Ripley Under Ground
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3.9 • 61 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"Ripley is an unmistakable descendant of Gatsby, that 'penniless young man without a past' who will stop at nothing."—Frank Rich
Now part of American film and literary lore, Tom Ripley, "a bisexual psychopath and art forger who murders without remorse when his comforts are threatened" (New York Times Book Review), was Patricia Highsmith's favorite creation. In these volumes, we find Ripley ensconced on a French estate with a wealthy wife, a world-class art collection, and a past to hide. In Ripley Under Ground (1970), an art forgery goes awry and Ripley is threatened with exposure; in The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980), Highsmith explores Ripley's bizarrely paternal relationship with a troubled young runaway, whose abduction draws them into Berlin's seamy underworld; and in Ripley Under Water (1991), Ripley is confronted by a snooping American couple obsessed with the disappearance of an art collector who visited Ripley years before. More than any other American literary character, Ripley provides "a lens to peer into the sinister machinations of human behavior" (John Freeman, Pittsburgh Gazette).
Customer Reviews
Continued tale of a sociopath
Well described characters and locales, all through the eyes of Tom Ripley, a sociopath and murderer who commits his acts without guilt and almost without wincing. To Tom, it’s all justifiable and rationalized to further his own ends. The only hint that he might not be caught, of course, is knowing there are other novels.
Hated the ending
I’ve been a fan of Patricia Highsmith for several years now & thought the story line was intriguing but hated the ending. It built up some suspense and left the reader completely hanging.
No
A rambling foray into getting paid money to use a typewriter in private. This is what I think of Patricia Highsmith, alone with her Hermes Baby, babbling about Ripley. I want to love Patricia, but her writing makes it difficult. It’s haughty and prosaic all at once. I suppose, as a murderer and confidence man myself, I feel somewhat offended by her approach. She’s obviously delusional and hasn’t experienced anything or anyone, interesting. This book doesn’t even have an ending…but I’ll delicately let the idea die, here.