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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.
The novel begins with a play on James's The Ambassadors. Tom Ripley is chosen by the wealthy Herbert Greenleaf to retrieve Greenleaf's son, Dickie, from his overlong sojourn in Italy. Dickie, it seems, is held captive both by the Mediterranean climate and the attractions of his female companion, but Mr. Greenleaf needs him back in New York to help with the family business. With an allowance and a new purpose, Tom leaves behind his dismal city apartment to begin his career as a return escort. But Tom, too, is captivated by Italy. He is also taken with the life and looks of Dickie Greenleaf. He insinuates himself into Dickie's world and soon finds that his passion for a lifestyle of wealth and sophistication transcends moral compunction. Tom will become Dickie Greenleaf--at all costs.
Unlike many modernist experiments, The Talented Mr. Ripley is eminently readable and is driven by a gripping chase narrative that chronicles each of Tom's calculated maneuvers of self-preservation. Highsmith was in peak form with this novel, and her ability to enter the mind of a sociopath and view the world through his disturbingly amoral eyes is a model that has spawned such latter-day serial killers as Hannibal Lecter. --Patrick O'Kelley
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
Michael Hayden is a convincing monster in this famously misanthropic mystery. Highsmith's Tom Ripley is frightening, not simply owing to his murderous actions, but also because he exists totally without conscience. The chameleon-like Tom is sent by a rich American to retrieve his dilettante son, Dickie Greenleaf, from Italy. When Tom cannot win Dickie over, he kills him and assumes his identity. Hayden gives vivid internal life to this sociopath. The fascination of the performance is that Hayden has you marveling at the character's perception and intelligence while you are at the same time repelled by him. The experience is like watching a spider move toward his helpless prey. You can hardly bear it, but you cannot possibly turn away. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
de Patricia Highsmith
de Patricia Highsmith
de Raymond Chandler
de Italo Calvino
de Patricia Highsmith
