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).
Ripley Under Water
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Book Description
"Ripley is an unmistakable descendant of Gatsby, that 'penniless young man without a past' who will stop at nothing."-Frank Rich
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From Publishers Weekly
With the chilling, knife-edged subtlety that is her trademark, Highsmith ( Strangers on a Train ; Ripley's Game ) details the civilized life pursued by her sociopath hero Tom Ripley, who here makes his fifth appearance and his first in a dozen years. Now living in the French countryside with his wife, Heloise, Ripley is bothered by an obnoxious American couple who have rented a house nearby and who seem bent on exploring incidents in Ripley's past. With no apparent personal motive, David Pritchard and his wife Janice refer to an American art dealer named Murchison who mysteriously disappeared some years ago after visiting Ripley. Ripley, who had murdered Murchison to prevent the exposure of an art forgery scheme and then dumped his body in a nearby canal, grows increasingly anxious and angry as Pritchard continues to harass him and begins dredging the local canals. Highsmith leads up to her resolution as unsensationally and evenhandedly as she describes Ripley's ordinary days spent tending his dahlias, practicing Schubert on the harpsichord, relishing his meals and looking out tenderly for Heloise and their housekeeper. The perfect gentleman, he is civil, considerate, utterly well mannered--and deadly. Highsmith will make readers look closer at their neighbors, and at themselves.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Highsmith's fifth Ripley novel, and her first since The Boy Who Followed Ripley ( LJ 5/1/80. o.p.), finds the sophisticated and amoral American expatriate being harassed by David Pritchard, a fellow American whose boorishness marks him as something of Ripley's alter-ego. Inexplicably familiar with all the incriminating details of Ripley's past, Pritchard is determined to expose him. He shadows Ripley's every move, first spying on him at home in France and then following him to Morocco. Tensions build on the return to Villeperce as Pritchard sets out to locate a body Ripley would prefer remain hidden in a nearby river. Not a suspense or mystery novel per se, this work borrows from both to create a disquieting exploration of the nuances of psychopathology that transcends genre. Fans of Highsmith and the enigmatic Ripley will not be disappointed.
- Lawrence Rungren, Bed ford Free P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Lawrence Rungren, Bed ford Free P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Nelson Aspen
Format:Paperback
Fans of the Ripley series will find a few enjoyable moments, particularly in the characterizations of the well known characters of Tom, Mme Anette and Heloise. Otherwise, there is little suspense and even less ultimate payoff. Strangers to the Highsmith works will most likely be left completely non-plussed. This is a particularly dated and unclever work.
By "vortex87"
Format:Paperback
I have read few good reviews for this book, but having read it now, I think very much otherwise.
In my opinion, this is the second best in the series - because "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is the best, of course, but also because "Ripley Under Ground" had a few good moments and was otherwise rather flat (4th best to me), "Ripley's Game" had a more good moments, but still didn't reach great peaks of suspense (3rd best), and "The Boy who Followed Ripley" was really pointless, and the core concept had already been done, and a lot better, in "The Two Faces of January."
But here, as soon as Tom grows suspicious of the Pritchards, the atmosphere goes very apprehensive. And, as the novel progresses, it turns to a tension - that sweet, magical "oh, don't get caught! Don't get caught!" tension - that only the first one really has. And it doesn't let go.
This book is indeed one of the few "unputdownables" that nearly equals Highsmith's best. It's definitely worth it. Read on!
By Tim
Format:Paperback
Having read all of the Ripley books in order, I must echo other reviewers in saying that this is the weakest of them all. A promising plot is overcome with unanswered questions, and an ending that just falls flat. All due credit to Highsmith for making the novel entertaining and interesting, and I would have given the book more stars had the ending been more interesting. As it is, kind of disappointing.
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3.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Too Much French, N'ece Pas?
This was my first Patricia Highsmith book, and I, too, picked it up because I had seen the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Read more
Published on May 19 2002 by ViAmber
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ripley series ends with whimper...
It is a shame Patricia Highsmith was unable to sustain her brilliance throughout all of her novels. Even the Ripley series has its slow moments. Read more
Published on Oct 17 2001 by lazza
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Waste Your Time or Your Money
I read all five Ripley books in order of their publication dates. I definitely had an attraction-repulsion thing going with them, but they kept me interested for the most part. Read more
Published on Aug 29 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant - a book full of impending menace.
This was the first Ripley book I ever read, and remains my firm favourite - I enjoyed it even more than 'The Talented Mr Ripley', which itself is also excellent. Read more
Published on Jan 22 2001 by AnnaKarenina
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some questions
Fascinating and sinister. The whole art of the noir genre is that you get to be on the side of the criminal and many other writers have done this. Read more
Published on Oct 2 2000 by D. P. Birkett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovable Sociopath
This, the fifth and final Ripley novel, was published 36 years after the first. Tom Ripley is now married to a beautiful woman and living a very comfortable life in the French... Read more
Published on Sep 29 2000 by Lisa West
5.0 out of 5 stars
A capstone for the Ripley Series
Having read the Ripley books in order, I found this final effort the perfect bookend to "The Talented Mr. Read more
Published on Sep 12 2000 by Mrs. Linda K. Friedman
5.0 out of 5 stars
A highly satisfying Ripley
I was thoroughly fascinated with the character because of the movie, really enjoyed Ripley Underground, did NOT like Ripley's Game because Ripley wasn't in it enough, and LOVED... Read more
Published on Aug 31 2000 by Catfish_Hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars
A highly satisfying Ripley
I was thoroughly fascinated with the character because of the movie, really enjoyed Ripley Underground, did NOT like Ripley's Game because Ripley wasn't in it enough, and LOVED... Read more
Published on Aug 31 2000 by Catfish_Hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiration for books writes
A lifelong friend of Patricia Highsmith - we studied together as Princeton juniors - I was pleasantly surprised to find certain of the more, how shall I put it? Read more
Published on Aug 21 2000
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