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Azul Cobalto (1970)

by Patricia Highsmith(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

9726620090 (ISBN13: 9789726620099)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Gradiva

series

Ripley

review 1: Highsmith's 2nd Ripley is deceptive in its power. By that I mean, it may not seem as effortlessly written as 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (although it takes effort to make a work seem effortless), but by the novel's conclusion you see the cleverness of its entire construction. The book seems exposition-heavy, yet everything in its somewhat-languorous first third pays off as the story progresses. Along the way to its deeper/darker territory, there are satisfying tidbits that come from unexpected places. For example, a younger relative of Dickie (who Ripley murdered in book one) is around to give indirect insight into Tom - though he's not talking about Tom, he may as well be when he says, "More good artists don't show their personalities or waste their fire in their personal l... moreife, I think. They seem perfectly ordinary on the surface." Tom is, of course, more than perfectly ordinary on the surface; he has become more 'talented' indeed in book 2.This sequel (written about 20 years after book one) also reveals a bit more black humor than its predecessor - i.e., when a policeman calls Tom and asks "Is Mr. Ripley there?", Tom wonders "Was this the theme song of [my] existence?" Is Tom Ripley ever really "there"?. (The book, in fact, seems to have much to say about the kind of 'inner life' that is not that unique to Tom - even though he is a rather unique character in literature. An unseen character in the novel - a painter - has his diary read from and we get this: "There is no depression for the artist except that caused by a return to the Self. ...The Self is that shy, vainglorious, egocentric, conscious magnifying glass which should never be looked at or looked through." But that's all that Tom Ripley does; he may feel a touch of guilt or helplessness occasionally, but he manages to override everything whenever he gives in totally to Self.This is what makes Ripley such a compelling character: he does incredibly awful things (like the nearly Grand Guignol crime that takes up a good part of the book's conclusion) yet is somehow able to pull them off with a kind of dispassionate unease - as if he thinks, "Oh well, I'll feel better in the morning. I just need a good sleep." Or before bed, he'll soothe himself with a little reading of Goethe: "A little German solidity, Goethian conviction of superiority - and maybe genius. That was what he needed."At any rate, this sociopath has now more or less normalized his life and is able to justify anything evil he does as the greater good. In a weird way, it's almost like he just wants to see people being happy. Well, certain people. Can one be a sociopath and also have a heart of gold? Hmmm...
review 2: Oh Fie!! The same appraisal of Murchison´s in regard to the last Derwatt painting he bought also applies to this second instalment in the Ripley series by Patricia Highsmith: the soul of the original is gone. Because of his sharp discernment and stout commitment to art, Murchison pries into the affairs of the gallery that handles Derwatt work, seeking to ascertain what he is fully convinced of, that the new Derwatt collection is a blooming fake. Ripley endeavours to deceive Murchison and have him drop his enquiries, but fails and, furthermore, his eralier impersonation of Derwatt (long dead) is found out by Murchison, whereupon Ripley, in order to save the millionare scam he started along with his pals, bumps him off on the spot - and I likewise dispatched this book a few chapters later. A paintor may stick to his palette or try any combinations of hues, whether he occupies his brush on landscapes or protraits; still, we can recognise his touch. Just as the paintor, an author might bring back a main character, with its vagaries and history, secrets and desires, into a different setting, close enough to the one in which it premiered (perhaps even too similar, to play it safe); yet, while we acknowledge it as the winning formula, based on our previous experience of said concoction, it does not always warrant an equally majestic execution, which is what happened here: compared with the brilliant first volume of the saga, this one´s just a horrid smudge. less

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