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)

Rip up Ripley

Mr Ripley moves through this book with the maudline self pity of an F Scott Fitzgerald drunk. I selected to listen for 2 reasons the first the different perspective of listening to the story from the 'bad guys' point of view and the second the other reviews. I remove myself from the crowd with this listen. Ripley is looking for a hand out, he uses or kills everyone who does anything remotely nice for him, he is a true taker. While it would be interesting to listen to more of the series to see if and how he is finally caught it is not worth the time or the $$.

Good story bad narration

Great book...only complaint is that the narrator should learn how to pronounce foreign words if they appear in the book they are reading...anyone who speaks Italian will cringe when they hear this..

The ultimate bad boy sociopath!

What a gripping narrative and I loved the narrator Kevin Kenerly.
The author, Patricia Highsmith, did an excellent job describing and letting us be a part of Tom Ripley's logic. The experience listening to this audible was fantastic.

I can't wait to get the next book in the series, Ripley Under Ground. I see that it is read by the same narrator, Kevin Kenerly. Can't wait to continue the story of the talented Mr. Ripley and his homicidal choices!

Porca miseria

Would you try another book from Patricia Highsmith and/or Kevin Kenerly?

I would certainly try another Patricia Highsmith book but if the setting were Italy I would avoid Kevin Kenerly who seems unfamiliar with the Italian language. One would think that the producer of the recording would have either found someone who could speak Italian or have given the narrator some tips. It was the same as finding a printed text full of typos.

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

Strangers on a Train or any of her stories are worth a try.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Kenerly's a fine reader, except for his Italian. This was just a bad match.

Could you see The Talented Mr. Ripley being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It was a film.

This is what I like, sitting at a table and watchi

The Talented Mr. Ripley is unlike anything I’ve read before. It was entertaining and nerve-racking, yet somewhat underplayed and even slow at times. It’s a damned interesting story, but also one of the most unpleasant reads ever. You know that feeling when you’re watching a movie where someone breaks into a house and then the person who lives there comes home and the intruder has to hide? It’s unbearable in a squirm-around-in-your-seat-kind-of-way, right? That’s how it felt reading The Talented Mr. Ripley. If I hadn’t listened to the audio, I don’t think I ever would have been able to finish. There was one particular scene that made me gasp loudly (while I was at the gym – not embarrassing at all!!! No no …) where Tom Ripley slips and is nearly busted. Insufferable!

The brilliant thing about this book is that you kind of get to like Tom Ripley, even if he is a creepy psycho. I actually found myself rooting for him – I wanted him to get away with murder. What’s even worse: there were times I could identify with him! That scared the shit out of me. It was just little observations on life and people. Like this quote:

Anticipation! It occurred to him that his anticipation was more pleasant to him than the experiencing.

That could just as well have been something I had said. Don’t get me wrong, I would never murder someone and steal their identity. Unless that person had a really awesome book & shoe collection.

So good!!

What a great story! Lots of twist and turns which keep you completely involved with the story.

Darkly funny

If you could sum up The Talented Mr. Ripley in three words, what would they be?

Psychologically darkly funny

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

The character study of Tom and his world view was fascinating and amusing.

Fantastic Thriller

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

This is a great listen. I don't know where to rank it among all my listens, however, because pretty much everything I've listened to on audible has been relatively great on the same level.

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

It definitely did. Towards the end the book became so riveting that I almost wanted to quit listening or pause it because I was legitimately frightened at what would happen next!

What does Kevin Kenerly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was great with accents and bringing the foreign characters to life. If I had read it by myself I most likely would've forgotten to give them accents. Also, his narration of Tom Ripley was very fantastic. He was good at Tom's change in dialect when he would go between being himself and being Dickie Greenleaf. If I'd been reading I would've forgotten ton change his voice/dialect in my mind.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely, and toward the end I stayed up at night to finish it because it was so exciting.

Well-written bore

Obviously, this writer is talented which kept me listening to the end but nothing happens , especially in the last third of the book.! The main character's emotions are blunted and this seeps through in the writing. Preferred Strangers on a Train by the same author. Less pompous and more tension. Probably finished with this author. Definitely finished with this series,

Better than the movie with a terrific narrator

Would you listen to The Talented Mr. Ripley again? Why?

Yes, it's the second time and probably won't be the last. The narrator's voice has such a soothing affect.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Talented Mr. Ripley?

Not really any moment stands out. I found them all equally entertaining.

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

I love his Italian accented characters. He's very good at the female voice as well, which is hard for a lot of male narrators to perform adequately.

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

The multi-talented Mr. Ripley. He's pulled off the perfect crime.

Any additional comments?

I pleased to see that there is a series on this particular book.