Damn, is the word that comes to mind for this book. Not, DAMN! or Dayyum! but just … damn. I wanted to like Ripley Under Water so much more than I did. This series of books really has been a bumpy rollercoaster ride. Let me show you.The First Book (Talented Mr Ripley) – Impeccably paced, with honest, believable writing. Characters to sympathize with and care about and an unbelievable, heart-pounding tension from beginning to end.The Second Book (Ripley Under Ground) – A valiant effort, perhaps a little slow and meandering in some places, but an interesting look at what true art really is, and what it takes to be an artist. Along with some classic “Tom Ripley” moments. Not the best of the bunch, but not terrible, either.The Third Book (Ripley’s Game) – Phenomenal. Perhaps, in my mind, even better than the first. Reading this one reminded me how much I absolutely adore Highsmith and the way she can create believable tension, the way her characters feel alive, the way she can breathe life into them. Ripley’s Game had me in tears by the end of it. It was, safe to say, fucking awesome. The Fourth Book (The Boy Who Followed Ripley) – A huge let down. It was the first Highsmith book (until this book, Ripley Under Water) that I didn’t finish. This was a huge shock, to be unable to finish a book written by Patricia Highsmith, considering the calibre of her work that came before. Boy Who Followed Ripley was slow, tedious, and read almost like a boring travelogue. Ugh.The Fifth and Final Book (Ripley Under Water) – You would think, with the way these books have gone up, down, up, down, that this would be an up. That this final book would take Tom Reepley out with a bang of all bangs, that he’d finally get what’s coming to him, that all the misdeeds, murders, and vile acts that this lovable anti-hero has committed will finally be paid back, or, at the very least, be resurfaced, ready to hurt him. Well, while Highsmith does attempt this, in her own misguided way, it fails … fails utterly. As I began to read Ripley Under Water, I smiled, because I was reminded of the amazing way Highsmith can make mundane things seem interesting. Tom goes about his garden, clipping away, booking a trip for him and his wife to Morocco. You get the feeling Highsmith is setting the scene, ready for Tom’s final story. Tom meets an Odd Pair, a strange couple who are fascinated and obsessed by him. These are the main antagonists, though their motivations are vague. They simply wish to … mess with Tom. There’s no personal malice or anything, just kicks. Sounds interesting, considering Tom has done something similar to another person (Ripley’s Game) before, but it isn’t, really. There is little tension in the book, if any. The one moment in this book, the one scene where I felt any tension, was toward the beginning. Tom goes to the Odd Pair’s house, to suss them out, and, when he goes to leave, they say he can’t.Turns out they didn’t really mean it, but this one moment had some kind of tension to it. I was thinking the story would go in a pretty different direction. That maybe Tom would be captured and tortured, a prisoner in his own little village, his way of life destroyed, something like that. But, nothing happens. Tom leaves the house, goes to Morocco, the husband of the Odd Pair follows him there … for some reason, and it’s all very dry. Highsmith, yet again, thinks we readers need a travelogue of Morocco and, while not as bad as Boy Who Followed Ripley, it’s still incredibly boring.Pages and pages go by with nothing at all happening. Tom goes back to Belle Ombre, then to London to see his Buckmaster Gallery friends, and it’s all drab, and boring. There’s no magic in this book, sadly. Highsmith tries, she does, but comparing this to the first book, or Ripley’s Game, is unfair, there’s simply no comparison. What happened to the deep, meaningful writing I know and love, Highsmith? What happened to those situations, to the incredible pacing, that kept me up nights, wanting, craving to read more? I’ll give Ripley Under Water points for having an interesting premise, because it is -for maybe the first fifty pages – interesting. It just goes nowhere. It’s sad, because I absolutely love almost everything Highsmith has written. She is my literary God. When I wake up in the mornings, I think to myself:“Highsmith wrote thirty books before she died.”I start the day like that, because it’s inspirational for me. This is a woman who devoted her life to writing, creating these amazing fictional worlds. Highsmith created books that have struck me so heavily, and with such force, that I am often left speechless. Of course, when you write so many books, you’re going to have a few duds. Tremor of Forgery was a dud, this was a dud, Boy Who Followed Ripley was a dud, but don’t let that discourage you, dear reader. Yes, I wouldn’t recommend Ripley Under Water, but I’d recommend Price of Salt, and Deep Water, and The Talented Mr Ripley, and Ripley’s Game, and Strangers on a Train. If you get anything whatsoever out of this review, please let it be that you give these books a chance!Please. Because Highsmith, for whatever reason, was cruelly underrated. Almost completely overlooked during her life. She has only recently become vaguely known due to the movie version of Talented Mr Ripley and, yes it’s true that Strangers on a Train was made into a big movie by Hitchcock, but people have always undervalued her, even back then. But, don’t! Because Highsmith is better than Hemmingway, better than Faulkner. This is fact. This is utter fact. Even this book, Ripley Under Water, for all its faults, is still better than anything those two writers ever produced. Ever. Do yourself a favour and give this broad a chance. Keep in mind she was human, she made mistakes, had her bad days, and her bad books, but … god dammit, she was a writer. She wrote! And wrote! And wrote! And writers and readers everywhere must recognize this – that Highsmith wrote some incredible fucking novels. May you rest in peace, you beautiful, misunderstood woman.
A sequel of sorts to "Ripley Under Ground," which should be read first to avoid spoilers (but I didn't). In fact, this should be the last Ripley novel you read, not only because of spoilers, but because it's not very good.The novel, rather ironically, centers around a man who is trying to harass snobbish, upper middle-class Tom Ripley. It's difficult for readers to sympathize with Ripley because of his character and his past, yet we can't really cheer the new guy on because we know so little about him. We never get to understand the antagonist's motivations, sources of information, or personality very well. It's all quite boring, to use a phrase Ripley would use. Highsmith does have an interesting theme going on regarding the master vs. the "apprentice." Part of the plot centers around an old art forgery scam Ripley is involved with, and if the forger may not be just as talented--perhaps more so--than the artist being forged. Might this newcomer be better than Ripley, the master murderer?Other than that interesting little theme and Highsmith's clear and wonderful narrative style, there really isn't much for me to recommend.
What do You think about Ripley Under Water (2008)?
Two and a half years ago I read The Mysterious Mr. Ripley, an omnibus containing the first three Tom Ripley novels by Patricia Highsmith. Ripley Under Water is the fifth and final book in the series coming just four years before Highsmith's death in 1995.When Tom Ripley was first introduced in The Talented Mr. Ripley, he was young, unbalanced and quick to anger. He also had a big ego and no scruples when it came to getting ahead in life.By Ripley Under Water, he's older and happy with the life he has stolen, killed and lied for. He had a nice wife, a housekeeper and a home in France. He's basically retired. All of that is interrupted by a pair of annoying Americans who begin poking into his life and worse — his past! Young Ripley wouldn't have bothered with trying to figure out what the Americans wanted; he would have offed them as a matter of course and then gone about convincing their relatives that he was a long time friend and recently written into their will.Old Ripley, though, doesn't want to risk things. He doesn't get angry. Instead he travels all over Europe and down to Northern Africa, more scared than anything. I appreciate that people might change or fall into new routines but Ripley's temper and amoral take on life is the main appeal of the series.Had it just been Ripley's swan-song, I would have enjoyed the book just for closure on a series I have enjoyed (I still need to read book 4: The Boy Who Followed Ripley). Unfortunately, the poor editing got in the way. As the book progresses, Tom's name gets used more and more. I counted one sentence that used his name five times and he was the only person in the scene. "He", "him" and "himself" would have worked so much better. I don't remember the earlier books having this problem.
—Sarah Sammis
Written shortly before her death---in terms of the length of her career---"Ripley Under Water" is not Highsmith's best book; maybe not in the top 10 or 15, even. Never-the-less, it is Patricia Highsmith and therefore head and shoulders above most novels.I say novels rather than 'thrillers' or 'crime' stories because the writing, while dated to the time and the setting (mostly France) rates highly and the plot, aside from one brief fist fight, features no murders, bombs, stabbings or other episodes of person on person violence. Many of the flash back scenes refer to violent acts, but we are not subject to any real gore or brutality---everything is dreamily laid out for our inspection. Amid all this Highsmith builds tension and suspense and evokes that most coveted object of storytelling, the reader's "and then, and then?" response.Recommended.
—Dan Downing
LOVE THIS SERIES. Read all five while living in the city (New York, of course) as a twentysomething. Read them at warp speed, couldn't put them down for a second! (Even Manhattan and all her stirrings couldn't compete for my attention those short couple of weeks.) Still love them, all of them. Can hardly believe I fell in such extreme like for such a borderline borderline but, by the second novel, I was hooked. Smitten even. Alas, this probably says more about my real-life romantic choices sadly (yep, I'd marry 'im!)....I digress. Seriously. Read. these. books
—MustLoveTo
