Rating: 
Summary: The Talented Mr. Ripley
Review: i read the book after watching the superb movie...another -more and than words can express- excellent acting job by Matt Damon. I LOVED the book and ran out and read the next in the series. Ripley is the criminal that you know you should hate, but love instead and I actually felt guilty about loving. he commits murders out of necessity and gets away with them in highly tense situations. The entire time i was reading them, I kept repeating in my mind..."DON'T GET CAUGHT...PLEASE, PLEASE." I loved them. It reminded me of the murderer in "Crime and Punishment" - though I can't remember his name at the moment.
Rating:
Summary: There`s an even better movie out there
Review: I was a bit disappointed that everybody obviously watched the new remake of "The talented Mr.Ripley" with Matt Damon(which I didn`t find that good), but nobody mentioned the original movie from the early sixties with Alain Delon called "Plein soleil" which is available on amazon.com.
I read the first 4 Ripley sequels in the early eighties and liked "Ripley`s Game", "Ripley under Ground" and "The Boy who followed Ripley" the most of all 5 sequels. But the first one is necessary to read to understand the other volumes. But I never liked the first book as much as the others. Her style of writing matured in the seventies a lot and her books gave me lots of inspirations and tips where to go on vacation and what kind of classical music I could hear etcetera.
If you enjoyed the Matt Damon version with Tom Ripley, try "Plein soleil", you`ll like it even better! The actors, location and score/soundtrack are just divine!
Rating:
Summary: I agree with the Sante Fe Reader!
Review: I, too, am on a Patricia Highsmith "high." She is awesome! Her characters are undescribably delicious! I am now reading THE ANIMAL LOVERS BOOK OF BEASTLY MURDERS and I'm telling you it's not for the faint-hearted. She is not afraid to tackle the taboo (like killing babies). How she can get into the minds of such diverse animals as cockroaches, pigs, horses, cats, dogs and hamsters I don't know. I wish she were still alive so I could enjoy more. But like you, Santa Fe reader, I have much more to read at my disposal! Enjoy! Oh---and I look forward to reading STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. Thanks for the tip.
Rating: 
Summary: Repugnant Ripley
Review: If Patricia Highsmith would have her way in the Talented Mr Ripley then we are expected, as readers, to accept that the Italian Police and all the ex-patriot Americans really are quite a dull lot. How come they couldn't work out the deeds of this dirty little sociopath and figure out what Tom Ripley was up to. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but the last six of seven actions of Ripley and discoveries of the police, in my view, point right to Tom Ripley. By the end I just wanted it to be over. Film was superior if only to have a glimpse at Mr Ripley's rear end as portrayed by that kid from Boston. What is his name again?
Rating:
Summary: A Must for every Library
Review: If you like characters in fiction that get under your skin, then this anthology is for you. Under the darkened pen of Patricia Highsmith, Tom Ripley, her most memorable character of fiction, brilliantly comes to life. Growing from a poor, insecure boy, to a suave, albeit dangerous man of the world, Tom Ripley takes you along through the passages of his life, holding you as a willing hostage to the dark secrets he keeps. From the Sunny shores of Italy to the elegant French countryside, we are allowed to eavesdrop into the inner workings of a master deceiver. Rarely do we get the chance to watch a character mature as the author matures, but over the course of several decades, Ms. Highsmith, accomplished the task by writing 5 books dealing with Tom Ripley. Her three best novels of the series are presented here. For a good old fashioned, up all night, reading marathon, you can't go far wrong with this anthology. If you enjoy the feelings of hope, excitement, dispair, fear and loss then you'll love this compilation. Having read all the Tom Ripley novels, the only dissapointment I have is that there are no more.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a masterpiece--or three...
Review: If you've seen the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley" with Matt Damon, you know what an interesting story it is. However, the book provides a lot of interesting side notes that the movie left out. All three books in this "collection" read very quickly, build on each other, and are able to hold your attention for hours. Highsmith has done some fascinating work--even though Ripley is such a horrible person, you find yourself sympathizing with him. A terrific read... I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: I'm angry for finishing so quickly.
Review: Okay. I saw Purple Noon years ago, loved it. I saw the Talented Mr. Ripley. I liked it a lot. Then I read this. Damn. The background details flesh out these stories so beautifully. A nice mix of travelogue and murder. I want to go to Europe now, and I want more of Tom!
Rating:
Summary: The Talented Ms. Highsmith.
Review: Patricia Highsmith is one of the best writers I've ever read and her character, Tom Ripley, is one of the best characters ever conceived. The writing is flawless and so engaging it's hard not to love the author and her character.
This volume contains the first three Ripley novels--The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Underground, Ripley's Game. All three could be stand-alone units and you don't have to read one to read the other. But this volume makes reading them, in order, easy. It's a big book that will go by very quickly as you become immersed inside of Ripley's mind.
The thing about Tom Ripley is that, while he's a sociopath, he is a very sympathetic character. It's weird, but it's true. How Ms. Highsmith manages to do this, I don't know, but she does. And as you read, you don't want Tom to get caught or have any trouble. The only book where you feel that way about him is the first, The Talented, and that's becuase of Dickie Greenleaf who is also a very sympatheic character.
In conclusion, if you want some really good reading that you will enjoy and won't want to put down, buy this volume. It's worth the price and it's worth the time and the author is worthy of many acolades. I can't recommened it enough to fans of GOOD fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Highsmith is an underappreciated master
Review: Patricia Highsmith is one of the strongest voices in twentieth century suspense, but is never mentioned with the likes of Hammett, Chandler, or even Jim Thompson. She is elegantly perverse and morally confused, which to this reader is the delicious creamy center of her uncluttered narratives. Though all three books are strong, the first, Talented Mr. Ripley, is by far the best--creepy and unnerving, with a wonderfully rendered protaganist. A great book (a moniker I do not dispense with frivolously).
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Times 3!
Review: Pour yourself a glass of wine and curl up with this wonderful trilogy. Constantly engaging, these three exciting and delightful stories of murder and mayhem will delight discerning readers! Highsmith paints such vivid pictures with her words that you'll be sorry when they final chapter is complete!!
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