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)

Tense and enjoyable

Boy does this book keep the tension high. The descriptions are wonderful and I definitely felt everything Mr. Ripley felt all the way through. An interesting take on a crime drama and an alkost embarrassingly relatable character. I would definitely recommend it.

Sometimes interesting

Did The Talented Mr. Ripley inspire you to do anything?

Actually, it didn't. I like books that give me "hmmmmm" moments, and I didn't get many from this book. Mostly I just found it sad. I did listen to the whole thing, though, which I only do if I am enjoying the book again, but I was happy it ended. I had thought I would like it better. Loved the movie!

The movie is actually better

In this case of book versus movie, the movie is better. Maybe it’s just b/c Matt Damon does such a good job playing Tom Ripley.

Good story, not as riveting as the movie!

Being a huge fan of the movie (the Matt Damon version), I finally got around to reading the first in this series. This is the rare case , for me, where I thought the movie was actually quite a bit better than the book. The book, while good, is a bit dull at times and lacks the "spark" in the characters developed in the film. Tom does not seem quite as menacing, nor Dickie as charming. But it is a solid story all around that keeps you listening to the end. I thought the narrator was excellent, as well.

great book great movie

Hard to believe this series was wrote when it was. Hard to believe it got published. Great book.

High standard entertainment.

What did you love best about The Talented Mr. Ripley?

The very well told story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Even though I read the book and saw the movie, the story still caught me.

If you could take any character from The Talented Mr. Ripley out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Dick

Plodding pace, unlikable protaganist

Ripley - a neurotic sociopath - is not an engaging character. And the pace and narration of this story plods along. The other characters are wan and tepid, not the sparkling but damaged children of privelege that the movie demonstrates. You don't really care what happends to anyone in this story.

A quick, precise review of Mr. Ripley

I've never seen the movie. So glad I got the book. Imagine Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye killing someone and going on the run in Italy. I loved every minute of this book.

Gripping story of a sociopath

Unlike the movie, the seedy protagonist is conflicted and disturbed. The story is excellent and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s dark, but well written. Highly recommend.

very dull

Too slow for me. I don't have enough patience for this type of story line