Nonostante il libro sia una lettura di certo godibile e scorrevole, è un po' spiacevole constatare che Ripley da cinque anni a questa parte (letteraria) s'è un po' ammosciato. Forse i soldi in tasca, la nuova moglie a letto e la bella villa con tanto di domestica fidata hanno un po' oscurato la sua personalità che ricordo decisamente più aspra e accattivante di così, non si riscontra nemmeno la simpatica sociopatia de Il talento di Mr Ripley. Il tipo una volta che si adagia sugli allori, giustamente, non deve più mettersi in modalità sopravvivenza cinica. Diciamo che può passare come un momento particolare del personaggio, non per forza una carenza, ma secondo me perde il suo smalto perseguendo la linea scelta dalla Highsmith.Ciò non toglie che l'occasione della ribalta si presenta: mi sorprendo però della lieve (sono gentile) trascuratezza del piano della Highsmith. Seppur non sia mai noioso e mantenga una certa voglia di sapere, i poliziotti rendono il gioco sin troppo agevole con queste distrazioni continue e ad un certo punto inverosimili, praticamente girano con i prosciutti sugli occhi..! Anche Chris Greenleaf sembra l'ultimo passante ingenuo della lista: non si capisce come faccia a non insospettirsi fino alla fine e a ridere tranquillo di certe evidenze sbattute in faccia. Fiducia cieca negli amici di famiglia? Non è che il profilo del tuo amichetto sia proprio immacolato da certe dicerie. Eh ma allora: ti piace vincere facile, Tom!Non è che fossi in forma neanche sul piano risolutivo: mica sei un poveraccio sprovveduto che (view spoiler)[ mi seppellisci il cadavere dietro casa tua.. ma come ti è venuto in mente? dov'era il tuo effettivo talento nel momento del bisogno? Aò, Tom: ripigliati da ste cazzate! (hide spoiler)]
Rating: 3.5* of fiveThe Book Report: Once a con man, always a con man. Tom Ripley, well-met in The Talented Mr. Ripley, is now a solid, happily (?) married man, solidly in possession of his wife's fortune, and a partner in an art firm.An art *forgery* firm.Yeah, that's Ripley. All the expected things happen, threats of discovery, many many obstacles to Tom's lasting love affair with himself as a wealthy man, inconvenient relationships ending. Permanently.Oh yeah. That's our Tom Ripley.My Review: Well, lightning don't strike twice, do it? The Talented Mr. Ripley was simply brilliant, a bolt of heaven-sent inspiration...and this sophomore effort, fifteen years in the making, feels like it's a response to requests for more Ripley, more Ripley, from his fans.It's a fun book to read, don't get me wrong, but it's just...not...there if you know what I mean. Really good writing! Really nicely drawn story! Characters a little bit foreshortened, lacking in a depth that Marge and Dickie and even the tiresome Mr. Miles showed. And Ripley himself is a little more squeamish this time, which frankly made a lot of sense to me as Tom now has a wife and an art collection to defend against intruders like the forger, the copper, and the gallery owners.I wonder if Highsmith thought this book was the equal of the first one...I recommend this as a delightful fall-fire-with-scotch read. Completists *must* read it. The squeamish should stay far away! The law-and-order types are herewith warned: You'll *hate* this book.
What do You think about Ripley Under Ground (2008)?
When FYE went out of business I bought the first three Ripley books for a GREAT deal. I pushed myself a little to finish the first "The Talented Mr. Ripley"--my full review is on my book list--but, needless to say it wasn't my favorite story or wrting style. My friend Krista suggested to keep going with the series and I would really appreciate the character and the writing. I believe her because Krista is 1) a prolific reader and 2) has a fabulous track rcord of recommending books I LOVE! (She introduced me to one of my top three books of all time "The Scold's Bridle" by Minette Walters.)At any rate after reading the haviness that was "origin of species", I needed a well written serial killer, murder mystery type story. I decided to give this character another chance. Well, let's just say I am not sorry...I realized the writing is top notch, the character as base and vile as any serial killer out there (although not as lovable as Dexter) and yet human in his own way. Highsmith has hooked me!
—Aleisha Z Coleman
The second Ripley is nearly as chilling as the first as he proves he will stop at nothing to maintain his comfortable lifestyle, funded with his ill-gotten gains from the forged Dickie Greenleaf will, with a villa in France and a beautiful wife who seems to be nearly as amoral as himself. Once again, he commits multiple murders and even impersonates a deceased painter to cover his involvement in an art fraud scam. The tension builds as the situation becomes more and more complex and you can't help but wonder if Ripley is going to be pull it off this time. This leads to moments of black comedy as things threaten to spiral out of his control, given the absurdity of the situations Ripley finds himself in and the fact that he keeps managing somehow to get away with it (at one point Ripley himself is the victim of attempted murder and gains consciousness only to find himself partially buried in a shallow grave). Fast-paced, thoroughly wicked fun and highly recommended!
—David Anderson
Sociopath Tom Ripley lives the life of luxury in a beautiful villa in France, forty miles outside of Paris; he is an amateur painter and has an appreciation for fine arts, he finds pleasure working in the garden, he has a cellar full vintage wine, he reads, he travels back and forth across Europe…and he’s a killer. He has a housekeeper and a beautiful wife who little by little comes to suspect that her husband has been living on the dark side. But does she care? Amorality has never been this much fun. Patricia Highsmith is an entertaining storyteller and a clever one. As the author introduces more and more characters into the fray, the suspense builds and builds--almost unbearably at times--and I found myself wanting to jump ahead to see how it would end. This is a worthy follow-up to “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
—Robert
