Reread after many years to check the differences between the book and the 2024 TV series—both excellent. Wondering what the reception of this utterly amoral book was in 1955; today we have cheerful psychopath heroes threaded through our culture so this isn't such a novelty. I'm taking half a star off for the terrible cover, which so misrepresents the tone of the book (mannered, precise, elegant, very concerned with beautiful things). ( )

Clever plotting for the amoral and misanthropic Tom Ripley to manoeuvre amidst the high class, or at least rich, expat society of well-to-do Americans in Italy. Finding themselves, living well and dabbling in culture, they maintain an enviable lifestyle that Highsmith depicts in memorable detail. Tom does envy them - he’s brimful with resentments - but he finds a way in, thanks to his “talents”, and likewise to the author’s skill in intricate, but not quite veering into the ludicrous, plotting. The 1999 film (by Anthony Minghella) is very good, in some ways better than the book, but this is still well worth a read. ( )

The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented Mr. Ripley*
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook edition (January 24, 2012) narrated by Kevin Kenerly, of the original Coward McCann hardcover (November 30, 1955).

This was the end of Dickie Greenleaf, he knew. He hated becoming Thomas Ripley again, hated being nobody, hated putting on his old set of habits again, and feeling that people looked down on him and were bored with him unless he put on an act for them like a clown, feeling incompetent and incapable of doing anything with himself except entertaining people for minutes at a time. He hated going back to himself...

This was a re-read in anticipation of the 2024 TV mini-series adaptation coming to Netflix in April 2024. I've read this book several times in my pre-reviewing days and of course a lot of the suspense is lost on a re-read, especially that of the first time, when you don't know if Tom Ripley will actually be able to pull off the impersonation and assumption of the life of Dickie Greenleaf. The young grifter has only done small time mail fraud and petty theft in the past when he suddenly lands an opportunity to try to convince a rich man's son to return home to America to take over the family business. Landing in Italy, he begins to covet his target's lifestyle and finally acts on his impulses.

See cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_Cover.jpg
The front cover of the original Coward McCann hardcover (1955). Image sourced from Wikipedia.

Despite her breakthrough success with Strangers on a Train (1950) and her queer-positive The Price of Salt, or Carol (1952), Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley has always been my favourite of her books. The insidious way she turns your initial adverse reactions to the character into a gradual increasing wish for the sociopath's success in his deceptions is masterful. It of course helps that his victims are not all that sympathetic to begin with.

Footnote
* Some of the promos for the 1999 film version flashed / scrolled through this extended title towards the end of the trailer, an example of which you can see here.

Soundtrack
It is not something out of the book, but the infectious performance of "Tu Vuò Fa' L'Americano" (You're Acting All American) from the 1999 film adaptation is a delight. See an edited version of the 1999 film segment here and see an original 1959 performance of the song here. Both videos include the Italian lyrics and an English translation in the description texts.

Trivia and Links
The latest adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley will be the Ripley TV series on Netflix starring Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley. The early teaser trailer does not give any details about the plot, so it is hard to say how faithful it will be to the original. Pro-tip: Note the John Malkovich cameo at 0:24 "I like the name". Malkovich himself played Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game (2002) which adapted Ripley's Game (Ripley #3 - 1974).

See poster at https://cdn01.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ripley-trailer/ripley-tea...
Promotional poster for the 2024 TV mini-series adaptation.

The previous adaptations are too numerous to list here, but you can see them listed at Wikipedia. ( )

Really enjoyed this. A nice, dark charcter portrait of a cunning, resourceful, but ultimately morally bereft and sociopathic protagonist. In that regard it brings to mind the work of Jim Thompson. I enjoyed the European setting, and the fact that it really is a period piece now, like Greene is now for example, but somehow feels much more contemporary. One reason for that is that despite being set in Europe and written in 1955, the war isn't mentioned. Which kinda seems strange, but serves to highlight the detachment and self-involvement of the 20-somethings on view. Will read more by Highsmith. ( )

I saw this movie maybe 15 years ago, I think in the theater, and had a co-worker give me an extended (and unwanted) literary breakdown of it, and Patricia Highsmith, a couple of years after that. I think that kept me from reading this until now (the second part, not the movie.) :)

Overall, I like this book a lot. First off, it is a fast read, very compact; this helps to keep the plot moving. I will say that in a few parts it did seem to repeat, even if not "dragging on." The Tom Ripley character is a true sociopath: not "psycho," just truly selfish, cut off from other people, inhuman even. Desperate. You can *almost* feel bad for him in little slices because he is a kind of monster, but also so pitiful.

I will say the Marge character annoyed me. In fact, even Mr. Greenleaf is annoying. This in part because everyone around Ripley is so... weak, so dim-witted. But then again, perhaps that is the point: we're inhabiting the world through Ripley's eyes. In any case, for me this was a bit of an issue because it stretched credulity: Ripley get's away with things again and again; people are blind to him again and again.

Which isn't entirely true, I suppose... he does have to eliminate a person (avoiding spoilers). But that goes off without a hitch.

Anyway, I started by saying I liked this a lot. These are my complaints, but I *still* liked this very much, and recommend it! ( )