The Talented Mr. Ripley

By: Patricia Highsmith

Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Since his debut in 1955, Tom Ripley has evolved into the ultimate bad boy sociopath, influencing countless novelists and filmmakers.

In this first novel, we are introduced to suave, handsome Tom Ripley: a young striver, newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan in the 1950s. A product of a broken home, branded a "sissy" by his dismissive Aunt Dottie, Ripley becomes enamored of the moneyed world of his new friend, Dickie Greenleaf. This fondness turns obsessive when Ripley is sent to Italy to bring back his libertine pal, but he grows enraged by Dickie's ambivalent feelings for Marge, a charming American dilettante.

A dark reworking of Henry James's The Ambassadors, The Talented Mr. Ripley—immortalized in the 1998 film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gywneth Paltrow—is an unforgettable introduction to this debonair confidence man, whose talent for self-invention and calculated murder is chronicled in four subsequent novels.

©1955 Patricia Highsmith. Copyright renewed 1983 by Patricia Highsmith. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the great crime novels of the 20th century, Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a blend of the narrative subtlety of Henry James and the self-reflexive irony of Vladimir Nabokov. Like the best modernist fiction, Ripley works on two levels. First, it is the story of a young man, Tom Ripley, whose nihilistic tendencies lead him on a deadly passage across Europe. On another level, the novel is a commentary on fictionmaking and techniques of narrative persuasion. Like Humbert Humbert, Tom Ripley seduces readers into empathizing with him even as his actions defy all moral standards." (Amazon.com review)

"[Highsmith] has created a world of her own - a world claustrophobic and irrational which we enter each time with a sense of personal danger." (Graham Greene)

"One of our greatest modernist writers." (Gore Vidal)

Social climbing sociopath

TR is such a unique character. You’re half rooting for him to get away with it, even though he’s technically deranged haha

Perfect voice for the tale. Ice cold but plenty of self pity!

Outstanding work from the reader he really captured the chilling emptiness inside Ripley. My only complaint is with the story which obviously is going to change. Emotionally perfect but I don’t buy how Ripley wasn’t caught. Wouldn’t police have the sense to get his fingerprints? It’s a little easier to see how he fooled Marge and Mr Greenleaf but the will really should have been the last straw. Oh well, maybe they’ll realize the error in the next book!

Outstanding!

Fascinating novel; flawless narration! I highly recommend this dark work by Patricia Highsmith, the first of five Ripley novels.

Stands up beautifully after almost 60 years

I saw the film when it came out about 15 years ago, but had not realized that the book was the first of a series until Audible advertised it that way. I bought the first and am so happy that I did. Patricia Highsmith's prose is flawless, her storytelling and character development without peer. The narrator, Kevin Kenerly, does a remarkable job, even elegantly mispronouncing the words that Tom mispronounces in his head. His voice is fluid, naive and arrogant - all perfect for this genteel madman. I'm definitely going to continue with the series. Highsmith had an astonishing gift for accurate portrayal of a sociopath, even while psychiatry was struggling with a medical definition. The book is so classic, as it exists within our lives of motorcars and airplanes and telephones, and yet so far removed. Could Tom Ripley have gotten away with anything had there been computers, DNA, Interpol? Fax machines? Video cameras? Cell phones? I'm so pleased that Audible is including such classics in its library.

Superb Tension!

Patricia Highsmith does an amazing job of developing complex characters in beautifully described settings. She keeps a taut thread of tension throughout the entire novel. She does such a good job of "seeing" through the protagonists eyes that I did not realize the author was not a man until I was almost finished with the book!
The narration was spot on. There is very little graphic violence, no sex and no foul language. I was sorry when this story ended. I highly recommend this book, it is my favorite listen so far!

LOVE IT!

Any additional comments?

This book is right up my alley! I love a story where the hero is also the villain! ... And in this case, a psychopath! A most unusual and entertaining read, written with intelligence and wonderfully narrated!

Fascinating look at a con man

Where does The Talented Mr. Ripley rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high up there - one of my favorites.

What other book might you compare The Talented Mr. Ripley to and why?

None that I can think of at the moment.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Kenerly – was your favorite?

Tom Ripley, and also Freddie Miles. Kenerly seemed to know exactly what Tom meant, got all the tones exactly right. Nuanced reading, excellent.

If you could rename The Talented Mr. Ripley, what would you call it?

The Murder of Tom Ripley

Any additional comments?

A very readable, engaging story. I love the idea that we're inside the grifter's mind, and that he has layers. He's not just a flat criminal. He has insecurities and feels audacity at all the wrong moments - he's a very believable guy.

Loved it.

I love hating myself for loving a book about a sociopath and murderer. Thank you, Patricia Highsmith for writing a thoroughly entertaining and original book!

Really?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not recommend it. The 'protagonist' is a very nasty person. It is hard to be sympathetic with or relate to such a person as Mr Ripley, such a capable liar and self-serving cheat. All through, I wanted him to be found out and brought to an accounting of his terrible actions.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The point of this book is that sometimes bad people are rewarded for bad behavior. Life is not always fair.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Kenerly – was your favorite?

Hard to have a favorite character. Tom Ripley dominates this book, and he is contemptable.

Was The Talented Mr. Ripley worth the listening time?

Yes, as a 20th century classic, it was worth the time investment.

Disappointing Narrator

What did you like best about The Talented Mr. Ripley? What did you like least?

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a crime classic and the hard, almost vicious style of Highsmith really brings to life the darkness of Tom Ripley. The only thing that detracted from the audio book was the narrator.

What other book might you compare The Talented Mr. Ripley to and why?

There's no con man quite like Ripley, but I would compare it to another Highsmith, Strangers on a Train. The reason why is that there's a real sense of claustrophobia around the characters as the net draws to a close.

What didn’t you like about Kevin Kenerly’s performance?

It was about as good a job as I myself could have done. There's no real variation in voices and frankly, he just doesn't sound at all like I imagined Tom Ripley. His voice is too upbeat or something. It took me right out of the whole thing.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.