The Paris AtlasCharting the artists, works, and places worth returning to.
Cover of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

The Talented Mr. Ripley

by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 psychological thriller about a young outsider who wants the beautiful European life badly enough to remove whoever stands between him and it.

Published
1955
Setting
Italy
Shelf rating
4.7

The story, briefly

Spoiler-free

A young American is sent to Italy to persuade a wealthy acquaintance to return home. Fascinated by his money, ease, and identity, he turns charm, imitation, and deception into increasingly serious crimes.

What's inside

A young striver enters the life of a wealthy American in Italy and becomes determined to keep the freedom, beauty, and status he finds there.

Why we recommend it

  1. Beautiful people with something wrong underneath

    Mediterranean leisure, money, desire, and moral freedom create a gorgeous surface over a much darker protagonist.

What this book explores

Book editions

Paperback edition cover
Paperback
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
ISBN-13
9780393332148

Reader reviews

Loading reviews…

Also recommended in books like Bonjour Tristesse.

If you like Patricia Highsmith

Explore authors with a similar voice, perspective, and influence.

  • Illustrated portrait of Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    The doctor of the Paris slums who wrote the century's blackest, funniest novel — and changed the sound of French prose.

    View author
  • Illustrated portrait of Albert Camus

    Albert Camus

    French Algerian novelist, essayist, journalist and playwright who used the absurd and revolt to ask how people should live without false consolation.

    View author
  • Illustrated portrait of Simone de Beauvoir

    Simone de Beauvoir

    French writer and philosopher whose novels, memoirs, and social analysis examined freedom, gender, responsibility, aging, and the material conditions that shape a life.

    View author
References

References

The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document The Talented Mr. Ripley, its publication, and its place in literary history.

  1. 1The Talented Mr. Ripley

    Official record
    Penguin Random House
    Used for

    Official record used to verify names, dates, institutional details, or other factual information on this page.

    View source
  2. 2Patricia Highsmith

    Official record
    Penguin Random House
    Used for

    Official record used to verify names, dates, institutional details, or other factual information on this page.

    View source
  1. 3The Talented Mr. Ripley — printed-book record

    Official record
    The Morgan Library & Museum
    Used for

    Official record used to verify names, dates, institutional details, or other factual information on this page.

    View source
  2. 4Patricia Highsmith papers — works inventory

    Archive
    Swiss Literary Archives, Swiss National Library
    Used for

    Archival evidence used to document the historical record connected to The Talented Mr. Ripley.

    View source
i
Why these sources are here

The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.

Explore more resources