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The Talented Mr. Ripley

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The Talented Mr. Ripley

Written by: Patricia Highsmith
Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
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About this listen

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. Crime Fiction LGBTQIA2S+ Creators Mystery Serial Killers Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Fiction Crime Italy

What the critics say

"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)
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narrirator was ok. he did the job and serviced the stornand character fine.... but did not Nock it out the park or anything. kinda was a little flat at times. not a huge range. however

overall a great book. and good listen. 7/10

7/10

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I couldn't quite bring myself to click on 5 stars ("I love it"), just because it's such a disturbing story, but it's very, very well told, and I found the narration just about perfect. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but the basic sociopathy of Ripley's internal monologue was rendered brilliantly. As an actor myself, I applaud the reader's fortitude in so thoroughly inhabiting this character.

Profoundly creepy

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I'd read the book some years ago, and seen the film of course, but to have it read to me was a real treat. A dark story with no immediate end, Highsmith surely sets us up for more compelling reading/listening. If you're one of her fans then this book doesn't disappoint. My only slight criticism was Kenerly's performance; a little too unemotional for my tastes, and his attempt at an English accent isn't great. That's all minor, though, as I'm cueing up the next Ripley story right now.

One of my favourites...

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I loved this movie and have watched it many times, so I decided to finally listen to the audiobook. Interestingly, the movie adaptation is quite different, but for a movie, they really made brilliant changes for the screen, while still maintaining the style and nuances of the characters. The book delves, even deeper, especially into the inner workings of Tom Ripleys, brain and thoughts, fascinating.

If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it immediately. If you haven’t yet read the book, read or listen to it immediately as well. I plan to listen to all the other books in this series, as I want even more of Tom Ripley. He’s creepy, psychologically unstable, and a murderer, but you’re still kind of cheering that he’s getting away with it.

Great book. Great movie. Excellent narrator voice.

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Great story the narrator does an excellent job of making the tale come alive. I thought the movie was fantastic but as is usually the case the book was much better. It provided many more insights into Tom Ripley’s thoughts and motivations.

Very enjoyable

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