Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collections
Publication
New York : Vintage Books, 1993.
Description
In this quietly terrifying exploration of trust and friendship, a troubled young runaway arrives in Villeperce. And when, on the boy's behalf, Tom Ripley is drawn from his lovely estate in the French countryside to Berlin's seamy underworld and into a kidnapping plot that requires the most bizarre methods--and sinister acumen--for intervention, the icily amoral Ripley is transformed into a generous and compassionate projector.
User reviews
LibraryThing member corinneblackmer
Of all the Ripley novels, this is the most unsuccessful. The scenes of underground nightlife in a once-divided Berlin are dated, and the details of how Ripley commits petty tax fraud (a crime for which Highsmith herself was investigated and for which she left France for Switzerland) are positively
Show More
sleep inducing. However, the failures of this book are instructive, and shed light on the motivational nexus of _The Talented Mr. Ripley_ and Highsmith's fantasmatic writing of the homoerotic. The book opens as Tom is trailed by what appears an indigent young man from the United States who has taken up residence in France. He wants to do everything for Tom--even polish all his shoes! The book then must explain this state of affairs which it does on two fronts, one of which in which it attempts to believe and the other in which it does not believe at all. Hence, the young man confesses (and it might be a fake confession) that he has murdered his despised father--a fabulously wealthy head of a food company--by throwing his wheel-chair ridden father off a cliff. So, he is sojourning in Europe to escape his sense of guilt. The other line is that he is in Europe because he is heartbroken over an affair with a young woman named Therese. At any rate, there he is, and Tom, who has no motive for murder in this instance, spends his time getting fake identification for the boy and inducing him to return to America--where he doesn't want to go Show Less
LibraryThing member Mendoza
From the book - In this quietly terrifying exploration of trust and friendship, a troubled young runaway arrives in Villeperce. And when, on the boy's behalf, Tom Ripley is drawn from his lovely estate in the French countryside to Berlin's seamy underworld and into a kidnapping plot that requires
I find that Patricia Highsmith is the master of unease. I get a slightly queasy feeling in my stomache as I make my way through her novels.
The plot, while not exactly exciting, still displays Tom Ripley at his finest. An almost completely amoral character with a very twisted sense of justice. I find myself rooting for him to not get caught in his schemes - and that is probably disturbing in itself.
Show More
the most bizarre methods--and sinister acumen--for intervention, the icily amoral Ripley is transformed into a generous and compassionate projector.I find that Patricia Highsmith is the master of unease. I get a slightly queasy feeling in my stomache as I make my way through her novels.
The plot, while not exactly exciting, still displays Tom Ripley at his finest. An almost completely amoral character with a very twisted sense of justice. I find myself rooting for him to not get caught in his schemes - and that is probably disturbing in itself.
Show Less
LibraryThing member KatherineGregg
The Boy Who Followed Ripley is the fourth (out of five) in the Tom Ripley series. While not a bad read, nothing has compared to the original. I think I'll stop here for now. Real life kidnappings of the rich and famous (Patty Hearst, John Paul Getty III) in the 70s inspired Highsmith in this novel.
LibraryThing member ecw0647
Our amoral friend Ripley, living with Heloise in France, is approached by a mysterious young man, who it is revealed, has killed his father and is seeking refuge in France, both from his family, who do not believe he is guilty, and from his conscience, which knows he is culpable. Ripley assumes the
Show More
unusual role of "good guy" in this novel. After Frank, the young man, is kidnapped, Ripley goes to extreme lengths to successfully help his young friend. Show Less
LibraryThing member leforestiere
Of all the Ripley novels, this is the most unsuccessful and boring one. too much explanations of useless details.
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
I found this one way too focused on domestic issues to be anything like taut. Gardening, sleeping and bathroom arrangements, ant problems, car repair, door keys - it was crazy. Also I think Lou Reed is almost the only 'rock and roll' she knew. Into this homeliness we have Tom fulfilling his
Show More
fatherhood longings with the wayward Frank. While I didn't see quite what came at the end until it was inevitable, I thought it was fitting. Interesting how Highsmith kept Tom's reactions low and almost non-existent. For such a cold and amoral guy, with all he did for Frank I thought it might have been less restrained. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrokenTune
The Boy Who Followed Ripley, published in 1980, is the 4th book in the Tom Ripley series, and seems to be quite different to the other installments.
In this one, Tom is sought out in his home in France by an American teenage runaway who asks him for a job. Tom agrees to hire him as a help in the
Then the story takes a turn that leads us to follow the two to Berlin where Billy/Frank is kidnapped.......
This book seriously had me scratching my head - I don't even know where to start taking this apart: Should I start with the obvious flaw? Yes? OK - plot holes. So, so, many of them and they start right at the beginning. Why did Billy/Frank seek out Tom? Why does he tell him his motivations? Why do they need to go to Berlin? How do they end up in the gay bar scene? (I mean, I get why, so the question is really how?) Why the kidnapping? And here I'm really puzzled as to how this would even be practicable....... I have so, so many questions. Very little of this book made sense. Least of all the Frank's letter.
Did Highsmith write this one purely for the money? I mean, there are a lot of details about the French tax authorities in this book that sound similar to what Highsmith was dealing with. Her relations with the French tax authorities were, erm, "strained", so maybe that was one of the motivations for the book.
However, there was also something rather mellow in the way that Tom looked after Frank and in that Tom seemed to have a lot more patience for other people than in the first book. (I have not yet read books 2 and 3.) And something about this more personable side seemed to reflect something of the author. At least, it seemed to reflect some of what my impression is about the author after reading a few of her books, and this made The Boy Who Followed Ripley still somewhat intriguing.
Andrew Wilson (in Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith) notes that Highsmith conceived the idea of this book after she had to deal with inheritance issues, and that she wrote to her editor that she wanted to explore the theme of legacy. I do believe this does indeed come across in the book - on one hand we have Frank and his father and brother, who are one line of legacy and on the other we have the similar personae of Tom and Frank. The central point of issue being that The Boy Who Followed Ripley actually rejects Tom's motivations as strongly as he rejects the motivations of his own family - both of them being financial gain.
I honestly don't know what to make of the book. On one hand, there are certainly some interesting themes - Ripley's morals, questions about gender/sexuality, the topic of legacy - but on the other hand, the lack of flow of the book and the rocky plot make it bit of a chore to read.
In this one, Tom is sought out in his home in France by an American teenage runaway who asks him for a job. Tom agrees to hire him as a help in the
Show More
garden. As they get to know each other, Tom learns more about the reasons why Billy/Frank ran away from home and sees some similarities between himself and the boy. Then the story takes a turn that leads us to follow the two to Berlin where Billy/Frank is kidnapped.......
This book seriously had me scratching my head - I don't even know where to start taking this apart: Should I start with the obvious flaw? Yes? OK - plot holes. So, so, many of them and they start right at the beginning. Why did Billy/Frank seek out Tom? Why does he tell him his motivations? Why do they need to go to Berlin? How do they end up in the gay bar scene? (I mean, I get why, so the question is really how?) Why the kidnapping? And here I'm really puzzled as to how this would even be practicable....... I have so, so many questions. Very little of this book made sense. Least of all the Frank's letter.
Did Highsmith write this one purely for the money? I mean, there are a lot of details about the French tax authorities in this book that sound similar to what Highsmith was dealing with. Her relations with the French tax authorities were, erm, "strained", so maybe that was one of the motivations for the book.
However, there was also something rather mellow in the way that Tom looked after Frank and in that Tom seemed to have a lot more patience for other people than in the first book. (I have not yet read books 2 and 3.) And something about this more personable side seemed to reflect something of the author. At least, it seemed to reflect some of what my impression is about the author after reading a few of her books, and this made The Boy Who Followed Ripley still somewhat intriguing.
Andrew Wilson (in Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith) notes that Highsmith conceived the idea of this book after she had to deal with inheritance issues, and that she wrote to her editor that she wanted to explore the theme of legacy. I do believe this does indeed come across in the book - on one hand we have Frank and his father and brother, who are one line of legacy and on the other we have the similar personae of Tom and Frank. The central point of issue being that The Boy Who Followed Ripley actually rejects Tom's motivations as strongly as he rejects the motivations of his own family - both of them being financial gain.
I honestly don't know what to make of the book. On one hand, there are certainly some interesting themes - Ripley's morals, questions about gender/sexuality, the topic of legacy - but on the other hand, the lack of flow of the book and the rocky plot make it bit of a chore to read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ngabriel
A very dated book that focuses on a very specific part of Germany during a very specific time period. Since i was not interested in either - I was bored. Bored by a book about a sociopath and his homo-erotic relationship with a young man where no action other than sight-seeing happens until the
Show More
very end. It sounds difficult to make such subject matter boring but it was. I recommend skipping this edition of the Ripley novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
I first met Tom Ripley in 1992 when I serendipitiously chose Ripley Under Water from my local library. I read it not realizing that it was the final book in a series, and was entranced with Highsmith's somehow endearing sociopath.
Several years later, I found and read the first three novels in the
Then on a recent trip to the library I saw The Boy Who Followed Ripley, with Ripley Under Water right next to it on the shelf. I had not realized that there was a 5th Ripley book (TBWFR), which falls between Ripley's Game and Ripley Under Water. I decided to read the 'missing link,' and to reread the final book, in the order intended.
I don't think TBWFR is one of the better Ripley books. It goes on too long. The crisis is resolved 75-100 pages before the end, and for those 75-100 pages I kept waiting for something to happen. This being Highsmith, ultimately it does, but I felt there was a lot of wasted verbiage in between.
Nevertheless, I liked TBWFR because it presents Ripley in a different light--as a paternal figure. He becomes the mentor, confidante and savior of a troubled runaway teenage boy, and although a few murders are involved, Ripley does a decent job of nurturing this damaged boy.
(Re)reading Ripley Under Water was also worthwhile. The ironies in Ripley tending his dahlias, learning to play the harpsichord, and his relationships with his beloved Heloise and the faithful Madame Annette are initially missed by one who is not aware of Ripley's past. References to Dickie Greenleaf, art forgeries and the disappearance of Mr. Murchison are enigmatic. Obviously, the book was much more rewarding reading it in its intended order. (I was puzzled, however, that there were no references to the escapades in TBWFR in this final book).
Highsmith's talent is to make us actually like this sociopathic con man/murderer. She somehow convinces us that Ripley's self-justifications are entirely reasonable, and that the crimes he commits are necessary. Wickedly funny.
Several years later, I found and read the first three novels in the
Show More
series, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground and Ripley's Game. Overall, I would rate the Ripley series as excellent--in the four star range.Then on a recent trip to the library I saw The Boy Who Followed Ripley, with Ripley Under Water right next to it on the shelf. I had not realized that there was a 5th Ripley book (TBWFR), which falls between Ripley's Game and Ripley Under Water. I decided to read the 'missing link,' and to reread the final book, in the order intended.
I don't think TBWFR is one of the better Ripley books. It goes on too long. The crisis is resolved 75-100 pages before the end, and for those 75-100 pages I kept waiting for something to happen. This being Highsmith, ultimately it does, but I felt there was a lot of wasted verbiage in between.
Nevertheless, I liked TBWFR because it presents Ripley in a different light--as a paternal figure. He becomes the mentor, confidante and savior of a troubled runaway teenage boy, and although a few murders are involved, Ripley does a decent job of nurturing this damaged boy.
(Re)reading Ripley Under Water was also worthwhile. The ironies in Ripley tending his dahlias, learning to play the harpsichord, and his relationships with his beloved Heloise and the faithful Madame Annette are initially missed by one who is not aware of Ripley's past. References to Dickie Greenleaf, art forgeries and the disappearance of Mr. Murchison are enigmatic. Obviously, the book was much more rewarding reading it in its intended order. (I was puzzled, however, that there were no references to the escapades in TBWFR in this final book).
Highsmith's talent is to make us actually like this sociopathic con man/murderer. She somehow convinces us that Ripley's self-justifications are entirely reasonable, and that the crimes he commits are necessary. Wickedly funny.
Show Less
LibraryThing member amerynth
This is the fourth book in Patricia Highsmith's Ripliad and it's a bit of a turn from the first ones. This time the story mostly follows arch-criminal Tom has he assists a young man who flatters him and is in a whole lot of trouble himself.
The book felt a little rough -- and it doesn't entirely
The book felt a little rough -- and it doesn't entirely
Show More
fit in with the other books -- I could never figure out quite why Tom became so absorbed in Billy's blight -- it seemed quite un-Tom-like. The novel moved along easily enough and and was interesting overall, but I'm not sure how it really fit into Tom's progression as a character. Show Less
LibraryThing member RuMuse
I enjoyed most of the Ripley novels (the first was by far the best), but this one, in which Ripley gets attached to a teen psychopath who secretly killed his father, was rather boring. I skimmed the last third of it.
LibraryThing member JBD1
The fourth Ripley book, full of typical shenanigans but somehow not quite as dark as some of the previous installments.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1980
Physical description
291 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
067974567X / 9780679745679
Local notes
OCLC = 1004
Google Books
Google Books