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aarnireads's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most interesting books I've read. While an old one, it was still exciting for me, the tension palpable. Guy's almost-there-conflict made me want to reach through the pages and shake him once in a while and oh man, Bruno. How do I begin to describe Bruno. Bruno is one of my favourite antagonists of all time, honestly! Weirdly obsessed with ~doing things~ and clinging to Guy and making Guy do things, under the thumb of his strange mother he grows to be twitchy and out of tune with the world, only connecting to other people through the most extreme things. Like murder. Don't talk to strangers, Guy's mother should have said. Not even to strangers with charming grins and flashy shoes. Hated the ending, too abrupt for me but still an enjoyable read.
ptrmsschrs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
lucardus's review against another edition
3.0
Mein erster Highsmith. Ich bin eigentlich kein Krimileser, mochte den Roman aber. Allerdings hatte ich Schwierigkeiten damit, dass die Protagonisten allesamt irgendwie unsympathisch waren.
freya_sw's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
skellz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
akohlasch's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
oftboolt's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
congressbaby143's review against another edition
3.0
Ms Patricia Highsmith is really good at creating that almost claustrophobic obsession especially in the male characters of her novels. I almost gave this just 3 stars since it almost read like a draft of any of the Ripley series. Similar to the Ripley series, the tension and dialogue creates this homoerotic dynamic between the male characters. Ripley’s hysteria was more gripping though. In the end I gave it a higher rating of 3.5 stars precisely because of how clearly an unraveling clicked with one line: “Who is society?” Ugh her mind.