Patricia Highsmith came late to short fiction after decades of novel-writing, and Joyce Carol Oates opined in the New York Review of Books that Highsmith had little talent for the form. The stories here certainly are uneven. Stories such as "Blow It" and "Something the Cat Dragged In" seem too formulaic; "Old Folks at Home" starts from an unbelievable premise and curdles quickly from its mean-spiritedness; "Please Don't Shoot the Trees" is warmed-over Ray Bradbury; most of the "Little Tales of Misogyny" are total throwaways. Highsmith's best stories, however, are breathtaking, and put the lie to Oates' blanket condemnation. My favorite stories in this collection are "Not in This Life, Maybe the Next," "The Cruelest Month" and "The Romantic," all touching and perceptive portrayals of women who have lived too much in their imaginations. "The Pond" and "The Kite" are brilliant and moving fantasies of bereavement; "Chorus Girl's Absolutely Final Performance," about the mistreatment of a zoo elephant and her final vengeance, would make stones weep. And that isn't even counting the tales of horror and suspense that were Highsmith's specialty. There are wonderful, Shirley Jacksonish tales of communities turning on their own ("Not One of Us," "The Black House"), Hitchcockian tales of murder ("Slowly, Slowly in the Wind," "A Curious Suicide," "The Button"), tales of conspiracies gone awry ("When in Rome," "Under a Dark Angel's Eye"). Highsmith's meticulous plots, wide knowledge of the world and bracingly acid view of life ensure that there are many more gems than duds in this book.

You often lose track of time reading this, because the stories don't drag, and they are mostly compelling - you'll often go through 2 or 3 of the collections in one sitting. And this also serves as a superb introduction to Patricia Highsmith's work.

We start with two odd collections, "The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder," then "Little Tales of Misogyny." The "Animal-Lover's Book" has "full-length" (i.e. about 20 pages long) stories of the blood-lusting intent of cats, goats, horses, rats, camels, and more! They're readable because the animals' feelings toward whatever malicious humans are involved are presented as they might be for a person, save for behavioral characteristics. A couple also have European settings which are used to the same effect as in some of her novels. "Little Tales" has a misleading title, since not all the stories can be considered misogynistic - rather, they are often tales of comeuppance, or victimization, just the main character is a woman (who won't always be on the receiving end - like in "The Hand," or "The Breeder"). All are very brief, so they're either "over with fast, at least" or "good, for their confines."

The remaining 3 collections - "Slowly, Slowly in the Wind,"
"The Black House," and "Mermaids on the Golf Course" play it straight, with stories of crime (the unsettling "The Black House"), suspense ("A Shot From Nowhere"), horror ("Slowly, Slowly in the Wind," "Woodrow Wilson's Necktie" [kind of]), "apprehension" by Graham Greene's introduction ("The Terrors of Basket-Weaving," "The Pond"), and what may be called "stylistic experiments," or none of the above - some ("Chris' Last Party," "Not in Ths Life, Maybe the Next") work, some ("Please Don't Shoot the Trees") don't; although even the lesser stories are still readable, if not as memorable as the best ones.

Anyway, this stands as a very worthy purchase, as is its companion volume (the uncollected stories).

My interest in Patricia Highsmith was sparked by the two movies based on her novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (the Matt Damon picture and "Purple Noon" in which Alain Delon plays Tom Ripley). I have read a couple of the other Ripley novels, but continue to prefer the first one over any of the sequels. In researching Highsmith on the Internet, I saw a collection of stories called "Little Tales of Misogyny" listed in her bibliography. Needless to say, the title intrigued me. Though many of the stories in "The Selected Stories of Patricia Highsmith" have been continuously in print, I have been unable to find a copy the Misogyny Tales.

The Misogyny Tales take up about 60 pages of this 724-page collection, each tale being only 3 to 5 pages long. It's hard to know what to make of them. Each story features a female character who embodies a specific aspect of the feminine personality; Highsmith allows this quality to unravel to the fullest extent possible, always to the detriment of those who live with or near the protagonists. The titles of the indivdual stories will give you an idea of the range of topics covered: "The Invalid, or, the Bedridden," "The Middle-Class Housewife," "The Breeder," "The Perfect Little Lady," "The Prude," "The Victim," etc. As damning as these stories are of their protagonists, in most cases the reader is likely to be somewhat in awe of the misguided heroines (as we are of the amoral Tom Ripley). Highsmith draws these characters with quick bold strokes using indelible ink. The reader is not given time to warm up to any of the characters and in the end they function more as archetypes than as full-blown fictional characters. Does Highsmith have nothing but contempt for her own sex? Possibly (think of Marge Sherwood in "The Talented Mr. Ripley"). Does she resist feminist rhetoric and politcal correctness? Certainly (you need only read "The Victim" to be convinced of this). Can she write in an honest and thought-provoking way? Absolutely! In some ways her attacks on middle-class convention and mores remind me of the stories of H.H. Munro (Saki) and Shirley Jackson--ironic and hard-hitting at the same time. Even when being her most brutal, she leaves room for pathos.

According to the dust jacket, Highsmith turned to writing short stories later in her life (beginning in the 70s). "Little Tales of Misogyny," interestingly, was first published in German (1975) before being published in English (1977). My only wish is that with a book of this nature (one spanning the author's entire career) that the date of authorship was given for each story. (It helps to know, for instance, that "Little Tales of Misogyny" was written during the height of the 70s feminist movement.)

The book, by the way, is very handsomely typeset and bound, worthy of an author whose recognition and esteem seems to be growing since her death in 1995. Graham Greene's Preface is brief but insightful.

My interest in the Thomas Ripley saga was first piqued by the movie of the same name which was quite fun to watch. But the power of the book lies in what Matt Damon cannot, despite his superb acting, illumine: what is happening inside Ripley's mind.
The book begins by establishing Ripley's character, and some of his past, and continues on to the story of how impoverished Tom Ripley hobnobs with the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf, murders him, assumes Dickie's identity, and escapes the clutches of justice, if barely. The story itself is rivetting, rife with detail that brings Europe alive. But the most fascinating part is the case study into the mind of a nihilist, and I feel this work to be on par with the another great study of nihilism: Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment".
Bottom line: read it, but don't expect the movie.

'The Talented Mr. Ripley' is an accomplished deviation from Patricia Highsmith's successful formula of writing about criminals (or suspected criminals) and the guilt/fear they feel. In this wonderfully atmospheric story she tells us of young, single Americans living the good life on the cheap in southern Italy (circa 1955). It all sounds so dreamy until we understand that one of these vagabonds, a Mr. Ripley, is a bit psychotic. He uses his 'talents' (mimicry, forgery) to a deadly advantage ... without feeling any remorse. The story is credible (..if you don't over-analyze it) and is, as with most Patricia Highsmith novels, very well-written.

While the novel is less fanciful than the film, its simplicity and 'purity' makes it a worthy read even for those who have seen the film. I found the film to be very enjoyable but it does deviate significantly from the book. Yet overall, the film does capture the essence of Ripley very nicely - Patricia Highsmith would have been pleased.

Bottom line: a great read by any standard. Among the 10+ Highsmith books I've read this ranks just below 'Strangers on a Train', which is her first and (IMHO) best novel.

After I saw the film, "The Talented Mr. Ripley", I was anxious to read the book for two reason. First of all, I had been very impressed with the delicate manner in which Anthony Mangela reworked "The English Patient" into film, so I was curious to see if he had done so here as well. Secondly, I loved the idea of the story and was curious about the writer.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a wonderful novel on several levels. It is different, it is highly suspenseful and in its own way it is believable. Did I come away from the book believing that anyone could get away with so bold and complex a crime? No. Did I find Tom Ripley to be a believable character? Absolutely.

Highsmith's gift in part is to make us empathize with Tom Ripley. In a subtle and understated way, we are drawn to Tom Ripley. While his motives and actions may be morally repellent, his feelings and judgment are oddly agreeable. His crummy friends in New York remind me of the crummy friends that I could not wait to abandon there. His sense of purpose and his deliberate role playing on the journey to Italy are probably common to every young man on his first major voyage. Ripley's attitude and experience have enough in common with us that we are drawn in. We are drawn in to the point that we eventually realize with a start that we are empathizing with a premeditated murderer.

Highsmith does not make a social commentary about the potential killer in all of us. Instead, she adds enough common touches to the killer to make us become his unwitting sympathizers.

The book also serves as a refreshing travelogue. Highsmith is clearly well traveled and she uses her experiences well. In the hands of a less adept writer, Ripley would have been annoying and the tone of the book too pretentious. As it were, Highsmith writes with great subtlety and skill.

Mangela's adaptation of the book departs significantly from the original. Never the less, it is as authentic and well made as his adaptation of "The English Patient".

"Those Who Walk Away" is a concise, fast reading novel of low-keyed suspense. The background is an appropriately gloomy wintertime Venice. Ray, the key character, has lost his wife to suicide. Ed is the unforgiving, not to mention self-centered, father in law who blames Ray for his daughter's death and tries to kill him. Ray pursues Ed through the canals, back streets, cafes, gondola rides and fancy hotels of Venice to clear his conscience and calm Ed down. The embittered Ed has none of this and chases Ray in the same fashion. Both find atmospheric Venetian "hiding places". To use a movie term, Highsmith makes use of an excellent supporting cast: Signor Ciardi, Inez, Luigi the gondolier and Elisabetta almost steal the show from the main characters. Highsmith also pulls the reader into the plot quickly, a talent of hers. We are involved from page one! The ending, which no reviewer should reveal, is smooth and satisfying. To fully enjoy the tale, the reader must surrender credibility on 2 points: 1) Those "meetings" between Ed and Ray are truly coincidental and 2) The Venetian police, as personified by Detective Dell'Isola, ask few questions and press few charges. I would give the author her license on those points and enjoy "TWWA" on its own merits. A closing question: Did Ray really let a nice Italian girl like Elisabetta get away? Did he ever go back to Venice to see her just once more?

I have just read this novel and I must admit that Highsmith's good reputation is justified. Even if it isn't comparable with first class literature, for example a S. Maugham's novel with a really valuable background, P. Highsmith's detective novels collection is praiseworthy. I would say that 'Those who Walk Away' is worth reading. She is able to transform a simple story into a thrilling plot. Here it is the question of an breath taking pursuitbetween a revengeful father and a despairing widower in the obscure lanes of Venice. I would value it as one of the best second class literature.

The novel deals with the dramatic and obsessive attempt of a man, whose wife has just committed suicide, to convince his father-in-law that he is innocent of his wife's suicide although their marriage was a failure. The plot is wonderfully interwoven into a great thriller. The brutal and vicious fight between the two men, Coleman and Ray, makes the attentive reader sit up and read on. The novel also includes a vivid description of the setting of this novel: Venice! The world of the two artists seems to be a very stark contrast. Both are trying to be very strong and represent their interests passionately.

Those who only saw the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley" will be quite surprised by the fact that Ripley is now married, living in a very nice mansion in France, working as an amateur artist and an active participant of the underground markets for stolen and forged paintings. Therefore, there must be other previous books that explain his change of sexual preferences and activities. (I do not know their titles)

That situation, will not preclude you from enjoying this book since it have a good suspense and have characteristic not easily found in most "bestseller" type of novels. Here the good guys are not really that good, and the people from the mafia simple criminals, but the author does not give you specific reasons to feel aversion against them. As a result, you might find yourself wandering why you care at all if Tom Ripley and company can succeed in their endeavors. But you do!!! This made the novel particularly interesting for me.

In her book about plotting and writing thrillers, Patricia Highsmith said that European critics and publishers think of her books as novels, not merely as thrillers. After reading "Ripley's Game", one can certainly sympathize with the European point of view. "Ripley's Game" is an excellent thriller and an excellent novel.

I suspect that this book finds Tom Ripley in mid career. He's married and living on a French estate thanks to the generosity of a father-in-law who despises him. A series of chance events provide Ripley with the opportunity to simultaneously repay an insult and to help a friend commit a crime. The ensuing action comprises one of Patricia Highsmith's most interesting stories.

Ripley engineers events so that the man who insulted him ends up committing the crime for his friend. But a sense of guilt and an adventurous spirit compel Ripley to come to the man's assistance. Since crimes never succeed in the exact manner intended, Ripley and company soon find themselves in a desperate situation that requires a lot of maneuvering.

By the end of the story, at least two people with conventional mores wind up behaving in a manner that contradicts their ethics. While Ripley's point of view is a little more subdued than usual, he still displays a few humorous touches. In the scene where he decides that he must garrote a Mafia leader, for example, he becomes excited at the thought of "his first Mafia effort". Later when he must explain the presence of two dead Mafia hitmen to a frightened housewife, he becomes the country gentlemen informing her that these people are vermin whose death is regrettable but who deserved their fate.

Patricia Highsmith usually writes from the point of view of a single protagonist, and since all speech and action is conveyed through that person, we quickly see things from his or her point of view. In this novel, however, the action is disseminated through two points of view, Ripley's and that of his puppet/accomplice. The result is both interesting and unsettling. On the one hand, we really get a sense of what other people think of Tom Ripley, and how much of his criminal life is apparent to them. On the other hand, it's a strange change to observe Ripley from the outside instead of seeing the action from his point of view.

"Ripley's Game" examines the forces that motivate a normally law abiding citizen to commit a crime. In the process it causes us to question how circumstantial our own morality and legal obedience may actually be.

This third crime novel using the character of Tom Ripley has mysterious intrigue written all over it. It's got a mix of Italian Mafia blended with Alfred Hitchcock-like suspense. I'd love to see this sequel made into a film like THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. The subtle homosexual hints in the book made me realize that the female author had plenty of gay friendships. In any case, she had a great talent for writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. A few lines in the book that I liked were: There's no such thing as a perfect murder. That's just a parlor game, trying to dream one up. Of course you could say there are a lot of unsolved murders. That's different... Gone was the excuse of paintings that Tom wanted framed. One didn't help Tom kill people, help him get rid of corpses, because one was going to frame a few pictures.

I'm so glad that the works of Patricia Highsmith have been reissued (I particularly love her Ripley series). This book is similar in many ways to the Ripley books - male protagonist who is an amoral American living in the European countryside and married to a European. Sydney is an unsuccessful American mystery writer, who finds himself unhappy in his marriage. His wife, Alicia, is a bit critical of Sydney and he finds his imagination plotting her murder. The suspense comes from guessing whether he will end up killing her and whether he will get away with it. The plot twists are rather clever, although very little of what happens is particularly believable and the ending is a let-down. Despite these flaws, Highsmith's writing style is so smooth and enjoyable that I found myself liking this book a great deal. Highly recommmended for suspense book lovers and fans of the Ripley series.

Someone once said that Patricia Highsmith's novels are like bad dreams that keep us thrashing during the night. This one is no exception. I can't really call it a mystery becuase there really is no "who done it" - at least who done it in the terms that we would normally associate it. Rather, Ms. Highsmith comes across like Ruth Rendell or maybe Elmore Leonard. Not so much of a mystery as a crime novel where the plot really isn't the driving force, it's the characters. She, like Rendell and Leonard, has created a few characters who bounce off of one another like billiard balls and move the story along.

Sydney Bartleby, an aspiring author-to-be, imagines a plot to kill off his wife Alicia, a painter. Oh, he hasn't done it, mind you, but he has thought about it enough. So, when Alicia takes some time off away from ol' Syd because their marriage is reaching the straining point, Sydney begins a descent into the netherworld of his own imagination. Did he kill her and bury her in a carpet in the middle of the woods? The only person in the book who might even begin to resemble a "good guy", widowed Mrs. Lilybanks, their neighbor, isn't so sure. Sydney leads the police on in their investigation and when it appears that his own fictions will rock and destroy his own life - and he keeps going on - you just want to shake him. I found this to be just a little unbelieveable. The last couple of chapters will either surprise you or leave you asking, "Is that all there is?"

Ms. Highsmith hasn't been that well publicized in the U.S. until one of her earlier novels, "The Talented Mr. Ripley", was made into a movie. Still, like here classic debut novel, "Strangers on a Train", this one shows us what forces might be perculating just below the skin of everyday life. Elmore and Ruth would be proud.

There is something tantalyzing about reading a book that could only be a book; a story that hides behind the fact that you can only know what you are told, never what you see. Is the story-teller of this novel (the original title was, I believe, "The Storyteller") telling us the bizarre and awful things he is doing or is he working out the plotline of a new fiction? Curious characters and situations, and some very odd behavior that stretches your reader's patience. But we do not go to Highsmith to meet conventional people with conventional behavior; we ask her to introduce us to the perverse and psychologically messy people we hope we never meet outside of her pages.

The current volatile and tragic situation in Israel today makes the mesage of Patricia Highsmith?s ?The Tremor of Forgery? even more relevant to the American observer of the Palestinean/Israeli conflict (regardless of political alignment). As Howard Ingham gathers information in the largely Arabic land of Tunisia, the war of 196? between Israel and Palestineans is at its apex. Through an encounter with another American who is dedicated to spread the American, capitalist way of life throughout foreign, communist lands, the often arrogant, didactic American attitude is critically examined by Ingham. More specifically, Ingham looks at the differences of the incongruous moral codes of his native land and new home. Through a serious transgression of his own (one that would put him behind bars for some time in America); Howard examines the nature of morality. Are moral values internal and absolute, or are they simply a mirror to the moral values of the social context? Highsmith, who spent much of her life abroad, rather than in America, does an excellent job of dramatizing this question, as well as making the answer more ambiguous than most people are apt to consider. This is a necessary read, especially at a time when certain world leaders are painting political lines in the absolute terms of morality.

*The Tremor of Forgery* is a novel with an agenda - however, this agenda can be easily overlooked by a reader who is busy looking for clues - detecting - which is what one is supposed to do with a detective novel, right? Highsmith's book is a wonderful combination of mystery novel and political statement. Set in Tunisia in the nineteen-sixties, the novel's surface level features Howard Ingham, a young American caught in this foreign country amidst the 6 Day War (between Israel and Egypt - this was also when Palestinian territory was first seized by Israel) and its after-effects. Ingham has his own problems to deal with, such as the suicide of his employer, his lover's infidelities, and older men from Tunisia trying to steal everything he owns that is not nailed down. Ingham meets two other characters who play into these mysteries, and add a few of their own: Adams (an avid, overly patriotic American mysteriously living in Tunisia), and Jenson (a cynical artist with a missing dog). Oddly, these mysteries seem to fade into the background when one explores the deeper level of Highsmith's novel: what is identity? Is one American simply because one was born there? Does the American individualism that so typifies our country exclude us as citizens of a wider world? ... this book presents questions that should concern many American citizens: is our American way truly the only acceptable way to live? Do we consider foreign countries simply a place to advertise and spread our US "brand name"? This book leaves the reader with many unanswered questions (not to mention 3 unsolved mysteries!), however, after reading this novel one is left with more to think about than with your average detective novel. A pithy, probing look at American culture and attitudes relevant in the 1960's and today. An excellent read!

True to form, Patricia Highsmith's creation of _The Tremor of Forgery_ plunges the reader into the abnormal adventure of an American as he experiences the land of Tunisia, on the North African tier of the Mediterranean coast. Once a french colonial possession, Highsmith's Tunisia becomes a hybrid cultural space, demanding that its inhabitants not only speak a number of different languages, but also that they encounter the moral divergences of culture that clash when societies disagree on the value of a human life. The persevering character Francis Adams desperately hopes to embody the essence of America as he lives neatly tucked away in a comfortable, seemingly impenetrable bungalow on the beach, lecturing his fellow countrymen on the need to impose western morals on a decidedly non-western culture and producing an illicit radio broadcast that portrays the american "way of life" via the airwaves for the educational benefit of the non-western world. The Danish Anders Jensen exhibits stark refusal to buy into the moral code of the western world, declaring that the lost life of a member of the Tunisian native crowd "wasn't worth [his] dog." Howard Ingham strikes the balance between these two perspectives, refusing to totally accept the societal distinctions and prescribed moral codes of either world, while at the same time desperately trying to come to grips with the value of life. The secret that Ingham desperately wishes to hide forces him to question the notion of legitimacy in the american way of life - whether the western notion of morality truly permeates the lives of its inhabitants or whether the concept of american culture represents little more than a forgery, a mélange of the world's societies that has been badly duplicated, carrying no more value than a pair of badly counterfeited Levi's jeans.

i took this book out of the library interested in the work of patricia highsmith. it was jacketless, so i had no idea what it was about, and just read it knowing it would probably be a slightly creepy, unsettling read. and it was, to a degree, but it also seemed like an odd parable about the opression of men, (which is perfectly fine) that bordered on the silly. i won't give the ending away, but i was sorely dissappointed on the heavy handed metaphoric insinuations the book made.

because of the palapable distance between the reader and the main character, it was difficult for me to not see her as being a bit of a nut job from the start. in fact, all of the characters were odd, and i thought, impossible to identify with. identification isn't the point necessarily, but i longed for something more, i felt like the novel needed to draw me in more or push me further away with the creepy factor.

i would give it only 2 stars instead of three, but admittedly it was a quick, kind of fun read. not a waste of time, gripping in it's way... not too good, but not bad either.

I hope the movie The Talented Mr Ripley has brought new readers to the works of Patricia Highsmith. I started reading her books after falling in love with Hitcock's movie Strangers on a Train and hunting for the book it was based on. I have since read every Highsmith I have come across.

Edith's Diary is the one that has stuck with me. It is not like her other books which are more traditional psychological thrillers with male protagonists. It is certainly not like the Ripley books. Edith has none of the glamor and allure of Tom Ripley. She is a normal, everyday housewife who is increasingly disappointed with her life. She starts to keep a diary which becomes more real for her than her disintegrating daily life. Highsmith makes Edith's descent into insanity understandable, believable, almost inevitable, and just as creepy as any of her other stories. A beautifully written book by a great writer.

If you like Highsmith read this one. Also do not miss A Dog's Ransom, The Cry of the Owl, Found in the Street, Strangers on a Train.... etc. I am still looking for a Highsmith book I don't like. She was a genius.

...trying to make her life meaningful. - I read the book in one go as a 23 year old man. I interpreted it more as a tale of what it means to become an artist, especially a writer. Mrs. Highsmith's description of the inner life of Edith's son (down to his masturbation fantasies) convinced me once and for all that there is no barrier between the sexes when it comes to write about each other. "Edith's Diary" is for me one of the greatest American novels of this century, practically unknown in America.

I guess I just don't get it. "The Cry of the Owl" shows promise early in the story as Robert, a nice but confused young man becomes involved (implausibly!) with Jenny,a nice young woman any guy would like to meet and date. But how many girls invite peeping Toms in for coffee instead of calling the cops? The story proceeds apace with actions, characters, dialog and plot twists that simply seem increasingly unreal. I know this is fiction but Ms. Highsmith writes as though she has lived her life in an ivory tower. People like this-except for good old Jenny- just don't exist. Read the book and email me that you believe Nickie! To give the author her due, there is a definite sense of gloom right from the start and the characters, especially Greg and the cop, Lippenholz, add to the depressed aura of foreboding. The book reads quickly.The depressed small Pennsylvania town setting is just right. But then nothing happens- or maybe something did and I just missed it. And if you understand the "ending", you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. It's back to Ann Rule for me!

It is a very well written novel in which a newspaper story is very well described with all the details. I liked the hero Robert very much, because he is a kind, warm-hearted person. He doesn't need to show everybody how he is and what he can do. But his kindness is the actually reason for all this grief and tragedy in this book. Jenny, a nice girl who believes that her life tragically marred, is also a very good character. The main subject in this novel is death, which is always mentioned in the course of the story. Quite a remarkable thing is the fact that the persons always guess what the other characters do or even think. The owl is the most important symbol in this novel, although it is mentioned very little. But it is a very important, because in the whole story it plays quite an important part. I liked this novel by Patricia Highsmith very much.

This is the kind of story you can read about everyday in the papers, or hear about on 20/20 type of shows, only here it is novelized and done so well. I don't find it surprising, once we've gotten to know all the characters, that Jenny would invite Robert into her house. And I liked Robert, because he's a good guy, with good intentions and without the need to explain himself to everybody, but it's his goodness that allows for all the grief in the book. My biggest problem with the book was that the characters guess at what the others are doing, and lo and behold that's what they are up to. Otherwise, it's a great book. Throw together a bunch of characters with scheming minds, mixed in with characters who just want to lead their lives, and that's the kind of story this is. Only the second book I've read from her, but I can guarantee I'll be making my way through all of them, including the Ripley series.

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. I had hoped the final Ripley novel from Highsmith would be one of her better works; some of the amazon.com reviews looked promising. But sorry to say, Ripley Under Water is just average Ripley fare.

Ripley Under Water starts off with such a wonderful premise. Tom Ripley is being hounded by a fanatic who for some inexplicable reason senses Ripley's murderous past, and is determined to make Ripley's life miserable as he uncovers the truth. But unfortunately Highsmith doesn't turn on the anxiety as expected, and the story has a rather unsatisfactorily flat ending. Beyond this, Highsmith spends so much time re-telling tidbits of the early Ripley novels ... as if there are potential readers who decided to start off on this book rather than follow in sequence (not likely, and not advisable).

But Ripley Under Water works very well in one aspect: the Ripley ambiance. It is amazing how Highsmith can capture the feeling of the characters and the setting so consistently throughout the Ripley series, a series spanning some 30+ years. She spends so much time detailing Tom Ripley's behaviour at being ... Tom Ripley! Enjoyable to an extent, but this too wears thin.

Bottom line: a satisfactory read for Highsmith fans only.

This was my first Patricia Highsmith book, and I, too, picked it up because I had seen the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley". I couldn't find that book, so started with this one. It took a while to "get into" the story, but I was quickly compelled. The one drawback: too many french phrases that I had to spend time either trying to figure out from the context of the sentence or look up the meanings from the on-line french-to-english dictionaries. Some words just weren't there. Mon dieu! Aside from those irritations, I found the story to be fascinating, particularly with Tom's relationships to those around him. Heloise, for instance. Sometimes, it seemed like she viewed him with antagonism or thinly veiled contempt. Her responses were too cool at times. Not like a wife. Why don't they sleep together? Is there more about their relationship in previous books? I thought the relationship with the friend that came over from England was also interesting. I so enjoyed the scene where they witness the Pritchards falling into their pond. You could truly sense Tom's utter delight that his nemesis was going to drown! I loved it! And how he had to tame his obvious enthusiasm so that his friend wouldn't find him totally reprehensible! Brilliant writing. I will definitely read more of her books and am sad the series is over.

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.

Patricia Highsmith is one of the most effective suspense writers I've come across. I have never been able to put my finger on exactly why - others can do the fancy literary analysis - but you HAVE to keep reading, you feel like you're right there in that place and time, and you feel all of Tom Ripley's worry, relief, triumph and terror as if it was your own.

Her books aren't particularly fast-moving or violent, and don't get to the action directly enough for some people. But if her wonderful, evocative prose gets you, Ripley (re-)discovering the single corpse of one of his victims is more horrifying than anything in a dozen splatter books - I was just dreading it, for pages and pages before it happened.

Ms Highsmith's talent for building tension, suspense and sheer dread are even more marked in Ripley Under Water because we know what's going to happen - Ripley has done some bad things, and somebody is trying to get him into trouble for them. As a plot summary, that's a non-story, but in the hands of Patricia Highsmith it's a taut and compelling thriller.

She gets us right inside Ripley's mind, a place with neither conscience nor much regret about his murders. His privileged existance, thanks to both his ill-gotten gains and the assets of his wealthy wife, is wonderfully

evoked, and we squirm at the creepiness of the Pritchards, his meddling new neighbours.

The waiting, while the reformed predator Ripley is himself preyed upon, is almost agonising. If you've seen the movie and don't like books where you know the ending, then start with this one. It'll scare and surprise you, it's simply a marvellous book.

The Boy Who Followed Ripley is my third RIPLEY book. I've read a couple of other Highsmith's as well (The Tremor of Forgery and Eleven were both excellent). The Boy Who Followed Ripley is most enjoyable as a further exploration of Tom's closeted homosexuality. It revolves around his protection and love of a 16 year old extremely attractive American boy. There is an elaborate kidnapping plot and a lot of other nonsense thrown in, but overall its a pretty simple love story. Highsmith sends Tom into gay bars in Berlin, to Chelsea in NY and has him hang out with more gay and ammoral characters than ever. The book kinda climaxes halfway through and never really goes anywhere, but its still a good read...

I'm working my way through the Ripley series (am currently into number five), and I think that *The Boy who Followed Ripley* is the best since *The Talented Mr. Ripley.* (Though the second and third in the series are well worth the read, and besides, I wouldn't recommend skipping them, since they provide background essential for fully appreciating the later novels.) What a great character Tom Ripley is! We've seen it in previous books, but here we see a lot of the tender side of Tom, who is really affected by his relationship with the boy Frank. I also find his relationships with his shady cronies interesting--they'll break the law regularly, but there is indeed some honor in their relations with one another.

The action of the book is indeed slow, as another reviewer mentioned, but I was struck while reading it by how tense an atmosphere the author managed to create without so much action. Always a sense of foreboding.

Again, as another reviewer mentioned, the action that does occur is perhaps not as well described as it might be. I at least was confused about precisely what went on in the apartment, the big action scene: the bad guys were going this way and that, and seemed to give up without a fight, but I didn't quite understand everything. Didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel, however. And before I log off I'll be ordering some non-Ripley Highsmith novels.

I just finished this book tonight and was sad to reach the last words - I only have one more Ripley book to go that I have not read, and since the passing of Ms. Highsmith I know regrettably there shall be no more adventures for Tom Ripley after that. I actually paced myself so I could mull this fourth novel in the series over throughout the summer, picking up again where I left off on airplanes, at lunch, and on the bus to work or school. I am very easily drawn into the enticing world of Villeperce and Belle Ombre in the French countryside that Patricia Highsmith has lovingly created for the talented Mr. Ripley to exist in - I am highly disappointed these places are pure fantasy, as I would have enjoyed a pint at Marie and George's bar-tabac with relish. This book is a mixed bag, I think, but still a great read. There are all the wonderful little details that Ms. Highsmith includes that make Tom Ripley a real person for the reader. As referenced by another reviewer, his relationship with his wife Heloise is fascinating to me. Separate beds, stories he doesn't quite share, obviously illegal activities, yet a true sense of devotion that evidences itself in the little presents he loves to buy his wife while on his twisted, dangerous adventures throughout the European continent. Heloise is not stupid, so I am sure she knows exactly what her husband is up to, so she probably doesn't care. There are a lot of marriages like this - maybe she finds Tom's antics entertaining. She does also know of Tom's homosexual leanings...as evidenced by her strong reaction to the arrival of Frank Pierson into Belle Ombre. Heloise realizes that Frank is infatuated with Tom and that Tom is attracted to Frank, whether he admits it or not. Heloise must really love Tom, since a streak of jealousy appears here that is not typically present in her cool, French behavior. She does not like the idea of Tom palling around with an attractive, teenaged American boy. Of course, she does not stop him. Just like she's never stopped Tom from his murdering, art forging, or smuggling for Reeves Minot. That's Heloise for you. I said this book was a mixed bag because you have to suspend a great deal of disbelief to plow through the kidnapping nonsense thrown in the middle. It seems like Ms. Highsmith wanted an excuse to preach about the evils of the Cold War, so she chose a kidnapping run in Berlin as a platform. It is ludicrous to believe that Tom Ripley would have been allowed to become such a guardian to Frank Pierson. If I had run away from home at the age of 16 to find myself in the company of a 30 something expatriate in France, I would think my parents would have made some sort of protest. Instead, the Pierson family seems delighted to meet Tom Ripley and thinks nothing when Frank says he "thought to look Tom up" after hearing his father mention Tom's name once regarding an art deal. In this way Ms. Highsmith intends to connect this book to her others, in which Tom Ripley was involved in a forgery scheme involving a painter named Derwatt. The Dickie Greenleaf affair from the first novel in the series is also referenced frequently, which comes to be a strength of this book. Frank Pierson is plagued by his crime, which Tom Ripley doesn't fathom. He admits to himself that the Greenleaf murder is the only one he feels guilty about, but that the other dozen or so corpses in his wake are as meaningless to him as so many pounds of meat in the Villeperce butcher's shop. And this from a man who can't stand the sounds of lobsters hissing as they are boiled in his French country kitchen. Tom is even more amazing than Heloise at what he chooses to see and not see about himself. What does he think of the fun he had wearing drag in Berlin? Why did he choose that hotel in Chelsea to stay at in New York City when the Waldorf=Astoria or the Pierre would have been the choice of a respected and well-to-do man in town? What exactly is the deal with the very separate bedrooms and the impression Tom gives of loving his marriage, but only for the creature comforts it affords his life? Perhaps Heloise and her friend Noelle are doing more on their adventure cruises together than charting ice flows in the Antarctic. This is what I love about Ms. Highsmith's novels...she leaves a lot of doors open for your own imaginings. Her books end without happy endings and definite answers...so rare today, in a world where Chrichton and Grisham sell the movie rights before their books are even published. She doesn't write with a cinematic eye. These were not screenplays, but actual books meant for people with imagination and intelligence of their own. I plan on re-reading the whole series years from now, since at 25 I don't think I will see the same things in them that I notice now. There is a great paragraph in The Boy Who Followed Ripley about generations, and how there really is no clear break for the 25 year periods that are supposed to define them. The things that define you are what you read, what you listen to, what world events affect you. Time really ceases to matter in the end for all of us.