Beach Music: A Novel

So much history, rich characters, heartbreaking plot and Charleston is one of my all time favorite cities. This book will stay with you.

First let me say this book took me forever to finish. This book is like a fine meal; meant to be savored. Pat Conroy's use of the English language is achingly beautiful and unlike many of the pulp novels that blight the shelves of our Wholesale clubs, this book is worth taking the time to digest. While I can't say it's better than Mr. Conroy's other novels (The Lords of Discipline was amazing); I can say that it's worth every minute one invests in reading it. Highly recommended!

I am about half way thru this book. It cannot be read rapidly....I have to put it down periodically and catch my breath. Wonderful story and Pat Conroy is an excellent writer. Highly recommended reading.

This has become one of my favorite books of all time. Conroy's imagery and use of detail to enhance his storyline is exemplary. He expresses ideas and emotions very well. My favorite quote from the book expressess this idea. "I could feel the tears within me, undiscovered and untouched in their inland sea. Those tears haad been with me always." His explanation why couldn't cry for his wife's death was touching. I have also read Prince of Tides by Conroy, and though the plot have many similarities, I like Beach Music better of the two because it touches on so many more people and their stories. It bothered me aa little at first that there were so many similarites in plot and in characters, but then I became more intrigued because I felt as if I was reading about Conroy's own life, that he had drawn from his personal experiences. Whether this is true or not I don't know. The characters are extremely well developed, each with their own destictive personality, which is amazing considering the number of characters involved. I really liked the plot of the book bacause he delt with so many issues and tied them together so well. He reaches out and pulls amazing stories from his characters, and does it without seeming fake.I wouldn't say this book is for everyone. I wouldn't recommend Beach Musi to people who like extremely fast paced books and don't have the patience for character development. I also would not recommend it to people who would have a hard time dealing with the issues he brings up like suicide, rape, mental instability and the Holocaust. However, I think Conroy's book has great value.