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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
This book was written when the author was 30 and the maturity is amazing. This is a book of fiction based on his own family, particularly his father. I had a hard time reading this. As I read this I marveled at a man who could write about his father with affection and dislike and even hatred all at the same time. I have been on something of a Pat Conroy kick. I read The Water Is Wide, his book about teaching on a remote Gullah island. I also read his book “My Reading Life” which was really inspiring. The man was a prodigious reader. In Santini, we meet Ben Meecham and his family dominated by Bull Meecham, a Marine flyer and LtCol who has been passed over for promotion more than once and who is taking command of a squadron of pilots at a base in South Carolina. His family is moving to the new base after spending a year in Atlanta living with their grandmother. Ben and his siblings miss her and aren’t looking forward to their father coming home at all. He is physically and mentally abusive to his wife and children. There was a movie made. I don’t plan to watch it. The book was hard enough to read to be honest. Conroy’s family was horribly scarred as a result of his abusive father. One of his siblings committed suicide. There are some funny scenes but all in all it is an incredibly sad book. Conroy’s books all have a similar vein running through them. He spent his writing life trying to exorcise his childhood. It’s a really wonderful book that acknowledges the pain of children who love, hate and fear a parent.
Tough tough scenes. Language can seem dated but the sentiments remain. Solid read.
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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
Puncuated with sharp dialogue and unforgettable characters, Conroy's semi-autobiographical novel is thoroughly fascinating examination of a complex man and his complex family dynamic. I can't wait to read other Conroy books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism
The book is true to the period, meaning some characters reflect the racial attitudes of their time.
Bull Meecham is undoubtedly Pat Conroy’s most explosive character—a man you should hate, but a man you will love. -cover summary
I did not love him, there was only hate in my heart.
I did not love him, there was only hate in my heart.
emotional
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:
Complicated
Exceptionally well written book. But the subject is horrible. Bull Meecham is the essence of white male toxicity. I found nothing redeeming about him. He beats his wife and kids and is a bully. The racism and sexism are never condemned. The focus of the brutal rape of a teenage girl is that her rapist is black and gives an excuse for white supremacists to unleash their hatred. But again it’s never really held to account. This was my first Pat Conway book and I bought it as a set so at some point may give him another try.
This book read more like a collection of short stories. I felt that there were some chapters that ended abruptly and we're just forgotten (basketball scouts, Toomer, and the rape?!?). It seemed like there were a lot of inconsistencies with Bull. Maybe this is the point to get you to "love" him but Ben mentions horrible things about his father at the beginning but you don't actually see those characteristics to the last quarter of the book. There were several chapters that were so absorbing and exactly what I love about Conroy's writing, enough to give it more than one star.
Pat Conroy does it again
This was such a wonderful book. Full marks. Conroy had a gift for dialogue and created a beautiful story here.
This was such a wonderful book. Full marks. Conroy had a gift for dialogue and created a beautiful story here.