Pictures: The Complete Ripley Novels, box-set
Just over a year ago, which I can’t even begin to believe it’s already been that long, publishing firm W. W. Norton released a box set of all five Tom Ripley novels by Patricia Highsmith. I had read The Talented Mr. Ripley separately, but was so impressed with it that I found myself ordering this set (pictured above) as my birthday present to myself. It was well worth it, despite the stunning price tag of $100.00; but I only paid about $65 for it on Amazon.
It might sound like a bold statement to make, but I consider these books to be five of the finest works in world literature; and certainly modern literature.
It’s hard to define what they are exactly. Mysteries? Thrillers? Even defining the character of Tom Ripley is a challenge. Is he a serial killer, or isn’t he? Gay, straight; maybe bi? I will say one thing about him, and that’s quite simply that I fell for him as any lover would swoon, but there were points where he outright terrified me as well.
It’s one of the many brilliant mechanics that Highsmith utilizes in her saga, as nothing is what it seems and anything can happen at any given moment; there are a lot of plates that are spinning and they could come crashing down like a house of cards at any time.
That strange, almost surreal suspense was something that I appreciated about the Anthony Minghella film, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ from 1999 which starred Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett. I was absolutely blown away by the film when I saw it, and spent the good two and a half hours it ran for with absolute knots in my stomach. The photography was stunning, as was it’s terribly sexy cast, and I considered it one of the best films of the year, and a personal favorite in general.
Then I read the book and it was nothing like the film. The book was better.
What was missing from the film adaptation was the wonderfully wicked and dark humor. The story also veered off in different directions, and I was shocked that Cate Blanchett’s character had been completely manufactured for the script!
Oh, well. I can appreciate the Minghella film as Tom Ripley fan fiction, and I can also appreciate the french version, ‘Purple Noon,’ which stars Alain Delon. I’ve yet to see the ‘Ripley Under Ground’ take with Malkovich, but I’m going to operate with the understanding that we may never see a faithful film chronicle of Tom, and to recreate the books might generally be impossible to start with.
I’ll share more about my thoughts on the Ripley saga, but in the meantime, here are some pics from The Complete Ripley Novels. It includes The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley’s Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley and Ripley Under Water. The set was released in October, 2008 and features design by Chin-Yee Lai.
The books spell RIPLEY when standing together.
The red from the cover designs carry over to the endpapers.
Each book has a different icon to signify it.
And here is the epigraph from the final book:
February 13, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Strange that these books don’t have dustjackets. Those covers look like cardboard, and the sweat and oils on the hands could warp and damage them with use. I don’t think I’ll be spending the $65 anytime soon to replace my hardcover volume with the first three novels and my paperback copies of the last two.
“It’s hard to define what they are exactly. Mysteries? Thrillers?” If I had to label them, it would be suspense. Even though the fact that there are five books lets you know that Ripley gets away with it all, I still read them anxiously anticipating what happened next.
As for Ripley’s sexuality, I suppose he’s technically bisexual, since he’s clearly attracted to both genders, but I’d more readily call him asexual, since sex of any kind doesn’t interest him much.
I’m not a fan of the 1999 film. They turned a wonderfully complex and fascinating character into just another generic queer serial killer, and Ripley seems to just stumble upon the idea of identity theft accidentally. “Well, I’ve killed Dickie. Oh, I can imitate him too? Great!” I hate to sound like a cranky “the book was better” snob, but every change the movie made was for the worse and made everything less interesting.
And I’m glad you appreciate the humor of the books. Few people seem to.
“I’m going to operate with the understanding that we may never see a faithful film chronicle of Tom, and to recreate the books might generally be impossible to start with.”
If you have a Netflix account, give “The American Friend” a try. The plot isn’t entirely faithful to the book (“Ripley’s Game”), and Dennis Hopper’s Ripley walks around in clothing that the Ripley of the books wouldn’t be caught dead wearing (a mechanic’s jumpsuit and a cowboy hat), but the movie nails the intention of the book and, despite his looks, Hopper gives the most faithful characterization of Ripley. And this movie is the only Ripley adaptation to capture the humor of the books.
I’ve read the glowing reviews of “Ripley’s Game” with John Malkovich, saying that he perfectly captured the Ripley of the books, but I didn’t feel that way at all. He’s too confident and sure of himself throughout the film, whereas the Ripley of the books is only confident and sure of himself half the time and totally insecure and petty the other half, and Hopper captured that better. Not a bad movie, but it’s not the book.
February 17, 2010 at 6:04 am
Thank you very much for the comments. I’m also glad to see that someone else enjoys the humor in the series as well; it was a surprise considering how devoid the Minghella film was on anything of that nature, and that was my first exposure to Ripley.
I’m curious as to what you thought about the final book in the saga, Ripley Under Water. I’ve heard other Ripley fans trash it as weaker, but I found it to be almost agonizing to read through, and could barely stand to see what was going to happen in the final pages.
One of these days I’m going to do full and separate posts on the Ripley saga and I’ll go into much greater detail than I did with this little blurb, so please stay tuned for those, and I’d welcome any more of your wonderful feedback. Thank you again, Craig.
February 17, 2010 at 11:43 pm
I certainly enjoyed “Ripley Under Water.” I really don’t understand why so many fans trash it. I don’t feel like there’s a huge gap in quality between any of the books; if I had to rate them on a four-star scale, the lowest rating that I would give to any of them is 3 1/2. I can say that my personal favorite is “Ripley’s Game,” though, for a variety of reasons, and the first adaptation of it (“The American Friend”) is my favorite of the Ripley films as well.
February 20, 2010 at 4:26 am
Just want to add that, after posting my first comment, I put both “The American Friend” and “Ripley’s Game” on my Netflix list, because I hadn’t seen either in so long. After watching them again, my feelings about Malkovich’s Ripley in “Ripley’s Game” still match my comments above, but the movie was much funnier this time than I’d remembered, so I guess the number of adaptations to capture the humor of the books is two instead of just one. I still found myself preferring “The American Friend,” though, even though it focuses much less on Ripley. Neither of them is a worthy substitute for the book, though. You may be right about it not being possible to recreate the books adequately on film; there’s a certain something about Highsmith’s writing that I can’t put my finger on (it’s not just the humor) that’s present in the books that’s just not in any of the movies, no matter how good they are overall.
February 23, 2010 at 7:46 am
Thanks for the great feedback.
In regards to your earlier comment, I also think that the series quality remains consistently high, though I don’t know if I could pick a favorite. Ripley’s Game is excellent; when I first read the whole series, I read them back-to-back in about a month, and I couldn’t even believe that there was an ongoing saga that never dipped in suspense or quality. Specifically, I was amazed at how deftly Highsmith wove in a real emotional narrative with the 3rd book, never sacrificing the thrills or chills.
I’ll have to take a look at both films when I get the chance, as I don’t have a Netflix account. At least, not yet, anyway.
And you’re right: there is something about Highsmith’s writing that I can’t quite describe, but there’s a level of psychological depth there that that almost makes you feel that Tom is living and breathing in the same room with you. Even more unsettling? There were so many points in reading the books that I felt that it was even more than identifying with the character of Tom Ripley, but that I almost felt like I was him. Taking a tour through his mind is a chilling and yet luxurious place to be. Anything can go wrong at any moment, and yet it feels oddly comforting. Highsmith’s humor is an exceptional point there, but even that is only a small part of the picture. I honestly think it’s some of the finest writing I’ve ever read.
Thanks for the comments, Craig.
February 24, 2010 at 12:23 am
“Even more unsettling? There were so many points in reading the books that I felt that it was even more than identifying with the character of Tom Ripley, but that I almost felt like I was him.”
This is the most interesting part of the books for me. I’ve heard so many critics remark that we’re drawn to Tom because his charm makes up for his actions, but I’ve always felt that we’re drawn to him *because* of his actions. Highsmith doesn’t just paint her characters as amoral and allow us to wag our fingers at them; she exposes the totally artificial nature of society’s sense of morality, making us think that we would do the same thing as Tom (or Jonathan in “Ripley’s Game”) under certain circumstances.
February 27, 2010 at 7:11 am
I still can’t quite figure out what Highsmith is able to achieve in the Ripley saga, but it kept me absolutely hooked from start to finish. Seriously! I read through all the books in such rapid succession I was having Ripley dreams!
I’m still fascinated by Jonathan’s motivation in Ripley’s Game, and I find it both unsettling and heartbreaking to watch. That almost nails it for me in Highsmith’s writing: she manages to make a compelling and suspenseful plot narrative constantly evolve, in the most thrilling fashion, but I couldn’t get over how touching the last third of the book was, and it was a major turning point in the Ripley saga for me. Before I adored the wicked humor, but there wasn’t a core emotional thread, and I was amazed that Highsmith managed to so unexpectedly weave it in.
Keep your eyes peeled for when I get around to doing a more in-depth set of Ripley/Highsmith posts, but I’m thrilled to count you as a reader, and your comments are always appreciated.