Strangers on a Train: Amazon.ca: Patricia Highsmith: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Talented Mr Ripley

by Patricia Highsmith

4.3 out of 5 stars (121) CDN$ 12.64

Suspension Of Mercy

by Patricia Highsmith

4.1 out of 5 stars (9) CDN$ 11.68

Price Of Salt

by Patricia Highsmith

5.0 out of 5 stars (2) CDN$ 12.78

Blunderer

by Patricia Highsmith

3.4 out of 5 stars (5) CDN$ 11.68

The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game

by Patricia Highsmith

4.5 out of 5 stars (24) CDN$ 21.32

› Explore similar items

Product Description

From Library Journal

Highsmith's 1950 debut novel made her famous (and inspired a Hitchcock film) but, unlike some of her later titles, was never recorded. William Roberts does the reading honors.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Time

For eliciting the menace that lurks in familiar surroundings, there's no one like Patricia Highsmith. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence
The train tore along with an angry, irregular rhythm. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars These people truly were strangers to me., July 10 2004

By	I. Sondel "I. Sondel - lover of the arts" (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Strangers On A Train (Paperback)

I don't know why it surprises me to discover that Hollywood has tampered with a novel. Having only seen the Hitchcock film scripted by Raymond Chandler, I was blown away by this early classic from Highsmith. Pretty much the first third of the novel has ended up on screen, but it would seem that Hitch and his associates simply didn't read the rest. Almost everything about this story has been changed. I like the story as Highsmith wrote it. She is a master of suspence. The characters are well drawn and full of ambiguity. Like most everything else I've read by Highsmith, this is both gripping and unnerving. I loved it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you?

Report this

4.0 out of 5 stars good read, Jun 22 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Strangers On A Train (Paperback)

"Stranger on a Train" is a really interesting book. It has a lot of crazy things in it and the main person is a real psychopath but I guess that's what makes the book so special. I like the idea that someone has an obsession and all he wants is to realize it. On the other hand I don't like the end of the novel too much since we don't know at all what will happen to Anne. But all in all it is a good novel and gives you some stuff to think about!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you?

Report this

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Thrilling!, Jun 15 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Strangers On A Train (Paperback)

The story begins very simple. Two people meet each other in a train and talk. But the end is not as simple as the beginning at all. Charles Bruno has killed Guy Haines' wife and Guy has killed Bruno's father. The basis for these two murders is established still on the train, but at that time no one imagines that it would go so far. Both have killed somebody at the end, but there is a difference between them: Bruno is an insane, and Guy is a victim.
Through the whole story a very complex relationship between these two men evolves just because of this accidental meeting on the train. Patricia Highsmith shows her ability to describe such relationships in a wonderful way. She tells a whole story with a relationship and has no need of any kind of big surprise effects to turn around the whole story. The reader is always up-to-date concerning the main action. Although it's not boring at all, because the real tension of the story is not created by the progression of the actions but by the progression of the relationship.
"Straingers on a Train" is not a typical detective story. Highsmith's protagonist is not a private detective who solves the case gloriously. The two murderers are protagonists, the reader even shares the suffering of the two men running away from the "bad" police. This complete role reversal - together with many other unusual initial positions - makes the book to a unique reading enjoyment. Absolutely recommendable!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you?

Report this

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 15 customer reviews...

Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Deja Vu all over again
This is one of those rare cases when the movie is actually better than the book. If you want the definitive version of this story, then watch the movie. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Joel Cormier

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Dostoyevsky
Patricia Highsmith's "Strangers on a Train" came out in 1950, attaining prompt bestseller status and intriguing filmdom's master of intrigue, Alfred Hitchcock, enough to... Read more

Published on Dec 27 2003 by William Hare

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Psychological Study!
Highly entertaining and original, even though so many rip-offs have been produced since its debut. Highsmith does a titanic job of studying the cat-and-mouse psychology of Guy... Read more

Published on Dec 12 2003 by Nelson Aspen