Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Prince of Tides

The Prince of Tides
The Prince of Tides
Author: Pat Conroy
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 ad  troubled twin sister, Savannah, and the dark and  violent past of the extraordinary family to which...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780553450965
ISBN-10: 0553450964
Publication Date: 12/1/1987
Edition: Abridged
Rating:
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 8

4.4 stars, based on 8 ratings
Publisher: Random House Audio
Book Type: Audio Cassette
Other Versions: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Patouie avatar reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 131 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I grabbed this book in an airport on the way to somewhere a couple of decades ago. I had never read Conroy at that point, and what a find it was! I'd read a few pages, then pause and say, "This guy can really write!" It ended up being one of my all-time favorite books. I have reread it a number of times. It deals with some painful issues, including child abuse, but is written from the point of view of innocence.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Pat Conroy is one of the finest writers of the last 60 years. Similiar themes run throughout some of this novels. Others are vastly. But all draw on his native North Carolina, it's Low Country, and the people there.

This is undoubtedly his most accomplished work (maybe Lords of Discipline gives this one a run for its money). A unusual, gifted mother, an absent and abusive father, a suicidal sister and older brother make up the family.

While attending to his hospitalized sister in NY, our hero begins meeting with her therapist, ostensibly to provide family background. In the process, a hideous family secret comes to the fore. But this is not a mystery, nor a blood-sucking novel. It's the journey of a close family through perilous times - and the journey of a deeply troubled man.

The story aside, Conroy's writing will lift you from your chair and softly deposit you on the gentle shores of the marshes. His prose awakens your nose to the smells of bogs and rotting fishheads. The stars in the sky are no longer specks of light; we pulse with them and wink mischievously at dolphins and humans.

THIS is the book to order if you want to be carried away on the words of a gifted writer. (Except for the plot summary, this review covers all his writings.)
reviewed The Prince of Tides on
Helpful Score: 6
An outstanding novel by a truly gifted writer. One my favorite novels of all time. It's the kind of book you recommend to friends, even those who don't read. It is much better and deeper than the movie. Pat Conroy at times would include Mark Twain-like situations that are very funny.

Read the first two sentences: "My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call." Conroy was a terrific word smith. This is a book you will want to savor like fine wine.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Perhaps pat Conroys' most magnificent novel. A brilliant novel, spanning 3 generations. Southern to the bone, a geography of the heart. A must read
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A must read for Conroy fans. More subtle than Lords of Discipline and the Great Santinin in its layers of meaning. Fast paced. Great film version also available starring Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand. Just forgive Streisand the manicure.
Read All 68 Book Reviews of "The Prince of Tides"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 23 more book reviews
I have posted this book with the exact ISBN number listed above (0-395-35300-9), and it is a larger paperback (6" wide and 9" tall) and is not a hardback as the PaperbackSwap.com system shows it. The artwork on the cover of this paperback is identical to that shown above.
chesse avatar reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 129 more book reviews
Conroy is a master wordsmith
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 3 more book reviews
One of the most compelling books I've ever read.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on
Great story of how childhood trama affects each child from the family differently. Easy read. Highly recommend.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 26 more book reviews
Pat Conroy is such an artist with the English language. This is a book that you will love. It is filled with a very dysfunctional family, which will cause you to laugh and cringe, to feel their pain and to understand their survival techniques.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on
Since I loved the movie so much, I could hardly imagine that the book could be any better, but it truly was MUCH more powerful, descriptive and vivid than the movie. Faulted, but powerful characters, beautiful writing and wildly dysfunctional scenes and situations make for a truly mesmerizing story. Wholeheartedly recommend this book.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 5 more book reviews
Better than the Motion Picture.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on
A wonderful wonderful read, engrossing.
reviewed The Prince of Tides on + 70 more book reviews
2 audio cassettes read by Richard Thomas


Genres: