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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Stand by for a fighter pilot.
I have loved every word Pat Conroy has written since I was in high school, yet I've read him out of order. And because I've read all of his other books, (besides The Boo, long out of print, although you better believe I found a way to score a copy upon the news of his death this past March) I felt like I intimately knew these characters before I read the first page. And I did. Some of the finer plot points were new to me, of course, but I knew Ben Meechum, and I knew Lillian, and I knew Bull. I've listened to Conroy speak about this book in his own words. And something about knowing these characters from the first chapter made this a deeply satisfying, even comforting experience, which is perhaps a strange thing to say considering the usual dose of brutality and dysfunction that Conroy serves up in perfect sentences. This is Conroy flexing his writing muscles. It's not a perfect book, but this is one of the first looks at a writer who became truly great. And my heart broke a bit at the end, because that is what Pat Conroy does and because although I still have The Boo, and although there is the possibility of his last novel being published posthumously, I know there will be no more great works from this master.
I have loved every word Pat Conroy has written since I was in high school, yet I've read him out of order. And because I've read all of his other books, (besides The Boo, long out of print, although you better believe I found a way to score a copy upon the news of his death this past March) I felt like I intimately knew these characters before I read the first page. And I did. Some of the finer plot points were new to me, of course, but I knew Ben Meechum, and I knew Lillian, and I knew Bull. I've listened to Conroy speak about this book in his own words. And something about knowing these characters from the first chapter made this a deeply satisfying, even comforting experience, which is perhaps a strange thing to say considering the usual dose of brutality and dysfunction that Conroy serves up in perfect sentences. This is Conroy flexing his writing muscles. It's not a perfect book, but this is one of the first looks at a writer who became truly great. And my heart broke a bit at the end, because that is what Pat Conroy does and because although I still have The Boo, and although there is the possibility of his last novel being published posthumously, I know there will be no more great works from this master.
I cried, I laughed and I got mad at the characters. This is an awesome book.
This is November’s book club pick. I do like the way Pat Conroy writes; uses words. The Great Santini, Bull Meecham, is a Marine fighter pilot, though this book is really about his son, Ben and the conflict/rivalry between father and son that seems to intensify as Ben nears adulthood. Like so many other books we have read, Meecham is a flawed parent. He rules his home like a squadron, with alcoholism, physical abuse and intense bullying in the mix. I wonder if the Marines (and other like institutions) make men this way or just attract men with this predisposition. I read that after publication of the novel Conroy’s paternal grandparents shunned him and that Conroy’s mother used the novel as evidence in her divorce against Conroy’s father.
This book is tragic. It is again, characteristically Pat Conroy but if you are looking for the title's namesake to be a redeemed/redeeming character, you are looking in the wrong place.
An entertaining and humorous book. It has some of the rich prose Conroy is famous for but sharp and funny wit as well.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really good book. It follows a Marine family with their trials and tribulations.
Parts, especially conversations between family members, struck me as especially hollow. Santini himself was hugely problematic. Of course, this is the point, but I still think readers are supposed to like him just a little, and I really didn't. One or two parts made me laugh aloud, but reading this was something of a chore. All this being said, I was surprised at how much the ending upset me.
This seemed like a rough draft for The Prince of Tides. Many of the themes and characters are similar.
I thought it was crude and gross.
Listened to on audio, which was so well done.
Listened to on audio, which was so well done.