tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post4593130239445663487..comments2024-03-25T11:29:25.356-04:00Comments on Existential Ennui: The Great Tom Ripley Reread, 4: The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Heinemann, 1980)Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-67963910284477595242021-11-09T05:36:46.623-05:002021-11-09T05:36:46.623-05:00I'll certainly bear all that in mind – thanks ...I'll certainly bear all that in mind – thanks for the comment! Based on previous rereads, I suspect I'll be revising my opinions again if I ever get the chance to do a re-reread.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-91368976465169700932021-11-08T23:01:30.338-05:002021-11-08T23:01:30.338-05:00When you do your Great Ripley Re-Read Redux, I hop...When you do your Great Ripley Re-Read Redux, I hope you might look upon this novel with greater affection. It may lack the urgency of the other novels in terms of violence, but there is an urgency of heart and loins. There is also an existential threat, originating not from the outside (as is usual), but from within, i.e., Tom's relation to his sexuality (and by extension Highsmith's relation to her own).<br /><br />There is an honesty in this book that Highsmith usually camouflages with violence and obsession, but here she lets her guard down (if only to a certain extent). When Tom tells the Berlin bear "You will have a good home for the rest of your life," the mix of melancholy, regret, repression, and desire is devastating. Brooklyn_Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17591782689798560587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-46792755260835816882013-03-08T04:11:43.216-05:002013-03-08T04:11:43.216-05:00Well I hope this post hasn't spoiled the novel...Well I hope this post hasn't spoiled the novel for either of you. I generally try not to reveal too much plot in book reviews, but these Ripley posts aren't so much reviews as meandering meditations (I'm not sure I even reached any kind of critical conclusion about Boy; I'm considering doing a Ripliad round-up post at the end of the Reread, perhaps revisiting my Tom Ripley graph and seeing where each book falls on it for me now). They probably make more sense once you've read the book in question.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-21858494001597932782013-03-07T17:36:31.316-05:002013-03-07T17:36:31.316-05:00The Ripliad! That's perfect.
Like Patti I hav...The Ripliad! That's perfect.<br /><br />Like Patti I have yet to read this one though I've owned a copy of the US 1st for over ten years. So forgive me if I skipped over the most of the plot points. I'm going to add it to my TBR pile later tonight. I hope I'll get to it later this month or early April.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-2286719381537787282013-03-07T16:00:13.722-05:002013-03-07T16:00:13.722-05:00This is the only Ripley I haven't read. I have...This is the only Ripley I haven't read. I have been saving it. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.com