harry_lemon's Reviews (159)

I found the story and main character absolutely unbelievable. A 22-year-old who hasn't even kissed?? I don't think.

If the characeter was in high school and hadn't been kissed...
Or if he was in college and was still a virgin...
Or even if he was finding "the one"...
I think I would have liked this book better if there was something at least semi-realistic about the book. Also, I didn't care to hear about the main character's "perfect first kiss." Gurl, grow up. 

3.5⭐
A great inspiration for what the movie became!

This was my first reading of Truman Capote and I was especially curious to see the original source material for the movie adaptation. While there are a LOT of unsavory things said that were very thankfully omitted from the movie, this story still had a number of very funny moments and witty repartee. Capote's writing style isn't the best, but I loved his characterization of people and they each seemed to embody a different voice. All in all, I thought this was a cute little read and a good one for someone who may be going through some things in life; it's okay to feel lost in life sometimes. 

Also, my version had three other stories with it. I read House of Flowers: while I thought it was okay, I did not feel interested in reading anything else from that book as I felt they were purely tacked on to build out the rest of the book. The stories with the main story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, are not related, so if you skip over them, I don't blame you. 

3.5⭐
Hmmmm.....I'll have to think on this one. 

For this being the final book in the Ripley series, I was expecting a lot. Granted, I'm not sure if Highsmith was hoping to write another one, or maybe she just didn't want to put the little bow on the entire story, but either way, this book is okay. (I will say, this one is significantly better than the car crash of the previous book). 

This particular story, while still very interesting, felt lacking. Though there were some great drama moments, by the end, I was wondering what all of that was for. It felt like I came to the end of the maze and found myself staring at a gold star sticker, saying "Good Job." Great...

Overall, I found myself wanting more character development and drama from Ripley. I saw so many opportunities for great development or twists. The series overall felt like a series of episodes, rather than one continuous narrative. Yes, there were some overarching plot points and details, but the main meat of each story was fairly self-contained. There wasn't a lot of bleed-over into each subsequent book, which I thought was a bit of a miss. 

I do think Patricia Highsmith is a great writer, and I do think that she was able to create a number of intriguing characters that had good dimension to them. I just think her overall plot of Ripley could have been so much more upward than what she produced. 

2.5⭐
UGH! I'm so glad I'm done with this book...

Where do I even begin? I don't know what happened with Highsmith at the time, but this book just fell so far from where I could see the story going. There was so much potential for an amazing plot, it just never went anywhere that you WANTED it to go.

I personally found the addition of Frank Pierson absolutely bothersome! I will say, I did grow to like his character a little bit, but I just kept getting a lot of Bernard Tufts vibes from Ripley Under Ground. I don't feel like this character did literally anything for the story of Ripley, very disappointing.

Also, so much many of the plot points were absolutely nonsensical. I understand that this world has a lot of stretching of the imagination as to what is possible with Ripley, but I mean some of the scenes had me wondering, "Am I reading the same author who wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley?" 

I'm probably being a bit harsh on this book because it was the longest of all of the books, but I also believe that this could have been edited down so much. Completely useless pieces of dialogue or scenes could have been removed to keep the reader engaged. By the third act, I was skimming pages. 

I feel like I'm now obligated to finish the series, I've come so far. I'm hoping and praying that the final book doesn't let me down...

4 ⭐
Now, THIS is how the sequels should be! 

I was so hoping that this book would redeem the legacy of Ripley after the last book and this book delivered!! 

I loved that Highsmith made the story evolve in an organic way, while still keeping a lot of the intrigue and maintained elements of what made the first Ripley book so amazing. Loved the development of the story and I actually enjoyed the characters in this one; they weren't completely insufferable as the ones in Ripley Under Ground (don't get me started). 

This book reinvigorated me with the story and makes me all the more excited to finish the series and see where Highsmith takes Ripley next!

3.25⭐
Man, I was so hopeful for this one...

This sequel to The Talented Mr. Ripley had me so excited to see where the character was going after the events of the first book. While it is interesting inserting the main character into new situations to test his ability of tact and ingenuity, I felt this book lacked so much of the tension that the previous book had. By the third act, I was speed reading just waiting to see how it ends (non-spoiler spoiler: it's not that good). 

Now, don't get me wrong: Highsmith still writes wonderfully, letting you into the psyche of Ripley and his intentions and the mysteries of his world. There are some really good allusions to mirroring and shifting perspectives, but I feel that there was not as many twists and suspense as in the first book. 

I'm going to continue with the series, but I hope that Highsmith enhances the character a bit and maybe does something else with the story to keep it fresh. 

If you've read this, or are interested at all, I have so many fun ideas of how this story could have gone, so would love to chat with someone about it! haha. 

4.75⭐
Wow, this book was INFINTELY better than the movie! (No shade intended; the movie is absolute perfection.)

I loved Highsmith's writing style and her ability to capture the human psyche of Tom Ripley. Oddly enough, you end up sort of rooting for him and also being amazed at what he does next. 

Very twisty and gripping. I liked it so much that I'm so curious to see how the rest of the series plays out. Can't wait to read them all!

(Also, I love the inherent homosexual undertones. Chef's kiss!)

5⭐
Wow! This book was amazing. If you are anyone going through a transition in your life - whether that's work, love, school, or just figuring out who the next version of yourself is - this is the book for you!

I'll admit, it took a minute for me to get into the story at the beginning; I was almost apathetic to Cleo and Frank just because I didn't seem to terribly care about their stories. But, as the book went on and I learned the cast of characters, I began to feel for each of these individuals like they were real people. 

Mellors does an amazing job of keeping you guessing on where the next bit of drama is going to happen and wondering what love really is. I think anyone can relate to at least one person in this story. 

Also, if you're looking for a book rec for someone in their early- to mid-twenties, this is the book for them!!

4.25⭐
This well-researched, biography shares so much in-depth knowledge about the troubled mental and emotional life of the icon, Marilyn Monroe. 

I have to give credit where credit is due: Charles Casillo did his homework. This biography told so many details that I think the average Monroe fan would be amazed to learn. Casillo is able to weave the story of Marilyn in a way that keeps you intrigued by her choices and engrossed in the emotional turmoil of her life. 

This story is not for the faint of heart. I finished this and I felt like I needed to take a break for a second to catch my breath. It honestly made me feel so sad, not only for the lost life of Monroe, but because I found her so relatable in her motivations and her desires to be loved and wanted.

I'm only knocking it a couple points just because the work can seem a little too lengthy. There were some details that I didn't necessarily find useful or informative. Otherwise, this is a must-read for any fan of Old Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, or historical biographies of icons. 

3 ⭐
This book was very informative for me, mainly just because I've always been so curious as to why Palm Springs is such destination for the LGBTQ+ community. 

Although this book had a lot of good information and stories, I felt as though it was slightly lacking. The writing wasn't the best either, which made reading this not the most enjoyable experience. I was thankful it was under 200 pages. 

That said, I do think that if someone is curious about the history of Palm Springs and wants to learn about why the place is so popular for the LGBTQ community, this is a great start and worth checking out.