Rating: 
Summary: The Best Ripley since the First!
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Suffers from sequel syndrome.
Review: I've read 4 Ripley books, in order.
I have found the quality tails off as you read through the series, finally hitting rock bottom with the Boy who followed Ripley. To be fair the second and third are perfectly readable, just not as good as the first. The Talented Mr. Ripley deserves all the credit it gets, it is a well written and attention grabbing tale. The plot is reasonably straightforward, but I get the feeling that much of the substance remains in the authors head - there are many instances of unlikely events that Tom for some unfathomable reason imagines will happen, and lo and behold, they do. He instantly recognises who the boy is, with little evidence. He immediately comes to the conclusion for no apparent reason that certain things will happen to the boy (I won't spoil it), they all happen. These in our world are called coincidences, in Ripleys world we are expected to swallow them one after the other. I found myself skimming paragraphs, as I knew what would happen, because Tom had thought about it happening 10 minutes before. The character of the boy himself is woefully undeveloped. The premise of the boy 'worshipping' Tom Ripley is thought sufficient to explain why the boy meekly does everything Tom tells him to, whether or not it makes sense. Still, I'm not going to give it no Stars at all. I did manage to finish the book, and I certainly couldn't do any better! This is not her best work. I found myself turning to my wife and saying 'Boy, this book is boring'. A first for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Death eagerly awaited.
Review: In the fourth Tom Ripley novel, we meet sixteen-year-old Frank Pierson, the younger son of a millionaire. The father, John Pierson, only recently died in what has yet to be decided as a suicide or an accident. Frank is intelligent, polite, and seeks out Ripley because he has a dirty secret to share. So why is he so headnumbingly dull? The novel is well written, to be sure, but so little happens really. Ripley is understanding and supportive - I didn't like this parental aspect of him much. Still, there is some relief. Ripley get into a dress, for one, and the last chapter was a chili pepper in a bland pot of gruel, and almost worth suffering Frank's immature and cowardly whining for the whole rest of the book.
Rating:
Summary: I'll never tire of Tom Ripley
Review: No one writes like Patricia Highsmith. She takes the reader inside the mind of a minor villain and one can't help rooting for him. Tom Ripley leads a charmed life in a French villa with his beautiful wife Helene -- even if he does have to commit murder every now and then to keep the charm going. When a young American seeking a role model shows up on Tom's doorstep, Tom takes him in -- and a worse role model than Tom is hard to imagine. Part of what makes the Ripley series so much fun to read is that Highsmith keeps the relative moral compass in balance while the absolute moral compass is totally out of whack.
Rating: 
Summary: A Study of Conscience
Review: Out of all the Ripley novels, this being the last instalment of a series of five books focuses more on the central psychological issue that most of the stories touch upon, and that is, having to live with oneself after committing a terrible crime, in this case, murder.
If you are acquainted with any of the Ripley novels, you will understand that their uniqueness lies in the disturbing thoughts and behaviour of its protagonist, as he is thoroughly devoid of conscience, having the capacity to commit murder, usually on a spontaneous whim, and rationalize the crime to such an extent, that we the readers, are totally convinced that the crime was justified. Ripley is a highly likable villain, and a type of villain we want to see succeed. He is cultured, well-mannered, loves his beautiful wife, an expert gardener, appreciates fine art, music and beautiful things, but is capable of incredible heinous acts without a second thought.
In this last novel, Ripley is living quite comfortably at Belle Ombre, his beautiful home in Villeperce, and seems to be heading for an easy retirement. At the café in town, a strange boy turns up, and through a series of events, the two become good friends. As it turns out, the boy is a runaway from the United States, a member of a wealthy family. The boy has a terrible secret, he has committed murder, and he's on the run from his a family and his conscience.
As the tale progresses, Ripley takes on the role of mentor, having murdered many times before, perhaps unconsciously or not, guides the boy psychologically towards a frame of mind or attitude, in order to live with murder. Ripley has the capacity to compartmentalize his thoughts, push his conscience conveniently aside, in order to live with himself. The young lad seems to have the same psychological predisposition, but as the story unfolds, the boy's behaviour points otherwise.
This last Ripley novel is different because Ripley takes on the role of mentor and rescuer, saving the boy from the clutches of some unsavoury characters, performing his unique brand of violence which surprises, leaving the reader cold. But in his role as saviour, we cheer him as he commits these unspeakable acts.
For me at least, the ending of the novel was not predictable, it was both surprising and incredibly sad on many levels. Most of all, this book is disturbing, illustrating the fact that as human beings, we have the capacity to justify virtually anything, including murder.
Rating:
Summary: Sinister Undercurrent
Review: Patricia Highsmith continues her analysis of highly amoral and asexual Tom Ripley with her indescribably yet highly seductive and underhanded manner of storytelling which compels the reader to read on and subconsciously affirm each and every one of Ripley's actions. In this, the fourth Ripley tale, Ripley, squiring about in his French country manor, still dabbling in art forgery and living off his father-in-law's largesse, comes across a sixteen year old male American runaway from a prestigious family, working as a gardener. Taking the boy under his wing, he finds he is mysteriously drawn to him and with good cause: the boy, Frank, like Tom, himself, has committed murder. Knowing something of Tom's history, the boy seeks him out for tutelage, sympathy and God knows what else. The relationship develops as the whirlwind plot detours the reader from the French countryside, to Paris, to Berlin (for a 70s glimpse at the famous Wall), Hamburg, New York and Maine, all in that innocent yet insinuating Highsmith style that immerses one so totaly in Ripley's world. Even the most skeptical reader is convinced that whatever 'snafus' encountered along the way are par for the course, must be dealt with in typical Ripley fashion and are not worth a sleepless night or a second thought. However, while thoroughly enjoying the reading of this, I found that amidst all the touring, side adventures and insights into Tom's personality, something else was going on beneath the surface, something that I didn't quite catch. Tom's attachment to the boy is almost sentimental, yet with his particular practicality he is able to tuck such feelings aside when they are no longer necessary with a coldness that is reminiscient of the Mongibello Ripley. The reader is coerced into believing in Ripley's brighter humanity then ripped away and plunged back into the darkness of his soulessness. By the end of the story, we are again inducted into the cult of Ripley's brand of maleficence.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid. Outrageously Entertaining.
Review: Patricia Highsmith said that she was interested in the effect of guilt on her heroes. Nowhere is this more true than in her novels about Tom Ripley, a man who has no sense of guilt. In The Boy Who Followed Ripley, we see Ripley in a parental mood, as he takes a troubled young man under his wing. No mere synopsis can do justice to the delirious plot, but suffice it to say that Ripley gets to show both his paternal side, and his maternal side. The sneaky sense of comedy that has always lurked in the shadows of these books comes very much to the forefront, and the reader will be astonished that Highsmith had the guts to conceive, write, and get away with this remarkable book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Homoeroticsm for RIPLEY
Review: 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...
Rating:
Summary: Can Ripley Be Successfully Emulated by Others?
Review: The Boy Who Followed Ripley will either be your favorite Ripley book or it will be a large disappointment.
If you have not read any Ripley books, I suggest that you start with The Talented Mr. Ripley instead.
Those who will be disappointed by this book will be people who wanted a book just like one of the first three in the series. Those who will be very pleased are those who want to think through the implications of Ripley's character and who he is becoming. I have graded the book as an average of the two likely reactions.
We see a new side of Ripley in this book. He takes a troubled American teen under his wing and mentors him in the way that a friendly uncle or much older brother might. In the process, Ripley reveals more of himself to the boy than to anyone else. Ripley also ends up musing and seeing his own marriage and history in a new light as he understands the boy's problems.
I'm sorry that I cannot go into the story in more detail. To do so would simply spoil the plot development for you.
If you like character development with long stretches of little plot development, this book will be a lot of fun. If you crave the constant action of The Talented Mr. Ripley, this book will drag slowly in long sections for you.
Unless you are ambivalent about the Tom Ripley character, I do suggest that you read the book . . . even if it won't be your favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Suffers from sequel syndrome.
Review: This book is definitely my favourite of the Ripley novels. Patricia Highsmith has an incredible ability to detail the touching relationship between Tom Ripley and Frank Pierson. Ripley remains a murderer who sees his dark deeds not as crimes but as necessary steps or precautions. His regret, for instance, when recalling his murder of another character in a previous book is cold-hearted and very funny: he remembers murdering the man by hitting him on the head with some wine. He then recalls that the wine was a good quality product, and he regrets having chosen that particular bottle to commit the deed. Oh how I love Tom Ripley novels!
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