Product Description
Bestselling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the profound effect reading has had on his life.

Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is also a vora­cious reader. He has for years kept a notebook in which he notes words or phrases, just from a love of language. But read­ing for him is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity.

In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of passionate reading. He includes wonderful anecdotes from his school days, mov­ing accounts of how reading pulled him through dark times, and even lists of books that particularly influenced him at vari­ous stages of his life, including grammar school, high school, and college. Readers will be enchanted with his ruminations on reading and books, and want to own and share this perfect gift book for the holidays. And, come graduation time, My Reading Life will establish itself as a perennial favorite, as did Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! ... Read more

Product Description
Leopold Bloom King has been raised in a family shattered—and shadowed—by tragedy. Lonely and adrift, he searches for something to sustain him and finds it among a tightly knit group of high school outsiders. Surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, as well as Charleston, South Carolina’s dark legacy of racism and class divisions, these friends will endure until a final test forces them to face something none of them are prepared for.
Spanning two turbulent decades, South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest: a masterpiece from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (839)

Fantastic Service and Product Condition!
I ordered a used book thinking I just need it for a book club, and was again surprised at Amazon delivering a nearly new book, had it not been for the note about which part of the book was worn, I would never had known. Thanks again for a wonderful delivery and book!

I think some of the readers missed a lot!
I'm going to begin by telling you I do not know this author, haven't read any of his other books, and am not a professional reviewer, but I LOVE a good novel.I finished this book in two days.I've looked at some of the more critical reviews and think some of you missed somehing.I will not review this book in great detail as many of you have thoroughly produced reviews much better than I could and have already given us the scenario.So, what's right about this book?Almost everything,This is a wonderful novel full of great detail and wonderful language. The first pages may be a little overwhelming at first because of the immense amount of detail, but is central to give the reader a really good look at Charleston both north and south of broad.I was totally awed by this story. Characterizations are wonderful, and the book is long enough to see the development of all of them.At 72, I am able to look back at the changes in our country shown in this novel: segregation, integration, high society and lowlife;thehorrible ways orphans were treated as well as those with different sexual orientations; bad parents, good parents, and awful parents and those who were supposed to take care of children, but tortured them instead;Hurricane Hugo and the disgustng fawning over the deaths of celebrities. There are also wonderful characters who do and did care. The story line is wonderful with all of the drama one could want, wonderfully humorous pages as well as sad ones, and shocking revelations I did not see coming.There is great redemption in the book as the characters are brought together, then some leave, then they return, and , in the end, they are forever friends. Leo is the friend who is the glue and also, the loneliest.There is love, devotion, murder and a couple of really bad, bad men.For those of you who didn't finish reading this book, you need to look again.The last two or three pages have great insight for everyone.

Charleston saga
I'm reading this book mostly because I'm crazy about Charleston, S.C., and the descriptions are lovely and right on the mark. But I'm not enjoying the melodrama. Most of Conroy's novels are pretty much soap opera. This one is over the top. I simply cannot believe or empathize with an 18-year-old boy who publicly bursts into tears every few pages, no matter how difficult his life has been.

Brilliant
Beautiful, moving book.I laughed out loud, and also cried till my eyes hurt.

Very Disappointed
The Prologue and Part One of this book were very interesting.However, I found Conroy's writing lacking in real substance.In Part Two and on until the end, his characters were shallow and the quotes were juvenile.I started speed reading, skipping pages, beginning with Part Three, just to finish the book.I will never bother reading another of Pat Conroy's so-called novels. ... Read more

Product Description
In this powerful, mesmerizing, and highly acclaimed bestseller, PAT CONROY sweeps us into the turbulent world of four young men–friends, cadets, and blood brothers–and their days of hazing, heartbreak, pride, betrayal, and, ultimately, humanity.

We go deeply into the heart of the novel’s hero, Will McLean, a rebellious outsider with his own personal code of honor, who is battling into manhood the hard way. Immersed in a poignant love affair with a haunting beauty, Will must boldly confront the terrifying injustice of a corrupt institution as he struggles to expose a mysterious group known as “The Ten.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (188)

Condition of merchandise
I have dealt with Amazon for years..Bought hundreds of books..and continue to do so.. Love the service... Really it is amazing that in all this time I have had only two bad deals.. and this is one of them.. the other..you handled and I appreciate it..
I ordered the Lords of Discipline...a used paperback.. It came in a loose plastic bag..and was in pieces.. When I attempted to put it together to read...and then throw away..all the pages were not there..
I have written you several times regarding it.. but to no avail.. AsI mentioned earlier.. I have bought so many books from Amazon.. I am pleased with you.. Just a little disappointed at this small glitch..
Thank you...

Fantastic Reading
I ordered this book to replace my softcover copy of the book.I have a collection of this author's writtings.

Awesome book
Couldn't stop reading it. If you want a great book to read well then read The Lords of Discipline.You won't regret it.

The Lords of Discipline
The book came promptly, but it was so old that the pages
were turning yellow. I didn't like that, but it seemed
the product was new.

Like a Good Steak
You know how when you eat a good steak (or any other delectable meal) that you want to savor each bite due to it's wonderful flavors? How you slowly chew each bite after you've gently placed your fork on the table, savoring every scrumptious morsel? How you JUST don't want the meal to end due to the fact that it's THAT good? That's how this book was for me. Pat Conroy's sentences, descriptions, story lines, and character development were an avid reader's best friend. I did NOT want this book to end. If you like good books (and who doesn't), you'll love this. If I had to be critical of something, it's that it *might* have been a bit anti-climactic in parts, but that's a reach.

HIGHLY recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
America’s favorite storyteller, Pat Conroy, is back with a unique cookbook that only he could conceive. Delighting us with tales of his passion for cooking and good food and the people, places, and great meals he has experienced, Conroy mixes them together with mouthwatering recipes from the Deep South and the world beyond.

It all started thirty years ago with a chance purchase of The Escoffier Cookbook, an unlikely and daunting introduction for the beginner. But Conroy was more than up to the task. He set out with unwavering determination to learn the basics of French cooking—stocks and dough—and moved swiftly on to veal demi-glace and pâte brisée. With the help of his culinary accomplice, Suzanne Williamson Pollak, Conroy mastered the dishes of his beloved South as well as the cuisine he has savored in places as far away from home as Paris, Rome, and San Francisco.

Each chapter opens with a story told with the inimitable brio of the author. We see Conroy in New Orleans celebrating his triumphant novel The Prince of Tides at a new restaurant where there is a contretemps with its hardworking young owner/chef—years later he discovered the earnest young chef was none other than Emeril Lagasse; we accompany Pat and his wife on their honeymoon in Italy and wander with him, wonderstruck, through the markets of Umbria and Rome; we learn how a dinner with his fighter-pilot father was preceded by the Great Santini himself acting out a perilous night flight that would become the last chapters of one of his son’s most beloved novels. These tales and more are followed by corresponding recipes—from Breakfast Shrimp and Grits and Sweet Potato Rolls to Pappardelle with Prosciutto and Chestnuts and Beefsteak Florentine to Peppered Peaches and Creme Brulee. A master storyteller and passionate cook, Conroy believes that “A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.”

“This book is the story of my life as it relates to the subject of food. It is my autobiography in food and meals and restaurants and countries far and near. Let me take you to a restaurant on the Left Bank of Paris that I found when writing The Lords of Discipline. There are meals I ate in Rome while writing The Prince of Tides that ache in my memory when I resurrect them. There is a shrimp dish I ate in an elegant English restaurant, where Cuban cigars were passed out to all the gentlemen in the room after dinner, that I can taste on my palate as I write this. There is barbecue and its variations in the South, and the subject is a holy one to me. I write of truffles in the Dordogne Valley in France, cilantro in Bangkok, catfish in Alabama, scuppernong in South Carolina, Chinese food from my years in San Francisco, and white asparagus from the first meal my agent took me to in New York City. Let me tell you about the fabulous things I have eaten in my life, the story of the food I have encountered along the way. . . ” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

Pat Conroy COOKS!!
What a superb sale!I ordered "The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life",as promised, it was in excellent condition, a hardcover, no sign of wear and what at deal!That's why I like ordering from Amazon.Yes, Pat Conroy cooks, this is a great Southern author and now I know...a great cook.I've tried a few of his recipes.If you're a southerner, you'll be homesick.If you're a northerner, you'll be delighted and much informed of the southern charm.

Exotic and down home recipes accompanied by great stories
I discovered Pat Conroy several years ago through my daughter, an avid reader of southern novelists. Since then I have read most of his novels, but rejected any interest in the cookbook, thinking it was just another recipe collection until my wife gave me a copy. However, no other writer packs stories with such lyrical language and depth of meaning. The stories accompanying the recipes are an international selection of Conroy's experiences related to interesting and useful recipes collected from his cuisine sampling from around the world.

Would you like a story with your food?
There aren't a whole lot of recipes but each one has a story - it covers his friends, his time in Italy, and various Southern locations.You can guess by looking at Conroy that he's no stranger to good food.I'd eaten at a few of the places myself and he really captured the atmosphere.I love to read cookbooks and this is the best one I've got for a true foodie - I have 100+ books, so far!

My Dear Friend's Friend- Saint Catherines, My Lord
Pat,

I loved Prince of Tides and tried to get my son to read, but the damn fool was immersed in all this Mississippi Delta stuff.You know us long suffering mothers!!!Well, finally, he picked up "Lords of Discipline," and he said you were "amazing."About Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing Grace,

Susan

The Pat Conroy Cookbook:Recipes of my Life
This is a very unusual cookbook.It was a warm remembrance of life at the time he discovered various recipes.It reminds me of events or people that come to mind when I cook certain dishes.
It is a lovely gift for someone who enjoys cooking and remembering!Highly recommend! ... Read more

Product Description
PAT CONROY—AMERICA’S MOST BELOVED STORYTELLER—IS BACK!

“I was born to be a point guard, but not a very good one. . . .There was a time in my life when I walked through the world known to myself and others as an athlete. It was part of my own definition of who I was and certainly the part I most respected. When I was a young man, I was well-built and agile and ready for the rough and tumble of games, and athletics provided the single outlet for a repressed and preternaturally shy boy to express himself in public....I lost myself in the beauty of sport and made my family proud while passing through the silent eye of the storm that was my childhood.”

So begins Pat Conroy’s journey back to 1967 and his startling realization “that this season had been seminal and easily the most consequential of my life.”The place is the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, that now famous military college, and in memory Conroy gathers around him his team to relive their few triumphs and humiliating defeats.In a narrative that moves seamlessly between the action of the season and flashbacks into his childhood, we see the author’s love of basketball and how crucial the role of athlete is to all these young men who are struggling to find their own identity and their place in the world.

In fast-paced exhilarating games, readers will laugh in delight and cry in disappointment.But as the story continues, we gradually see the self-professed “mediocre” athlete merge into the point guard whose spirit drives the team.He rallies them to play their best while closing off the shouts of “Don’t shoot, Conroy” that come from the coach on the sidelines.For Coach Mel Thompson is to Conroy the undermining presence that his father had been throughout his childhood.And in these pages finally, heartbreakingly, we learn the truth about the Great Santini.

In My Losing Season Pat Conroy has written an American classic about young men and the bonds they form, about losing and the lessons it imparts, about finding one’s voice and one’s self in the midst of defeat.And inhis trademark language, we see the young Conroy walk from his life as an athlete to the writer the world knows him to be.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (167)

I like basketball, but this was too much
This was my first Pat Conroy book, and the last.while I understand all of his books are memoirs of his abuse-riddled childhood, his endless, repetitive self-absorption eventually just wore me down.the first half of the book was engrossing, but the author gave enough signals how it was all to end.the second half was a real slog.boring!get over yourself, Conroy!I am so over you.

A good read
Pat Conroy's work is normally a little negative and down beat for me.However this book grabbed me by scruff of the neck and pulled me through it.

It is authbiographal and because it is so well written,unlike many others I have read, it is utterly compelling.

I really enjoyed this one.

J. Robert Ewbank, author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

Conroy pulled off a great feat
Probably 98% percent of sports books are about winners. I mean, how many athletes want to lay out their worst moments in public for all to acknowledge. Conroy takes on the challenge as he writes of his basketball career at the Citadel. Instead of reading one painful chapter and laying the book gingerly aside, I had to read more. He captivated me by opening up his increasingly ravaged emotions and presenting that rare description of what the athlete goes through who fights like heck, yet loses game after heart-wrenching game. Amazingly, Conroy succeeds so well, that I surmise some non-athletes could pick up the book and be entertained. Some say Americans are so consumed with the winner mentality, the happily ever after syndrome, that we will not dare enjoy a book that reveals the dark side. This book proves them wrong.

Conroy fan
I watched "Great Santini" and I cried. Someone else knew what I had felt. Pat had succeeded where I had failed. My Dad expressed his disgust regularly with me while I was at home. I was insufficiently manly for him from grade school to high school. I preferred the library to giving someone brain trauma on the gridiron. I got an appointment to West Point and it was complete repudiation for him. I just wanted him to be proud of me but he saw it as me eclipsing his star in the most spectacular fashion. He didn't make it to my swearing in on the Plain-he was busy. This book was validation for me. I guess I can't be clinical in my dissection of this piece but it did it for me. I had read it while I was in a mudlogging trailer in the Permian Basin. I just had to have my own copy. Yes, I recommend it.

Insight into Pat Conroy
If you are a Conroy fan, this book will give you an insight into his life.Expands on The Great Santini.I throughly enjoyed this book even though I am not a basketball fan. ... Read more

Product Description
Step into the powerhouse life of Bull Meecham. He’s all Marine-fighter pilot, king of the clouds, and absolute ruler of his family. Lillian is his wife—beautiful, southern-bred, with a core of velvet steel. Without her cool head, her kids would be in real trouble.

Ben is the oldest, a born athlete whose best never satisfies the big man. Ben’s got to stand up, even fight back, against a father who doesn’t give in—not to his men, not to his wife, and certainly not to his son.

Bull Meecham is undoubtedly PAT CONROY’S most explosive character—
a man you should hate, but a man you will love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

What a great writer Pat Conroy is....
I haven't read a book of his since Beach Music and his writing style is just awesome.I know this one is older, but I just never picked it up, but I am glad I did.There is not a ton of action, but the character development is top notch, just awesome.

Skibum
Love this book, well written, great story, funny, real people. Pat Conroy is one of the best authors of our time. Wrong airplane on the cover.

The Great Santini
Loved this book and of course the author.Service was excellent and a great way to shop!!!

The Great Santini
As with all of Pat Conroy's works, this is a very "heavy" novel.It is sometimes painful to read and in general I did not like Bull, the main character, but loved Ben, the son.Just when you are ready to give up on Bull, he does something so good and out of character, that you realize he does indeed have some redeeming qualities.This is not casual, light reading but a profound work that will remain with you long after the close the book.

I guess you could call this TOUGH LOVE
I saw the movie many years ago, when I had never heard of Pat Conroy.. Robert Duvall played Bull and Jessica Lange played his smart southern wife, They were perfect playing the tough marine fighter pilot and his somewhat long suffering wife.

The book was written beautifully. You knew those characters well. That's how Conroy writes.

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the book after going back in time and remembering the movie and my pure disgust for BULL/Duvall, being the awful bully he was to his family.

I was wrong. It was an excellent read and a truly compelling story of a Marine family that, of course, had relocated many times and how that was for the family. Being that this took place in the 50's, times in the south were so different although sometimes I think they are not so different at all...just more politically correct. In short, read it.. I would read it again. ... Read more

Product Description
The island is nearly deserted, haunting, beautiful. Across a slip of ocean lies South Carolina. But for the handful of families on Yamacraw island, America is a world away. For years the people here lived proudly from the sea, but now its waters are not safe.Waste from industry threatens their very existence–unless, somehow, they can learn a new life. But they will learn nothing without someone to teach them, and their school has no teacher.

Here is PAT CONROY’S extraordinary drama based on his own experience–the true story of a man who gave a year of his life to an island and the new life its people gave him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (76)

A POIGNANT YET JOYFUL LOOK AT OUR PAST

Following his acclaimed "The Great Santini" and "The Prince Of Tides" we have come to expect not only radiant prose but honesty and intriguing story telling from Pat Conroy.There is no disappointment whatsoever in his THE WATER IS WIDE, a memoir of the time he spent on a small South Carolina island attempting to teach the poorest of the poor who could neither read nor write.Making the task even more difficult was the fact that they spoke what is called Gullah, a type of Creole developed by the African American people living there.

On Yamacraw (a fictional name for the island where Conroy stayed) the living is credibly stark, tantamount perhaps to a third world country.The children have nothing - of course, no television, radio or anything.One might think of them as growing up in a cultural void.Yet they're hungry to learn, even almost hypnotized by Beethoven's Fifth symphony.

Upon arriving on the island Conroy is met by the school teacher, Mrs. Brown, a martinet if there ever was one.Her teaching methods consist primarily of striking the children or delivering verbal insults.Obviously, her methods havenot been successful, so Conroy tries a much different, more relaxed approach - chairs in a circle, walks together.Eventually, his methods win over not only the children but the island's residents as well.However, Mrs. Brown and school officials remains opposed to him.

Although in truth the island is much changed today THE WATER IS WIDE remains a heartwarming true story of what patience and understanding can accomplish.It is a poignant yet joyful look at our past.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

RIPPED OFF
I never received this book I ordered and paid for. The sender did not reply to my email informing him/her that I had not received it........what's up with that???

Interesting book
This is an interesting, well written book about the true story of a South Carolina teacher. It covers his joy of teaching, the obstacles he faced, and his thoughts about teaching. I recommend this book.
No Child Left Behind? The True Story of a Teacher's Quest

The Water is Wideis beautifully written. A distressing, yet inspiring memoir.
The Water Is Wide: A MemoirIn the book, Pat Conroy writes an honest, candid account of his year as a teacher at Yamacraw, based on Daufuskie Island, off the South Carolina coast.
Pat's early teaching position prepared him for yet another milestone in his courageous writing. From day one, at Yamacraw's school, Conroy seeks to reconcile years of disregard for every child's right: the right to a proper education. Conroy shares his shock, hopes and dreams for the children who are neglected and uneducated, which is sad, yet inspirational.
As with Conroy's, Prince of Tides, I was drawn immediately into the unique story. I was appalled at the lack of education on the island and even more so, at the men in control who bent to no man to assist Conroy in his efforts to alter the offensive school system. It would take more than Pat Conroy's unconventional teaching methods to deliver the tools required for the system to meet their children's needs.
The children on Yamacraw were part of our future; the island's school system investment let them down.

An Honest Writer
Pat Conroy is an honest writer.Throughout this powerful book, he blames himself--his ego, for getting in the way of educational success, or at least bringing about some minor changes on the Island.While he certainly was as good an enemy to himself as any other, that fact does not dilute the powerful evil of prejudice and fear that runs freely and daily through the Island's educational enterprise.

At times, Conroy reminded me of Yossarian inn Catch 22 or Leper in A Separate Peace--wild, chaotic, and bound to bring fear to those who didn't understand or appreciate him for what he was--a teacher, pure and simple.

While this did take place in the South, it could have been in any segregated school system.His tracing of segregation and desegregation is seering in its honesty, charitable in its perspective, and a sad testimony of this phase of American history.If we pay attention to this book, perhaps we will learn from it.

... Read more

Product Description
PAT CONROY has created a huge, brash thunderstorm of a novel, stinging with honesty and resounding with drama. Spanning forty years, this is the story of turbulent Tom Wingo, his gifted and troubled twin sister Savannah, and their struggle to triumph over the dark and tragic legacy of the extraordinary family into which they were born.

Filled with the vanishing beauty of the South Carolina low country as well as the dusty glitter of New York City, The Prince of Tides is PAT CONROY at his very best. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (245)

A new classic on my Kindle!
This is a wonderful classic that I missed the first time around. Thanks so much the publisher and Amazon for offering the Kindle Edition of "The Prince of Tides". It is the best novel I have read this year. I hope that Amazon will offer more great reads like this one for Kindle owners!

By No Means Conroy's Best
I'll admit that I went into reading this book with great expectations, having read 'Beach Music' and 'The Great Santini' and enjoyed them.But I'll also admit that I failed to finish this book, though I skipped around in the second half of it and got a pretty good idea of what the rest of it was like.

Why I failed to finish had to do with the over-the-top nature of the plot and with the repetitive nature of Conroy's storytelling.In every story of his I've read, the basic story is the same - a man who's lost at love and been a failure, sports, too much liquor, a chance at redemption, and a dreadful family that revolves around an abusive father.Fine, many of these are part of Mr. Conroy's own background and, as we all know, authors write what they know.But in this story the elements are blown up to fantastic proportions, creating a kind of grand guignol, a Southern Gothic that almost brings on the giggles a couple of times.The father is more horrible, the beatings are more savage, the mother is more manipulative, the failure of the protagonist more abject, and the family secret more horrible than ever; as if by piling up these elements the author intended to create such an imposing and epic structure that the reader would be awed into complete adoration.

Well, I'm sorry, I didn't buy it.So much so that in fact I abandoned the thing midway through.The writing was often good, the descriptions fine, at times quite beautiful, the characterizations strong, even pungent; you expect all that from a writer of Conroy's quality.But this was for me a hothouse flower of a novel - big, overblown, and reeking with the cloying scent of Southern soap opera.

I just can't recommend this one...not unless big and gaudy is how you like 'em.If so, dig in.

Disappointing
This book promises much but delivers precious little. The first 250 pages or so are really great. The story is engrossing, the characters are vivid, the plot is intricate and beautifully crafted. Then, the novel suddenly transforms into a collection of loosely connected short stories that could have been excised from the book without damaging the plot in the least. Each new episode is more saccharine than the previous one. The language grows more and more pompous with every episode. These weird short stories have endings that are entirely fantastic and completely unconvincing.

Without giving anything away, I can say that the ending of the novel is wildly incongruous with the rest of the work. It feels like everything we have learned about the characters in the 600+ pages has to be thrown out in order to comprehend and accept this extremely disappointing finale. The closing scenes of the book are narrated in a language that is unparalleled as an exercise in pomposity and syrupy sentimentality. What could have been a great book ends up being a cheesy melodrama.

Pat Conroy at his best...majestic, lush, and beautifully tragic
This is Pat Conroy at his best.Once again, he writes a novel that makes you laugh, cry, and evaluate your life (and sometimes he does this in the same paragraph!).As usual, he presents us with an anti-hero, someone we can relate to and someone we can dislike (yet love because they share so many qualities of yourself).Prince of Tides is an epic, sweeping novel that takes us back and forth between eras and locations, providing lush landscapes matched with some of the most beautiful passages in the English language.This is a book that makes you stop, stifle tears, and re-read the majestic beauty of a paragraph.As someone who is attempting to write a book himself, I become utterly jealous of his writing and wish it were mine!At times the book becomes slow though a lot of that becomes integral to the overall storyline.And the 90% of the book that is not slow, well, watch out!It will blow you away.And finally, if you are like me and have a bit of Tom Wingo inside you, then this book will capture you right away and stick with you after the final paragraph is over.P.S. if anyone has any other author (or book) recommendations besides Pat Conroy but like Pat Conroy, I would appreciate it.I absolutely loved The Great Santini and Lords Of Discipline and cannot wait to read the rest of his fictional novels!

Didn't childhood mess us all up?
So beautiful. I just watched the movie for the first time, so I had to go and read the book and thank God I did. The prose and story are remarkable and made this a wonderful read without sacraficing depth. I recommend this for anyone who has been in a family and is still trying to understand the dynamics. ... Read more

Product Description
PAT CONROY, America’s preeminent storyteller, delivers a sweeping novel of lyric intensity and searing truth–the story of Jack McCall, an American expatriate in Rome, scarred by tragedy and betrayal. His desperate desire to find peace after his wife’s suicide draws him into a painful, intimate search for the one haunting secret in his family’s past that can heal his anguished heart.

Spanning three generations and two continents, from the contemporary ruins of the American South to the ancient ruins of Rome, from the unutterable horrors of the Holocaust to the lingering trauma of Vietnam, Beach Music sings with life’s pain and glory.It is another masterpiece in PAT CONROY’S legendary list of beloved novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (313)

Best of Conryo
This is by far my favorite out of the books I've read written by Conroy.

Heartfelt story, beautiful writing
Pat Conroy became one of my FAVORITE authors when I first read BEACH MUSIC several years ago.His writing appeals to both men and women.Mr. Conroy has the ability to use words to describe life events in such vivid detail that you place yourself in the event, you 'feel' the feelings.I felt the childhood emotions, family bonds, teen and young adult traumas and loving relationships as if they were my own.As lives unfold in this novel, a beautiful mosaic of relationships is unveiled, laced with love, survival, accomplishment, tragedy and more love.Straight from the heart -- that is how I would describe Mr. Conroy's novels.And, if you enjoy BEACH MUSIC, do not miss SOUTH OF BROAD!

Beach Music: A Novel
South of Broad: A Novel

AChirevas
"Beach Music" is a story riddled with pain, loss, confusion, cruelty and, strangely, even humor.It spans three generations and is told through the characters who survived dysfunctional families, abuse, strong friendships severely tested, the horrors of the Holocaust and the divisiveness of the Vietnam war.In the end, there is not only resolution, foregiveness and a sense of acceptance, but the promise of life made whole again.

If you can get through the final chapters without having to read through tear- filled eyes, you're a stronger person than I.But it's well worth the journey.

Gifed writer but...
Pat Conroy is a gifted writer.He has the ability to weave full length stories on each of his characters in a single novel.While the central character is Jack, the plot involves many of his family and his friends in detailed recounting.
Conroy's books would not only make for a mini series but for a weekly drama.
Despite his talent, so much of this story, with its varying scenarios, is difficult to fathom.I tried and was not totally satisfied.Many vignettes were overdone, painful to plod through and difficult to accept.
I believe that Conroy purposely creates his stories this way.I believe it is his way to present his personal writing ability and intent.

Again Pat Conroy Delivers
Beach Music...Captivating, complex, disturbing and harsh... but enlightening to the utmost degree.A true-to-life depiction of love, of anxiety, of anger, of secrets but most of all, of devotion.Devotion!Some of it"good" or some of it "bad" are left to the eye of the reader, but none the less, Devotion.

A single father, after his beloved wife and life-long friend dives off a bridge in Charleston, South Carolina to end her life rips up his southern roots and takes his only child, Leah, to live and raise in Rome.Left bitter and bruised by a custody battle over his daughter, between he and his en-laws, he leaves all his demons from the "low country" of South Carolina behind him; his wife's death, his childhood friends, his large raucous family and his embittered en-laws.But he eventually comes back to face the good and the bad when he is told his mother is dying.

What Pat Conroy does when he puts pen to paper is without words.It is an enormous gift!Within this book he lyrically carries you through the streets of Rome and the canals of Venice, Italy, as well as through those backwaters of the South Carolina "low country".But he also carries you through the heart and souls of people.People who have lived , loved, hurt and who also have varying ideas of morals and what they mean.What is "right" or what is "wrong".

At times the book may seem like it is all over the place because it covers so many lives.Lives.Not just subjects like war, prejudice, how people react to different things, or a fishing trip gone wrong.This is the story of one man's journey, Jack McCall.His horror, his relief, his enlightenment, his grief and his joy.Through this book Conroy pushes Jack through the lives of others to become aware, to rediscover and redefine his sense of awareness and to ultimately come to understand the terms of life and death and the loss of his dear Shyla.

Pat Conroy captures so much in this book.It's deep, it's murky, but he brings the beauty and ugliness of our lives forth so eloquently it's hard to put this one down.It is an epic!So be prepared to spend some time.You'll love that you did!As I write this I'm finishing my fifth reading of this book .Unfortunately, I haven't got my hands on South of Broad, yet.But that is the next read on my list!Best wishes.
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Customer Reviews (10)

The Boo
Happy to find Pat Conroy's book..it was the only one I lacked having in my collection.

A young writer finds his voice...
Pat Conroy is my favorite author, and after reading everything else that he has written, I decided to pick up a copy of The Boo.The Boo is Conroy's first book, and the only way he got it published was to publish it himself.

The story started when Conroy was fresh out of The Citadel and still wet behind the ears.He discovered that the beloved Thomas Nugent "The Boo" Courvoisie, Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel, was fired from his job.At The Citadel, the Boo could best be described as a character--calling all of his cadets "lambs" and himself The Good Shepherd.If you were naughty, you were a bum, and if not, you were called Bubba.While meting out discipline and demerits, the Boo proved to be a father figure to most of the cadets and tried to make this military college a little more palatable.

The Boo is actually a collection of short stories, anecdotes, letters, cartoons and photographs.And it's not just about The Boo, but The Citadel and the Corps of Cadets as well.Many of them are hysterical, but not all endings were happy at The Citadel.The Fourth Class System could be brutal (and even fatal) for those who were weak or couldn't survive.This book also includes a glossary to help the reader keep track of those military terms Conroy throws around such as brace, rack, pop-off, shako, plebe, knob, etc.Some of the definitions are a hoot including:

Clemson-a cow pasture in the upper part of the state

VMI-a school burned by the Yankees during the Civil War and unfortunately rebuilt soon afterwards

Why this book is so great for a Conroy fan is that it gives the reader a peak at the writer Conroy would later become.The Citadel was not a nurturing environment for aspiring writers, although Conroy did have a few mentors there.The Boo gave Conroy a voice, and even he admits that this book is "The Lords of Discipline in embryo," which became his first best-selling novel.In the movie version of The Lords of Discipline, the character of Boo (called Bear in the movie) is wonderfully played by Robert Prosky.

Since Conroy became a famous author, The Boo has been re-released, and he even writes a new introduction.So for Conroy diehards, The Boo is an absolute must.While it is not great literature and doesn't quite measure up to his later and more famous work, it does provide us with a picture of where this talented author has come from.

The Boo
I think it is a great look at the other side of the cadet life.As a Citadel Cadet I really liked the book.

Excellent view of The Citadel
This book is a biographical/autobiographical novel about Pat Conroy's experiences in the Citadel, especially as they relate to The Boo, the Colonel in charge of The Citadel at the time Conroy attended.There areletters, memos, and anecdotes about The Boo's relationship with others inthe school.

I found this to be an excellent portrayal of Citadel life. We on the outside think of the cadets as stern and commanding, but thisbook showed them being human.It also showed the sense of humor that TheBoo had when dealing with the "Lambs" and the"Bums".

I found this book to be especially interesting afterreading Lords of Discipline because I could see how autobiographical thatnovel was.Many of the experiences the characters had in Lords ofDiscipline came from acual experiences the cadets had in the Citadel.

Iwould recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Conroy's work, especiallyLords of Discipline.I liked the insights I got into his character.

Excellent tribute to Conroy's teacher!!!!
I had searched for this book everywhre and finally got it through this site. It was well worth all the hunting! My Conroy collection is complete, and I strongly recommend this book to all Conroy fans! The other novelsmake so much more sense after reading this first book! ... Read more

Product Description
Only recently available in trade paperback editions, these are beloved author Pat Conroy’s most cherished early novels, now in a slip-cased set ideal for any reader’s home library.

Includes 1 trade paperback edition each of:
The Great Santini
The Lords Of Discipline
The Prince Of Tides
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Customer Reviews (3)

Pat Conroy at his best!!!!
I have read all of Conroy's books. He is a wonderful writer and so true to the South. I feel his history on each page. He has such a lovely fluid style when speaking through his stories and instills a wonderful quirky sense of humor in each of his characters. This trio of boxed books was a true find.

Pat Conroy, my hero
Any book by Pat Conroy is going to earn a place of merit in my library.I hold them dear to me, keep the pages clean and non-dogeared (I'm a dog-earer) ~ and I read them over and over again.

I love the sensuousness of the South.I love the flavours, the scents, the graciousness.Those feelings are the backbone of any of Conroy's books and permeate through the tension, the depth, the trauma that is found in each of his stories.

The Lords of Discipline was my first foray in Conroy-land ~ and still remains my favourite of his books.The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides make up this heavy mix, deeply felt agony in the backwaters of the South Carolina low country.

Buy this ~ and add to it with each of his other stories.He's the mastercraftsman of words, a wordsmith to the nth degree ~ he can paint a story like Steinbeck and once you've read him, you'll never forget him.

Pat Conroy as a writer
I have read only 'The Great Santini'Conroy was stellar in character development and in descriptions.I can hardly wait to read the others.

This story of a Marine family is heart stopping. Emotionally charged, detailed, has no "dead" spots and can hardly be put downENJOY ... Read more

Product Description
A small island along the South Carolina coast with a gently sloping white beach, mighty oaks, palms, pines, vast marshes with meandering tidal creeks and a surprising abundance of wild life, Fripp Island captivates both residents and visitors. The ebb and flow of tides, the fortunes and difficulties of developers and the fluctuations in the residential community have shaped Fripp's history. In the years since 1963 when the bridge to Fripp was built, two constants in the island's history have been the beauty of its natural setting and its dedicated residents who share their time and talents to create a special community.

Page Putnam Miller, who for twenty years served as the lobbyist for the historical profession in Washington and for the past five years has been a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in the graduate history program at the University of South Carolina, has undertaken several years of extensive research to examine the intricate turns and twists in ownership of the resort and to explore the evolution of the residential community. She combines sound scholarship with delightful vignettes to produce an engaging mix of historical analysis and insightful glimpses into island life.

Miller has replaced what had been only fragments, speculations and questions about Fripp Island's past with a comprehensive and balanced account filled with fascinating characters, human struggles and humorous stories.

"Page Putnam Miller has written a delightful account of the evolution and development of Fripp Island from Indian hunting ground to high end resort retreat. It's carefully researched and engagingly written-and a welcome addition to my library."
--Walter Edgar, Professor of History, University of South Carolina

"Good local history is reliant on the author's knowledge and appreciation of a place. Page Miller combines the love of a resident of Fripp with her formidable historical skills to tell a compelling story of Fripp Island's past."
--Dr. Arnita Jones, Executive Director, American Historical Association ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

fripp island
My best friend is a fripp. She is living with us and has cancer.I thought she would enjoy it and I look forward to reading it.

Fripp Island:A History
I have lived (rented) on Fripp Island for 20 years off and on. Much of the information explains alot of some of the recent changes that this community underwent certainly in the last 5 years. The history is certainly fascinating that takes one back over 200 years. The amount of time and research that went into writing this is appreciated. Everyone who lives on Fripp or visits often should have a copy of this in their home. To the best of my knowlege, this is the only book of its kind dealing with this subject. I certainly would like someday to meet the author and congratulate her. Well done, well researched, well documented.

Thomas E. Bell MD. Professor of Surgery, University of Cincinnati ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dawn comes to a coastal town.
This is another Pat Conroy addition to my library and this one will make my mouth water. ... Read more

Product Description
No one who has read Pat Conroy's novels of family wounds and healing can fail to be moved by their emotional appeal. But Conroy is also a major contemporary American novelist who follows in the tradition of Southern fiction established by William Faulkner and Thomas Wolfe. This companion is the first book-length study of his work. It explores the recurring motifs in his fiction and his special writing talents as a prose stylist of uncommon distinction. A separate chapter for The Boo and The Water is Wide and each novel--The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and his most recent, Beach Music--provides a detailed analysis of the books and the common threads that unite all the novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Great Read for Conroy Fans
I really enjoyed this book. It was wonderful to learn more about Pat Conroy and his style of writing. It's nice to have once place to go to when researching Pat Conroy. This book only goes as far as Beach Music though. I hope that they will udate this book when Pat finishes his next novel. I would definately reccomend this book to any Conroy fan or researcher. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Prince of Tides
I had seen the movie years ago, but I wanted to read the book. I really enjoy reading Pat Conroy's writings. I also recommend Beach Music and South of Broad!

Good read
I enjoyed the book -- it was a candid story about Pat's journey from living in the deep south and his growth journey as he became an educator who realized that institutional racism deeply affects the lives and the future of all students. Well written, easy to read, and engaging.

SLOW SHIPPING!
This book didn't get to my doorstep until about one month after the purchace. I had to contact the seller to see what was going on.Although once I did contact them, they sent it out with fast delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Margaret Mitchell's epic novel of love and war won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to give rise to two authorized sequels and one of the most popular and celebrated movies of all time.

Many novels have been written about the Civil War and its aftermath. None take us into the burning fields and cities of the American South as Gone With the Wind does, creating haunting scenes and thrilling portraits of characters so vivid that we remember their words and feel their fear and hunger for the rest of our lives.

In the two main characters, the white-shouldered, irresistible Scarlett and the flashy, contemptuous Rhett, Margaret Mitchell not only conveyed a timeless story of survival under the harshest of circumstances, she also created two of the most famous lovers in the English-speaking world since Romeo and Juliet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Gone with the wind
A book that I am saving, having read it years ago, but it seems as if now everyone is looking for it!And I have mine!!Thanks Amazon

Amazing read - one of the best I've ever read!
Since childhood I've been a great fan of books and have read many. I've been a particular fan of classics in particular and Gone With the Wind is on of my favorites! What more can I say than has already been said? As an avid reader and a future published writer, I recommend it to anyone who loves reading!

Gone with the Wind
This book was ordered for my daughter as a Christmas gift.The service was good.The book arrived early and in good condition.

Absolutely Beautiful
A real classic! Beautifully constructed with some of the best characters of all time. A must read! This novel intertwines history and romance creating a love story that will never be forgotten.

Great Story!
I loved this book! Scarlet is an authentic heroine- complicated and believable. I will remember more of the story of the Civil War from her story than I ever would from reading a history book. I lived in Georgia for about 4 years and the sense of state-pride was always sort of a mystery to me. Reading Gone with the Wind helped me to better understand the story of the civil war from the southern perspective and better understand the chivalrous culture still present today.
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Customer Reviews (9)

War Legacy in Paradise
Pat Conroy's novel is a wide ranging depiction of life in Charleston, South Carolina and to a lesser extent Rome, Italy.It is a multi-generational and multi-family story with interesting, fully developed main characters.As with his prior novels and a later one, South of Broad, Conroy focuses on the psychology of the narrator and his closest friends.

Jack McCall is a person who has always been at the border of activity of his circle of friends.It is as if he just missed the center of the action but still was affected intensely by relationships with the boys and girls and later men and women of Charleston. With Jack, it is a matter of communication.He is very insightful privately but inhibited in outward expression.This makes him an excellent observer and mostly reliable witness to social events and character motives.

Two major historical themes are explored: antiwar activities of college students in the U.S. in the 1960s as the Vietnam war dragged on, and the history of Jewish life before, during, and after World War II.The two themes determine to a large extent the psychological development of the characters and the courses of their interactions.The focus is on four male characters (including Jack) with different levels of commitment to past and present South Carolina coastal life.

As in previous and subsequent work, Conroy writes in a lyrical poetic style capturing the enduring landscape of Charleston and Rome as backgrounds for his story.Each descriptive sentence, it seems, is a sensual portrait ofenvironments the author clearly adores.

If you have read South of Broad, you may notice parallels with Beach Music in theme, story, and characters even though the novels are distinct.I read the more recent novel first and would suggest reading them in chronological order.South of Broad has more dramatic action and is not dominated by the legacy of the Vietnam war and history of Jewish survival preceding, during, and after WWII.The center of identification though in both novels is Charleston, SC and the unique culture of the residents.

I recommend Beach Music with the reservation that the characters are somewhat inaccessible to readers living outside of coastal South Carolina.The low country is a partially closed community of people with a shared past and culture.The characters are interesting and I cared about them, but did not completely identify with their motives.Because of that lack on my part, the actions and relationships of the characters did not quite ring true. This observation was not my experience with South of Broad.Even though I have lived part time in the low country for five years, I am an outsider and probably always will be.

Conroy books
read this for our Book Club.Very good but not as good as South of Broad.

Just OK
I found this book very slow in the beginning with a very complicated plot.
It ended strong, but overall I would rate it just OK.

getting concerned
I have not received this book yet and am wondering why not. I was billed for it.

Excellent purchase
This book was delivered in timely fashion, in excellent, near new condition, as alleged.I couldn't be happier with the vendor. The fact that the book is wonderful and "music to my ears"is indeed a bonus!!! ... Read more