The Talented Mr Ripley: A Virago Modern Classic

Description

Tom Ripley travels to Italy with a commission to coax a prodigal young American back to his wealthy father. But Ripley finds himself very fond of Dickie Greenleaf. He wants to be like him - exactly like him. Suave, agreeable and utterly amoral, Ripley will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY serves as an unforgettable introduction to this smooth confidence man, whose talent for murder and self-invention is chronicled in four subsequent Ripley novels.

Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and moved to New York when she was six. In her senior year, she edited the college magazine, having decided at the age of sixteen to become a writer. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train (1950), was made into a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951. The Talented Mr Ripley (1955), introduced the fascinating anti-hero Tom Ripley, and was made into an Oscar-winning film in 1999 by Anthony Minghella. Highsmith died in Locarno, Switzerland, in February 1995. Her last novel, Small g: A Summer Idyll, was published posthumously, the same year.

I'm a huge Highsmith fan. If there's one book I wish I'd written, it's The Talented Mr Ripley - Sarah Waters An outstanding thriller which has deservedly become a classic - The Times Ripley - amoral, hedonistic and charming - is a genuinely original creation. It is hard to imagine anyone interested in modern fiction who has not read the Ripley novels - Daily Telegraph I love [Highsmith] so much . . . what a revelation her writing was - Wall Street Journal