treat for me. I'll allow myself to indulge in a new one every time Remus and I go on a little continental getaway, as you can't read one of these books and not want to be on a train or a plane somewhere in Europe.

But sadly, I was pretty disappointed by this one. Though it still had the briskness of Highsmith's style and her keen attention to detail, which I love this series for, there were a number of elements from previous Ripley books that either fell completely flat or were missing entirely.

The most glaring fault here was definitely the plot. Previous Ripley books keep you on the edge of your seat, leaning into the intensity as you desperately fly through to find out whether Tom will get away with it or not. But there were no real stakes here, hardly any suspense, and only a little intrigue in the brief few chapters where

Spoiler

Frank is kidnapped.

And even that part was hardly very interesting.

There is quite a bit of mystery at the beginning, when Frank is first introduced and you're not totally sure why he's stalking Tom. There was so much potential in that, so many ways that could have gone, but I think Highsmith really wasted all the actually interesting options.

Tom himself is also so different in this book; sentimental and weirdly attached to Frank in a way that he's never come close with his wife. I will admit that there is a very obvious homosexual subtext here. and that perhaps all of this could just be attributed to Tom getting older, but still, this was just not the Tom I know.

The ending here came as no surprise, which was a huge disappointment for me. I think it was pretty obvious where this was heading, but I kept hoping that Highsmith would turn the tables with some kind of crazy, brilliant plot twist.

But that never did happen, so I am awarding this a solid three stars. Highsmith is still a brilliant writer, again, so masterful with the details, but this was just not what I was hoping it would be.

Now that I'm down to only [b:Ripley Under Water|3845355|Ripley Under Water (Ripley, #5)|Patricia Highsmith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327977011l/3845355._SY75_.jpg|385812], I am desperately hoping it will blow me away, as I'd hate for a series I've enjoyed so much to be ruined by the lacklustre of its final two books.

madisonbell_'s review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.0

mickeymole's review against another edition

2.0

What a boring book! Highsmith uses half of the words describing every step the characters take to every place they go. A travel book would have been more entertaining. I slogged through the mire of this one because I wanted to see if it would get better, and have a decent ending. It didn't in either case. I don't think I'll read the last Ripley novel. This one was just too awful.

vonfletchington's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0