Ripley Under Water

Rating:
Summary: More intrigue from tha master of cunning
Review: This fourth instalment in a series of five novels concerning the criminal adventures, schemes, ploys and cunning machinations of Tom Ripley, ranks as high as its predecessors.

Tom Ripley has to be one of the most interesting and memorable characters ever created in modern crime literature. A man born from humble beginnings, he has re-invented himself as a man of refined taste and breeding. Basic manners and knowledge of human nature, combined with a strong will and bloody attitude of mind, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. What makes Ripley psychologically fascinating, is his utter lack of conscience. He can murder without a hint of remorse, and has that uncanny ability to compartmentalize his thoughts and memories in order live with his many dastardly deeds. Moreover, Highsmith writes about Ripley entirely from his perspective, giving the reader an inside look at his thought processes, rationalizations and intrigues, creating a sympathy for the man, thus we cheer when he murders and are greatly relieved when he gets away with it. We want Ripley to succeed and he always does.

In this story, Ripley's chequered past catches up with him. An American couple, David and Janice Prichard, move into a villa down the way from his chateau at Villeperce. These people know Ripley from somewhere; know aspects about his past that Ripley would soon forget and then begin to relentlessly taunt him. How much do they really know? And how can Ripley handle this strange couple without implicating himself?

This book was difficult to put down in many ways. Because Ripley is such a fascinating character, the pages seemed to turn themselves to discover his next move against these people. There is a particular scene in Tangiers at a shady café, where Ripley confronts Prichard, and without warning, in a series of dangerous blows, knocks the vulgar Prichard unconscious. In fact, Highsmith's writing is so good, that I found myself cheering as Ripley pummelled him to the ground. This type of scene, really, has become Ripley's trademark: surprise with lethal violence, applied without mercy or second thought.

The Ripley novels are unique in modern crime fiction. Patricia Highsmith was not recognized in her native America, and was forced to move overseas to write, where she became a respected and best selling author. It is only in the last ten years, almost a decade after her death, that she is receiving the acclaim that is so well deserved.




Rating:
Summary: Too Much French, N'ece Pas?
Review: This was my first Patricia Highsmith book, and I, too, picked it up because I had seen the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley". I couldn't find that book, so started with this one. It took a while to "get into" the story, but I was quickly compelled. The one drawback: too many french phrases that I had to spend time either trying to figure out from the context of the sentence or look up the meanings from the on-line french-to-english dictionaries. Some words just weren't there. Mon dieu! Aside from those irritations, I found the story to be fascinating, particularly with Tom's relationships to those around him. Heloise, for instance. Sometimes, it seemed like she viewed him with antagonism or thinly veiled contempt. Her responses were too cool at times. Not like a wife. Why don't they sleep together? Is there more about their relationship in previous books? I thought the relationship with the friend that came over from England was also interesting. I so enjoyed the scene where they witness the Pritchards falling into their pond. You could truly sense Tom's utter delight that his nemesis was going to drown! I loved it! And how he had to tame his obvious enthusiasm so that his friend wouldn't find him totally reprehensible! Brilliant writing. I will definitely read more of her books and am sad the series is over.

Rating:
Summary: Too Much French, N'ece Pas?
Review: This was my first Patricia Highsmith book, and I, too, picked it up because I had seen the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley". I couldn't find that book, so started with this one. It took a while to "get into" the story, but I was quickly compelled. The one drawback: too many french phrases that I had to spend time either trying to figure out from the context of the sentence or look up the meanings from the on-line french-to-english dictionaries. Some words just weren't there. Mon dieu! Aside from those irritations, I found the story to be fascinating, particularly with Tom's relationships to those around him. Heloise, for instance. Sometimes, it seemed like she viewed him with antagonism or thinly veiled contempt. Her responses were too cool at times. Not like a wife. Why don't they sleep together? Is there more about their relationship in previous books? I thought the relationship with the friend that came over from England was also interesting. I so enjoyed the scene where they witness the Pritchards falling into their pond. You could truly sense Tom's utter delight that his nemesis was going to drown! I loved it! And how he had to tame his obvious enthusiasm so that his friend wouldn't find him totally reprehensible! Brilliant writing. I will definitely read more of her books and am sad the series is over.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant - a book full of impending menace.
Review: This was the first Ripley book I ever read, and remains my firm favourite - I enjoyed it even more than 'The Talented Mr Ripley', which itself is also excellent.

Patricia Highsmith is one of the most effective suspense writers I've come across. I have never been able to put my finger on exactly why - others can do the fancy literary analysis - but you HAVE to keep reading, you feel like you're right there in that place and time, and you feel all of Tom Ripley's worry, relief, triumph and terror as if it was your own.

Her books aren't particularly fast-moving or violent, and don't get to the action directly enough for some people. But if her wonderful, evocative prose gets you, Ripley (re-)discovering the single corpse of one of his victims is more horrifying than anything in a dozen splatter books - I was just dreading it, for pages and pages before it happened.

Ms Highsmith's talent for building tension, suspense and sheer dread are even more marked in Ripley Under Water because we know what's going to happen - Ripley has done some bad things, and somebody is trying to get him into trouble for them. As a plot summary, that's a non-story, but in the hands of Patricia Highsmith it's a taut and compelling thriller.

She gets us right inside Ripley's mind, a place with neither conscience nor much regret about his murders. His privileged existance, thanks to both his ill-gotten gains and the assets of his wealthy wife, is wonderfully

evoked, and we squirm at the creepiness of the Pritchards, his meddling new neighbours.

The waiting, while the reformed predator Ripley is himself preyed upon, is almost agonising. If you've seen the movie and don't like books where you know the ending, then start with this one. It'll scare and surprise you, it's simply a marvellous book.

Rating:
Summary: Lovable Sociopath
Review: This, the fifth and final Ripley novel, was published 36 years after the first. Tom Ripley is now married to a beautiful woman and living a very comfortable life in the French countryside. He spends his days gardening, painting, and playing the harpsichord. Ripley is quite content with his life, and doesn't give a lot of thought to his prior crimes.

All is well in Ripley's world until an American couple, the Pritchards, move to the village. Mr. Pritchard is quite interested in Ripley; in fact, he is a little too interested. He seems to know a lot about Ripley's past, and delights in dropping the names of Ripley's acquaintances in an unspoken threat to reveal Ripley's many secrets. At first Ripley is amused, then angry, and finally genuinely threatened by Pritchard's persistence.

This is arguably the best Ripley book--highly introspective, and extremely suspenseful. We learn more about Ripley in this book than in any other; for example, we learn which of Ripley's crimes he is remorseful about. We learn more about the relationship between Tom and his wife Heloise than we have ever known (and there are still plenty of unanswered questions about that). Mostly, though, we get the sense that Tom has, for the most part, put the past behind him and found contentment. It would have been interesting if Highsmith had written a novel about Tom's early life, and one about his marriage. He's a fascinating character.

The tension builds as Pritchard plays mind games with Ripley, while Ripley formulates his plan for counter-attack. Has Ripley finally met his match?

Rating:
Summary: Dullness intended or not?
Review: Tom Ripley is a character that I feel drawn to. He challenges the morals of the reader. However, the content of this book was rather boring, and the all anticipated climactic moment was a disappointment. After completing it though, I asked myself: Would this have been a more gratifying read if Ripley were his more brutal self? Might this is be the message Highsmith wants us to get- that we as readers champion the acts of the sinister, amoral Ripley. We see him as a hero more so than the deviant that he truly is; thus the disappointment. This is Highsmith's genius.