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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I'm sure this book deserves a higher rating (quality of writing, extraordinary pathos . . .) but I am so glad to be done. I kind of wish I hadn't read it, but I'm a compulsive book finisher. I'm not a fan of watching bullies triumph over their victims who justify the abuse AND exalt the abuser. I was surprised to find out, reading an excerpt of Conroy's memoir, that he lived in Alexandria and attended Blessed Sacrament parish and school in the mid-50s. He certainly has my sympathy and respect for surviving the brutal childhood that he recounts in this marginally fictional autobiography.
The story of Bull Meecham, a Marine pilot, and his complex relationships with family and The Corps.
Pat Conroy is an amazing writer. The Houston Chronicle is quoted on the back of my book as saying "Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel," and I don't think I could articulate the experience any better. I laughed until tears ran down my face and in the same chapter I cried for the sheer pain the characters experienced.
The Great Santini is Bull Meecham. And throughout the novel I felt the same overwhelming conflict that his children did - an intense hatred coupled with admiration and love. This wouldn't have been possible for me without the amazing character craftmanship that Conroy displays. All of the characters have so many layers, so many dimensions - exactly like real human beings.
And his depiction of the South - amazing. He illustrates the town with the use of a small cafe and the men who frequent it every morning, with a school and the various types of students and teachers inside, with a Marine base and the constant competition present there.
His theme comes through in events, converstations, metaphors. And the reader experiences the theme - the theme of confusion. We're trained and conditioned to think, act, believe a certain way, but so often life and nature complicate that "way."
I LOVED this book.
Pat Conroy is an amazing writer. The Houston Chronicle is quoted on the back of my book as saying "Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel," and I don't think I could articulate the experience any better. I laughed until tears ran down my face and in the same chapter I cried for the sheer pain the characters experienced.
The Great Santini is Bull Meecham. And throughout the novel I felt the same overwhelming conflict that his children did - an intense hatred coupled with admiration and love. This wouldn't have been possible for me without the amazing character craftmanship that Conroy displays. All of the characters have so many layers, so many dimensions - exactly like real human beings.
And his depiction of the South - amazing. He illustrates the town with the use of a small cafe and the men who frequent it every morning, with a school and the various types of students and teachers inside, with a Marine base and the constant competition present there.
His theme comes through in events, converstations, metaphors. And the reader experiences the theme - the theme of confusion. We're trained and conditioned to think, act, believe a certain way, but so often life and nature complicate that "way."
I LOVED this book.
One of Pat Conroy's best (Lords of Discipline being THE best)
Kindle
I had some mixed feelings about this book. I know it is representative of a different time in history, but I could not stand how they talked about women. Blegh.
I wonder how much of this is biographical. I searched online and read, but oh to be a fly on the wall.
I had some mixed feelings about this book. I know it is representative of a different time in history, but I could not stand how they talked about women. Blegh.
I wonder how much of this is biographical. I searched online and read, but oh to be a fly on the wall.
Great book, as I have come to expect from Conroy, but definitely evident that it was his first novel. His style is inherent from the beginning, but he refined his writing over the years, and I definitely enjoy the more matured prose of his later books. Still, the not-yet-smoothed edges of his prose lend itself to the raw and harsh subject matter. It was not a comfortable book, and while I am glad to have read it, I am also glad for the discomfort. I don't ever want to get numbed to any part of the human experience.
There are a few facts that should go up front in this review. 1) It took me upwards of 2 months to read a 440 page book when I wasn't pressed for time. 2) Whoever at Bantam decided that the type should be itty-bitty and the spacing should be tight is not a friend of mine. 3) I liked the story quite a bit.[return][return]That being said, the synopsis promised that I would find Bull Meecham dispicable and want to hate him but not be able to. That he was one of Conroy's most horrifying characters. To that I say "Have they met Henry Wingo?" Bull was abusive and hard nose, yes. But so was Wingo. And in my opinion much more so. Bull is an ass, but he is an ass who we can understand since we see more of his life than we can hear about from his family. and as a side note i found MaryAnne to be the least likeable character, not Bull.[return][return]Did Santini make me want to dive into another COnroy work like Prince of Tides did. No. Am I glad I stuck through it. Absolutely.
The Great Santini was clearly based, at least in part, on Conroy's own life growing up in a military family. I have no idea if Pat Conroy hated his father as much as I hated the father in this book (Bull Meecham, the guy who called himself "The Great Santini"), but there were very, very few likable things about Bull. Reading this book, I felt terrible for each of Bull's four children born to such a horrible man. I found myself hoping this was not a normal depiction of a military family.
Throughout the book, Conroy manages to provide great insight into growing up in the 1960s in the south all while telling the story of this family dealing with a man whose ego was too large to even imagine. Race relations, teenage melancholy and other topics make their way into the story.
Another good read by Conroy, but of course not as good as The Water is Wide.
Throughout the book, Conroy manages to provide great insight into growing up in the 1960s in the south all while telling the story of this family dealing with a man whose ego was too large to even imagine. Race relations, teenage melancholy and other topics make their way into the story.
Another good read by Conroy, but of course not as good as The Water is Wide.
Great
phenomenally written story about a cold, hard father and the family that must exist with him, yet loving him in their own way.
phenomenally written story about a cold, hard father and the family that must exist with him, yet loving him in their own way.
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know the last time I read a book that moved me like this one. Pat Conroy does an amazing job of developing the most complex characters I've ever had the joy of meeting. The Great Santini should be on every book club's reading list because the opportunity for discussion is endless.