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! ( )

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. Observing Ripley begin his life of deception is curiously riveting --like watching a train wreck in slow motion. He is such an unreliable narrator that I didn't know what or whom to believe by the end. His musings on love, sex, and romance are school-book-Freudianism (Ripley is so repressed he appears asexual.) In sum, a fascinating cavort around Europe with a sociopath as the tour guide. Out-creeps Stephen King. ( )

If I can manage it, I try to avoid knowing anything about a book before I start reading. Of course I need to have some idea of the genre, so I know that it's what I feel like reading at the time, and I like to know it's well regarded, but otherwise I think it's much nicer to let a book unfold on its own. That was what I managed to do with The Talented Mr. Ripley, and I'm glad I did. The story unfolds wonderfully if you don't know what to expect, with Highsmith's energetic prose propelling the action along at a good clip. There are also some deeper themes which the story and the characters raise and which I found very engaging. I would highly recommend this book, but don't read any more reviews, just dive in. ( )

Fabulous writing and a very disturbing tale. At points the reader watches helplessly as the protagonist does things of a highly questionable nature. His morality is fluid, creative, and twisted. By the end I was aghast. ( )

Fabulous writing and a very disturbing tale. At points the reader watches helplessly as the protagonist does things of a highly questionable nature. His morality is fluid, creative, and twisted. By the end I was aghast. ( )