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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot was all over the place. The character work was nicely done. Racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry were commonplace in the South circa 1963 but the line between historical authenticity and over indulgence is crossed in this novel. If that’s not enough, there is a disgusting, latent, “psycho-sexual” (as one of the characters labels it) incestuousness that never materializes beyond verbal but remains deplorable.
This is said to be semi-autobiographical. If that’s the case, I wonder where the embellishments are.
This is said to be semi-autobiographical. If that’s the case, I wonder where the embellishments are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Incest
Pure poetry. I am stunned by the author's powers of description. They say a good writer can describe anything - the most boring, innate object that you are most disinterested in and there were a few of those in this book - and captivate and mesmerize you. Well, Pat Conroy talked about subjects I didn't have a care in. No offense to Mr. Conroy or anyone else, I lived in SC after moving here from Iran via Turkey for one too many years. It was a culture shock on so many levels that it has left a permanent mark, and I swear if I never see the entire state of SC again, I wouldn't miss a thing. So it was a double shock that I would be so captivated by this book. The mesmerizing descriptions of the deep south, the Meecham family and the character of Bull Meecham, and his wife, Lilian Meecham, their lives in transit, sex ed by Catholic nuns, Ben on the basketball court, the life of a marines office and the general world of a fighter pilot and his family as they go through the motions of a military life, it was all too good to put down. I mostly listened to this on audio but also read the book. The narration was powerful, and as one of the first fiction books I've listened to on audio, it kept me entertained to the very end.
Also, a fun fact, I knew when the climax was happening, I guessed it, I felt it and I knew that's where the author is headed, and instead of being disappointed, I was happy to be in sync with the story teller.
I read Prince of Tides when I was a teenager, and it left an indelible impression even then.
Pat Conroy can describe anything and it comes out as perfectly orchestrated as a symphony. I am so very glad I picked up the Great Santini and well, you may be too.
Also, a fun fact, I knew when the climax was happening, I guessed it, I felt it and I knew that's where the author is headed, and instead of being disappointed, I was happy to be in sync with the story teller.
I read Prince of Tides when I was a teenager, and it left an indelible impression even then.
Pat Conroy can describe anything and it comes out as perfectly orchestrated as a symphony. I am so very glad I picked up the Great Santini and well, you may be too.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had not read this book in over 40 years and decided to revisit it. Pat Conroy is one of my favorites. I am able to relate in so many ways with this book and many of his other. My father and step father were both Marines and eventually I followed the same path. I grew up in the south and was actually living at Beaufort SC when the movie was made.
The books brings back so many memories of the marsh and fishing and crabbing. The military lifestyle. Driving in the night so many military friends never to be seen again. This book is so sad and I understand and love it.
The books brings back so many memories of the marsh and fishing and crabbing. The military lifestyle. Driving in the night so many military friends never to be seen again. This book is so sad and I understand and love it.
Probably with many autobiographical elements, a "very much alive" book. You can almost smell Old Spice on Santini when you hold it open. And although he's not the most lovable character you will ever meet, the book is a classic.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Great Santini by Pat Conroy is one of the most powerful and personal books I have ever read. It’s amazing how closely the Meecham family's life echoes my own childhood — growing up under an authoritarian father who ruled the house with intimidation, threats, and constant conflict. Although my father wasn’t physically violent in the same extreme ways, the ever-present threat of the belt, the endless battles, and the feeling of never being good enough were all painfully familiar. The lifelong war I've fought — trying to be a better athlete, to be stronger, to somehow outrun a shadow I could never even fully see — felt so vividly captured through the characters in this book. Reading The Great Santini was like looking into a mirror I didn’t know existed, and each time I've returned to it (and I’ve read it at least ten times, if not more), it resonates even deeper.
Pat Conroy is truly one of the all-time great American authors, and while Beach Music and Gone with the Wind may be his most famous works, for me The Great Santini is his masterpiece — his Michelangelo. The emotional rawness, the complex family dynamics, and the undercurrent of basketball, my first and deepest love, made this story feel uniquely mine. Conroy captured something brutally real and heartbreaking, yet also somehow beautiful, in a way few writers ever can. This isn’t just a great novel; it’s a part of me. Every time I finish it, I'm left both haunted and grateful.
Pat Conroy is truly one of the all-time great American authors, and while Beach Music and Gone with the Wind may be his most famous works, for me The Great Santini is his masterpiece — his Michelangelo. The emotional rawness, the complex family dynamics, and the undercurrent of basketball, my first and deepest love, made this story feel uniquely mine. Conroy captured something brutally real and heartbreaking, yet also somehow beautiful, in a way few writers ever can. This isn’t just a great novel; it’s a part of me. Every time I finish it, I'm left both haunted and grateful.
An okay read about a military brat and his relationship with his father.