Book Reviews of The Great Santini

Read this book more than once which is unusual for me. So well written and characters whose pain you can feel. A must read.

Arguably Conroy's best. See also THE PRINCE OF TIDES.

Was your dad in the military? Highly disciplined and expected the same from his family? Was he abusive? Away from home much of the time?

And how about your mom: Was she a social climber? Wwollen up with her own importance? Clinging to the past?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you'll identify with this family. Conroy's usual themes are present, but with his talent, it always seems new again. His writing plops you down into the heart and souls of the Santinis. His deft phrasing, his quirky outlook on things, and his musical prose, elevate a normal, dysfunctional family into the ranks of 'classic' literature.

I've read it 3 times. At my age, and counting all the other books I want to re-read, I figure I'll have time to read it at least twice more. Thumbs up!

awesome!

"Robust and vivid...full of feeling."
-Newsday

An engrossing story about a father--all Marine--who runs his household with an iron hand. Pat Conroy writes so well, that his books are always a good read.

Great story.

Another beautiful and sometimes painful story from one of the great modern souther authors, Pat Conroy.

Great book. A must for Conroy fans. No one beats Bull Meecham in the dysfunctional father role.

Heard pretty good things about this book, but read a few pages and it really couldn't hold my interest. However, I'm not much a fan of Conroy's work anyways. It seems to be comparable to most of his other work that I've trudged through. So if you like Pat Conroy give it a try, if not...use only if you've run out of Tylenol PM.

Step into powerhouse life of Bull Meecham. He's all Marine-fighter pilot, king of the clouds and absolute ruler of his family. He doesn't give in not to his men, not to his wife, and certainly not to his son...

robust and vivid- full of feeling

A tender, raucous, and often hilarious story. BOOKLIST

Hard to read, emotionally, in places, but very gripping.

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 wil love.

<< Back to Book Details of " The Great Santini"