Customer Reviews

Those Who Walk Away

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Highsmith is my favorite author, and this is one of her best books -- second only to "Strangers on a Train," among the 11 Highsmiths I've read. Yes, it's a fairly suspenseful tale -- in places a real page-turner (though for sheer, unvarnished terror you can't beat "Strangers on a Train" or "The Cry of the Owl"); but it's really a book about relationships: about identity, isolation, and forgiveness, one so profound that it could be read and discussed almost endlessly.

Highsmith's ability to make readers care for flawed and even sinful characters is astonishing; there simply is NO ONE who compares to her. The ending of this book is so deeply compassionate it made me weep -- something I do very rarely with novels of any kind.

Help me, please -- is there anyone out there who feels the way I do about Highsmith, or have I lost my mind? If I have, I hope I do not find it again until I have read all of her books.

Thanks, Atlantic Monthly Press, for making these books available in the United States; how about putting "Strangers on a Train" and "This Sweet Sickness" back in print as well? For anybody who's curious about Highsmith, "Those Who Walk Away" is an excellent place to start.

"Those Who Walk Away" is a concise, fast reading novel of low-keyed suspense. The background is an appropriately gloomy wintertime Venice. Ray, the key character, has lost his wife to suicide. Ed is the unforgiving, not to mention self-centered, father in law who blames Ray for his daughter's death and tries to kill him. Ray pursues Ed through the canals, back streets, cafes, gondola rides and fancy hotels of Venice to clear his conscience and calm Ed down. The embittered Ed has none of this and chases Ray in the same fashion. Both find atmospheric Venetian "hiding places". To use a movie term, Highsmith makes use of an excellent supporting cast: Signor Ciardi, Inez, Luigi the gondolier and Elisabetta almost steal the show from the main characters. Highsmith also pulls the reader into the plot quickly, a talent of hers. We are involved from page one! The ending, which no reviewer should reveal, is smooth and satisfying. To fully enjoy the tale, the reader must surrender credibility on 2 points: 1) Those "meetings" between Ed and Ray are truly coincidental and 2) The Venetian police, as personified by Detective Dell'Isola, ask few questions and press few charges. I would give the author her license on those points and enjoy "TWWA" on its own merits. A closing question: Did Ray really let a nice Italian girl like Elisabetta get away? Did he ever go back to Venice to see her just once more?

First Off.. I must state: I LOOOVED THIS BOOK!!! Why? Well because I've read loads of novels and only a few in my life time ( So far, of course) have held me in such suspense near the end, that I find myself reading every two words at a time. LOL!! If you're looking for action and mayhem, don't read this book. However, if you're looking to be subtly entrance in a wonderfully orchestrated character driven thriller of two men playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse across Rome and Italy, then this is the novel for you! Patricia Highsmith is an author I hadn't heard much of before, but after recently reading The Talented Mr. Ripley and viewing the film, I was more than tempted to read other novels by her. She was such a gifted writer who must've traveled a lot because you get the feeling ( while reading ) that you're actually there, with the characters, in Rome and Venice constantly sipping on sweet bourbon and cognac. Though, for all it's great narrative techniques, it's also a suspensful tale that raises questions about revenge!! Should we let our loathsome feelings get in the way of our friendships? How far should we go to prove our innocence? If these are questions you'll willing to ask and willing to find the answers too, then this exceptional-character-study-of-a-novel will be the ticket to an orginal concept. ORDER IT NOW! ASAP!!

Also recommended: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith and Expendable by James Alan Gardner!

I recently "discovered" this author after seeing the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Since then, I've been raiding the library searching for more of her titles. All I can say is that she has created a number of masterpieces of suspense. I found this book particularly touching. It had it all--setting, characterization, good plot. Some of her books are not as well-balanced as this one, but they all offer a fine writing style and excellent characterization. I am amazed by her talent. She was recommended to me by someone who knew I enjoy Ruth Rendell, aka Barbara Vine. I think others who read Rendell/Vine will also like Highsmith's works if they aren't familiar with them already.

OK, I am a true Patricia Highsmith fan. I've read most of her books and short stories. When she is good she is great. When she is bad she is so-so. 'Those Who Walk Away' is not amongst her best works.

On the surface, the story is simple. A woman commits suicide, leaving a grieving (and confused) husband and a completely distraught father. The woman's father blames his son-in-law for the suicide and wants to take revenge (in the form of violence). Despite this the husband has nothing but empathy for his father-in-law and continues to try to console him. And so a chase of sort is played out (in mysterious Venice).

What I found unplausible about this story is the husband's continued insistence on "working things out" with his father-in-law despite the obvious physical danger this placed him in. Compassion is one thing, stupidity is another.

Bottom line: a marginal thriller in a lovely setting. A perfect book for those on vacation in Venice, and perhaps for dedicated Highsmith fans as well. Otherwise I can't really recommend it.

The novel deals with the dramatic and obsessive attempt of a man, whose wife has just committed suicide, to convince his father-in-law that he is innocent of his wife's suicide although their marriage was a failure. The plot is wonderfully interwoven into a great thriller. The brutal and vicious fight between the two men, Coleman and Ray, makes the attentive reader sit up and read on. The novel also includes a vivid description of the setting of this novel: Venice! The world of the two artists seems to be a very stark contrast. Both are trying to be very strong and represent their interests passionately.

Patricia Highsmith has a unique niche in the literary world: while not necessarily a mainstream author, she is definitely one of the finest crafters of fiction. Her novels are full of seedy characters who, despite their dastardly actions, become heroes or antiheroes, making readers root for the unlikeliest of people. Yet through these characters she offers examinations of the true motivations behind people's thoughts and actions, laying bare the ugliness that resides in everyone.

On the surface, "Those Who Walk Away" may remind readers of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" - a murder in an Italian city that is covered up, suspicious actions and circumstances surround the characters involved, and various recollections of what happened don't add up and cause further misery. Yet this novel focuses on an attempted murder, as Edward Coleman attempts to kill his former son-in-law Rayburn Garrett. Coleman believes that Ray did not do enough to prevent his daughter from committing suicide and wants nothing more than to get Ray out of the picture. Ray is desperate to explain himself to Coleman, and although he swears he did all he could to help his wife, he still feels guilty without being able to explain why. When Coleman's first two attempts to kill him are failures, Ray takes to hiding himself in Venice, arousing suspicion around Coleman, and setting the stage for a roundabout game of cat and mouse.

"Those Who Walk Away" is a fast-paced thriller, as Highsmith deftly weaves back and forth between the two main characters. Neither of these men are particularly likeable, nor is any substantial reason given for their actions: Ray tries to escape from Coleman, yet doesn't turn Coleman into the police, even going so far as to lie about the previous attempts on his life. It reads almost as if Ray has an ulterior motive, as if he wishes to be killed by his former father-in-law. After such a build up, with each man trying to one up the other and make the other suspicious to the police, the ending feels a bit rushed and inconclusive. Yet as usual, Highsmith offers up a unique story that solidifies her position as one of the greatest American writers.

This was largely unrealistic, pointless, and seriously dated. (Why on earth would these characters' photos be highlighted in newspapers?) Highsmith has many better books than this one so save your money or skip this entirely.

Those Who Walk Away is Patricia Highsmith at her very best. She throws her reader into the middle of an ambiguous, but charged, situation; the wife of a young man named Ray Garrett has just committed suicide. The young woman's father, Mr. Coleman, blames Garrett for her death and swears to take a bloody revenge. The civilized Garrett, meanwhile, wants only to work things out with his former father-in-law.

Highsmith focuses on the sources of evil and on our subjective reactions to evil. It will come as no surprise to her regular readers that many characters have no sense of morals and there is no sense that adopting a moral code would make a difference in any event. More specifically, the juxtaposition of the "vicious" Coleman and the "innocent" Garrett is a key to the novel; Highsmith suggests that the differences in these two men may not be as great as one might suppose at first glance.

The City of Venice co-stars in this novel. I've been fortunate enough to visit and I enjoyed reliving that experience through the novel. Highsmith knows Venice well. She contrasts the relatively-poor, hard-working Italians and the aimless, wealthy expatriates who vacation in Venice. Unfortunately, I think that the novel will not be as rich for those readers who have not been to Venice.

Highsmith had no betters in the world of suspense novels and Those Who Walk Away is among her very best novels. Potential readers should be aware, however, that Highsmith will force them to make a mental effort and she provides no easy answers in the end. Throughout her career, Highsmith smashed the clichés associated with the old "private-eye"-style suspense novel.

I highly recommend Those Who Walk Away.

The dramatic obsession of a father-in-law in front of his son-in-law, whose wife committed suicide trying to convict him of his innocence of their marriage failing and his wives act. The plot is wonderfully thrilling. The huge fight between Coleman and Ray catches the reader's attention. The novel also includes a great description of the acting place: Venice! The world of the two artists seems to be a very good contrast: The difference between their mentalityis insignificant, both artists are trying to be very strong and represent their interests passionately.