Reviews - The Talented Mr. Ripley

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3.89k reviews for:

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Patricia Highsmith

3.88 AVERAGE

chloe_tabs's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really enjoyed this book, especially the start. It was incredibly fast paced, easy to follow (besides the few italian sentences here-and-there), and Tom was somehow extremely likeable. I found myself scarily relating to some of Toms thoughts as well as his thinking process, though of course I could distance myself from his murderous rampage. His obsession with social class, wealth, and Dickie led him to the extreme. The feelings Ripley harbored for Dickie were fascinating to unravel: at times overwhelming in their intensity, at others suddenly dismissive, especially after Dickie’s death. The theme of homophobia is scattered around, and as Tom says after his crime, ‘Miles you’re a victim of your own dirty mind’. I didn’t expect sexuality to be a theme in this book, but I was so pleasantly surprised. It added another layer to Tom that aided in our empathy towards him- having to hide from peoples judgement. I also found that his disgust for women’s underwear could be interrupted in many ways, but I understood it as his inability to fully accept his sexuality- a rejection of objects that “should” arouse him but don’t. Overall, the ending was a bit anticlimactic and I really wanted more, however I’ve come to learn it was supposed to be this way. To show the reader that Mr Ripley is just an ordinary man who got away with murder. He may internally still be consumed with paranoia, worrying for every policeman he may come across, but externally he is composed and unassuming- and that is precisely where his talent lies. Talented Mr Ripley. I did really like this piece, and would definitely pick up another Ripley book!