Rating: 
Summary: Fasinating Look at a person with no conscience.
Review: I found this book fun to read, fast paced and set in a time where this scenario is possible, I think many of us would like to change our identity. Although our Tom Ripley is extreme I enjoyed how he justified his actions so completely. Very Fun!
Rating: 
Summary: I hope the movie was better.......
Review: I haven't seen the movie yet, but I honestly hope that it was better than this book. It dragged tremendously, and for $13 dollars the book was too short. I lost interest numerous times, but I was determined to finish it. This is definitely not one of those books that you would like to read a second time.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book with few shortcomings
Review: I agree with some of the other reviewers -- the movie "worked" better than the novel. The movie added some fine touches, such as how Ripley runs into Mr. Greenleaf; showing how he tries to learn jazz in order to pretend; the character development of Dickie and Marge; the relationship with Peter; and more.In fact, in the book, Dickie is hardly a character at all in his own right. Perhaps that is the point. While the movie takes its time at the beginning, exploring the scenery and characters, the book doesn't really go "deep" until Ripley has killed Dickie. The book does contain elements that the movie does not: for instance, we learn about Ripley's life prior to going to Italy. This is good background. We are also able to know what Ripley is thinking -- for instance, he *did* plan on killing Dickie before he even got on the boat. The movie leaves that open to interpretation and has a more subtle effect. Definitely a recommended book, if only as a starting point for reading the whole series if you found the movie interesting. You will see just how good a job they did with the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Strongly disappointing! Totally unacceptable!
Review: Aside from asenseless plot of touring the reader from one Italian city to theother, Tom's characterization is nowhere near what I expected (based on what I have read from other viewers/readers). He is nothing more than a scheming, envious, social climber, loser --- rather than a hero as others claim him to be. Most importantly, I find it despicable for the author to come up with an ending such as the one in the book. Where has her moral & social responsibilities gone? I am not a fundamentalist nor a right-wing individiual, but by creating the ending, the author condones evil in the society instead of bringing up justice.
Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing!
Review: I never thought an author would make me cheer for the bad guy. Patricia did. The real anti-hero! Plus, superb simple and direct writing. Her collection is a must to lovers of English.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting, but could have used something more
Review: "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is well written and never fails to intrigue, but I could not help but feel that something was missing. I was unsure of what it was until I saw another review (the one by Amy of Colorado). Tom is never really in danger of being found out: everyone around him is so stupid and self-involved that only one person even suspects a thing (and Tom takes care of that rather quickly). Tom's character desperately needed a match - an antagonist (if you can call Tom the hero) worthy of his skill. While the movie is very different, the two function well together. Each offers what the other is missing (although the book allows a deeper understanding of Tom, which helps a lot). All in all, it's worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Matter of Taste
Review: I find it very intersting that of all the reviews I have read from people who have both read the book and seen the movie, that those people seem to prefer the movie. The movie is a fine piece of technically assured film-making, but it departs radically from both the spirit and letter of the text. I find any correlation between the two to be spurious. The movie should have been titled, "A Fantasia Based on 'The Talented Mr. Ripley.'" Potential readers of Highsmith's novel, especially if they have seen the movie, must put aside Minghella's film "adaptation" from their minds, because his "Ripley" and Highsmith's "Ripley" are two different people. I will not say which I prefer, for that is a personal matter. But I had to speak my mind about the movie vs. book issue because of the obtuseness of those reviewers who tried to compare the two as if there were any basis for comparison. A French version of Highsmith's novel, "Plein Soleil," (English translation: "Purple Noon," don't ask me why) is closer to the letter of Highsmith's book, but again, even the inimitable Alain Delon cannot capture the "Ripley" of Highsmith's (and the reader's) imagination. I hope this helps, for I truly believe Patricia Highsmith to be a masterful author, and would consider it a loss to anyone who did not read her works simply because he or she was told that watching the movie somehow made reading the book superfluous. I would make the counter argument that having seen the movie, one MUST read the novel, or otherwise falsely believe that Minghella's characters are the equal to Highsmith's, for they are not.
Rating:
Summary: Once again Hollywood Mangles Authors Intentions
Review: After seeing The talented Mr. Ripley on the big screen and feeling Incredibly disappointed, I turned to the novel to see if it was any better. The book sweeps you up in the twisted mind of Tom Ripley without all the politically correct apologies made for his charachter in the film. He doesn't kill out of self defense. He kills to move up in the world. He is clear calm and caluculating in the book. Compared to his easily flustered movie counter-part. There is an open ending to the book that suggest sequal (which I am now reading). The biggest joy about this book for me is its true to life statemets that Good doesn't always triumph and crime often does pay. Thank you Patricia. As for Hollywood please at least read the books you make movies from.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling read, perfect ending.
Review: As an American high school student, I don't usually like to read much extracurricular material (and there are those wondering why U.S. students don't do as well as others?), but I had been in such great anticipation of the movie last December that I decided to pick up a copy of _The Talented Mr. Ripley_. The book is captivating in that Highsmith does not hammer the reader with specific details of the characters; rather, she makes the reader -- at least I did -- "feel" the characters. The plot takes many exciting turns, and thus keeps the reader begging for more. Overall, there's a lot of mental and physical action and surprises that takes the reader to the ultimate surprise. The ending is certainly surprise, maybe even somewhat of a shock for those who are "upright" members of society. Yes -- evil triumphs and yes -- evil is unavenged. However, isn't this more like what goes on in real life? Like Wilfred Owen's message against the romanticizing of war in "Dolce et Decorum Est", let's look at what we can make of this imperfect world, and this book, I believe, does that.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've ever read
Review: It was so captivating and mysterious. I loved it. I think that everyone should read this book!
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