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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
After spending the majority of this book hoping it would hurry up, and that Bull would have some sort “turning point” moment, the last 200ish pages then flew by and I ended up an emotional wreck. So all in all I guess you could say I enjoyed it and Pat Conroy is a complicated and masterful writer.
This book gets one star for good spelling at some lyrical writing (at times). But I hated everything about it. It does not stand the test of time and it is hard to imagine it ever being regarded as a good read. They even made a movie out of it! It valorizes and glorifies violent and brutish masculinity, anti-black racism, antisemitism and misogyny. These are the qualities of the 'hero'. If it is meant to expose the horrors of military men, it succeeds. I only read it, and finished it, because I was recently visiting the low country of South Carolina and Pat Conroy was recommended. I suspect I picked the worst of his oeuvre, but I can't see myself reading any more of his books based on this experience. I only finished it in hopes that the monstrous protagonist would be killed off in the end.
medium-paced
Too humorous for me. I thought it would b a serious marine dad training his son in basketball. Being too hard on him and being a coach more than a parent. Nope. Lot of humor dialog. I dont like ppl tryin to make me laugh.
emotional
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Picked this off my shelf for my book club to read and was annoyed I had not read it sooner. Pat Conroy was such a gift from the South; he wrote so well and told such good stories. This autobiographical novel about Marine Corps fighter pilot Bull Meecham and his relationship with his high school senior son, Ben is by turns brutal and sensitive. Bull is larger than life, ruling his family and squadron exactly in the same manner. He is well aware of his faults, although they don't seem to push him to ever change his behavior or attitude, feeling that would be an admission of weakness. Ben has such mixed feelings about his parents, always wishing his mother would just leave his father so they could have a peaceful life, but understanding the mores of the early 1960s which proscribed that Lillian needed to stand by her man. Ben's senior year of high school is much more tumultuous than expected, but in Conroy's hands, the reader is left hopeful for his future.
Not the type of book I would normally read, but I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the characters, the relationships between them, and the insider insight on military family life that others have told me is quite accurate. That said, I wish the plot had been clearer and more well thought-out. I was constantly asking myself, “Where is this going? Why are they spending so much time talking about this?” Sometimes it would tie back into the story, sometimes it wouldn’t.
So overall 3.5 stars. Not bad, sportsfans.
So overall 3.5 stars. Not bad, sportsfans.
This is a hard read. Trigger warnings abound with this one. But, ultimately, I found this book well worth the reading.