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2010 Reading #97: The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
Books 81-90.
91. Over the Earth I Come: The Great Sioux Uprising of 1862 by Duane Schultz.
92. Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith.
93. The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum.
94. The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin.
95. Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith.
96. A Fisherman of the Inland Sea: Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin.
97. The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Critical consensus seems to be that the last two books of the Ripliad (yeah, they really call it that) are somewhat weaker, potboilers which Highsmith mainly wrote for the paycheck. I won't speculate on the author's motives--that's one of the more irritating ways to "review" that I've encountered--but I will say that this was a little bit of a letdown, particularly after Ripley's Game. It's not as tightly written or as tensely plotted, and Highsmith backs off on the dark quite a bit; there are times when Tom seems genuinely compassionate, and at times his actions are unambiguously heroic. The problem with this is that it contradicts much of what we already know about his character. It's fair to say, though, that nearly anything would be a letdown after Ripley's Game, and I still take a lot of pleasure in Highsmith's language, especially her economy of description.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
Books 81-90.
91. Over the Earth I Come: The Great Sioux Uprising of 1862 by Duane Schultz.
92. Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith.
93. The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum.
94. The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin.
95. Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith.
96. A Fisherman of the Inland Sea: Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin.
97. The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Critical consensus seems to be that the last two books of the Ripliad (yeah, they really call it that) are somewhat weaker, potboilers which Highsmith mainly wrote for the paycheck. I won't speculate on the author's motives--that's one of the more irritating ways to "review" that I've encountered--but I will say that this was a little bit of a letdown, particularly after Ripley's Game. It's not as tightly written or as tensely plotted, and Highsmith backs off on the dark quite a bit; there are times when Tom seems genuinely compassionate, and at times his actions are unambiguously heroic. The problem with this is that it contradicts much of what we already know about his character. It's fair to say, though, that nearly anything would be a letdown after Ripley's Game, and I still take a lot of pleasure in Highsmith's language, especially her economy of description.