Reviews

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Only show reviews with written explanations

bl4m3s's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.75

An engaging novel about queer obsession. Easy to read and enjoyable but not particularly groundbreaking. The character of Tom Ripley was interesting, especially from an unreliable narrator perspective, but I didn't think he was particularly clever or 'talented'. In parts I thought he was a bit lame honestly. I do really enjoy Highsmith's writing style though

emmaryan's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

3.75

kirsten0929's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

[1955] I liked this book, I think it was clever, and I think that Tom Ripley is a really interesting character. I was not, however, crazy about the ending. I felt that much of what should have been suspenseful was lost because (*spoiler alert*) the author had Tom speculating about every possible way he could be caught, which was a sign to me that those things were now definitely *not* going to happen (plus, I knew that there were Tom Ripley sequels, which I could have lived with and was not the book's fault). I liked that it didn't end with his getting caught, less tidy that way, but to me it would have been more satisfying if at least one other person had figured out the truth. (*end spoiler alert*)

nancycala's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

4.25

dkmorello's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

An excellent one-two punch — reading the book at the same time I watch the 2024 Netflix series Ripley. An outsider ingratiates himself into a small group in Italy and, in response to a series of actions and challenges, ends up disposing of two people and assuming the identity of one. Where the book is internal monologue of the main character in all his guises, the movie dispenses with narration and instead uses actor Andrew Scott’s expressions, silence and actions to convey atmosphere, emotion, distaste, anger and nervousness. I liked the novel as much as I did because I watched the series concurrently.

gmackie04's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This book is enjoyable as a tense yet easy to read story which explores inner conflict to a maniacal degree. My issues with it largely lay in the pacing which was at times painfully slow and the slightly unsatisfying ending. I was also expecting it to be much more tense given what an amazing job the film does at that (it was still tense just maybe not as much)