South of Broad

The book is another superb reflection of Conroy life. Outstanding descriptive words and amazing and unforgettable characters. I DID NOT know this was large print. Very disappointing. I am re-ordering another one. I see nowhere in description of large print. The story is great!

I write this review so that you don't miss the chance to have a love affair, as did I, with "South of Broad" just because you stumbled across the comments of a critic who was less than enamored with Pat Conroy's latest book. I write this from the perspective of that of reader and not that of a book critic. First, I do want to admit my bias as one who is a fan of Pat Conroy's work- so you know from where I come. My appreciation for Conroy's work is not blind, however, as I will not fawn over his two works of fiction that came out after the "Prince of Tides." I read them, but they did not resonate with me as does this latest work. "South of Broad" touched me as did the "Prince of Tides." I reveled with my coffee each morning as I read a chapter before I started my day. No morning newspaper for me until I turned the last page of a chapter. And I read each page slowly as I loathed for my time with "SOB" to end as it signaled it was time to enter the real world and leave these characters behind until another day began. "South of Broad" is Conroy at his Conroyist best. The prose is there; the banter between characters is there; the location in the South's low country is there; and the psychopathology is there- this IS Conroy. And this is where my comments about style will end as this is a review, again, for readers. I love the story. I love the characters. I was entertained- no, better yet, I was thrilled. I love the book. And If I can write one line that might help you decide whether to pick up "South of Broad," let me finish by saying that "South of Broad" brought me great pleasure like no work of fiction has since the "Prince of Tides." And isn't that why we pick up such works? Thanks Pat, for doing what you do.

Fans of Pat Conroy's previous fiction can now rejoice that the long wait since "Beach Music" has now ended. The narrator, Leo King, is the troubled son of an idealized science teacher father and a former nun, now high school principal devoted to the writing of James Joyce, growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, in the late 1960's. Of course what boy wouldn't be troubled after discovering his older brother's suicide at a young age, and then spending time in a mental institution, only later to be placed on probation due to a drug arrest that was really no fault of his own? As difficult as Leo's life may seem, it pales in comparison with that of the twins who move into the house across the street: an openly gay boy and a sister who eventually becomes a famous actress, both of whom are constantly moved from town to town by a psychopathic abusive father intent upon killing anyone who becomes close with his children, or the brother and sister from the town's orphanage, one of whom later marries Leo, only to have her life spiral down into the throes of her borderline personality disorder. The story follows this group of friends through several decades of their lives during which times they must struggle with issues of discrimination based upon class, race, and sexual orientation. Naturally there couldn't be a Pat Conroy novel that did not touch upon high school sports or The Citadel, although not as much as in his previous books. A warning to the squeamish, however, is that it also includes mention of the sexual abuse of children, as was the case in "The Prince of Tides." Although the stories may differ, anyone familiar with the famous wit of Pat Conroy's narration will not be disappointed to find more of the same in "South of Broad." I can think of no other writer better able to deliver such a devastating and/or humorous put-down to another person, whether as in this book, the victim is a racist, a blue-blood, a psychopathic killer, a nun, or a even a priest. I have also read few books in which an author's love of a particular city shone through more clearly than Conroy's love for Charleston in this novel. Although I would not rank this book higher than "The Prince of Tides," I did enjoy it more than Conroy's last novel, "Beach Music." Although not as sprawling a work as "Beach Music," "South of Broad" was not a book that I found myself wanting to finish quickly and purposely read it over a couple of weeks. Now that I have finished it my only hope is that we will not have wait another fourteen years for Pat Conroy to grace us with his next novel.

Full disclosure: In my opinion, Pat Conroy's "The Prince of Tides" is one of the best novels of the 20th Century. So of course I jumped at the chance to read and review his latest work, "South of Broad". I expected rich and evocative prose, a superb sense of time and place, poetic descriptions, a collection of intriguing, entertaining and possibly grotesque characters, plenty of southern gothic flavor and intricate and arresting plot lines. BINGO! I got all of that...plus. Conroy doesn't stray far from the themes and settings that have brought him where he is today as a celebrated and well-loved novelist. While "South of Broad" feels familiar as we follow its southern misfit boy narrator as he navigates the waves of segregation, horrible parenting, the Catholic Church, shameful sexual secrets, ridged social class rules, and sports; it's again a pleasure to be back in Conroy's deep south. No one makes you feel the humidity, smell the sea air and all but actually taste the shrimp and grits like Conroy does. The plot is thick and rich and sometimes shocking. A group of young people find themselves unlikely friends in Charleston, SC in the late 60s, and twenty years later find themselves in San Francisco looking for one of their member who is dying of AIDS. It is Conroy's fashion to tell his stories in alternating times and flashbacks. He's a master at it so the reader never feels lost of confused; but the reader always feels intrigued! "South of Broad" is another Conroy book that will have you up late thinking..."just one more page..." Through his alter-ego narrator, Leo King, Conroy dubs James Joyce's "Ulysses" as unreadable (an apt and succinct description for this English Major!) Conroy's novels are exactly the opposite; they are immensely readable and also unforgettable. Thank heavens he's back!

I read an advanced reader's copy of this new Conroy novel and must say that it is simply beautiful from the first line. The story, set in the late sixties till the nineties, mostly in Charleston, is centered on the life of Leo King. Born into a devout Catholic family, Leo is haunted by his brother's suicide, and trying to salvage a ruined adolescence with the help of a handful of best friends, who have their own histories and ghosts to deal with. Conroy often writes of salvation through friendship, and this is his strongest novel yet on the subject. It is also an unexpectedly Catholic novel, and at base, a very devout one. The South, and the Low Country in particular, are exalted, beloved, and cherished in prose so fine it breaks your heart. I don't want to spoil the story in any way, but have to say that the last pages did that thing that modern novels seem incapable of doing these days: it lifted my heart, ending on just the loveliest, most affirming word (won't say what.) Read the first line and you'll understand.

I was very excited to get an advance copy of "South of Broad" through a friend of the authors. Conroy has been one of my favorite authors since I read the excellent "The Prince of Tides: A Novel" Years ago. The author is one of the best at developing living breathing characters that you actually care about and can believe in. This is the story of a diverse group of teenagers, from Charlston, SC, who form a friendship in the late 1960s having to grow up under the changes of that time period. They are a diverse group but all come from a particular place and a particular time. Over the following twenty years Conroy portrays the life and times of each of the characters in dramatic fashion. And the characters do live pretty dramatic lives from the legal profession to the music industry and Hollywood. But they all come from the same place yet with different backgrounds (the privileged to the struggling, from black and white). Within the story racism, religion, love, and lust are all explored . In the end they are all brought back together to face test none of the ever expected that will test the bonds of the friendships. Great, engaging fiction; fans of Conroy will be very pleased! For more great character development I have to recommend Misfits CountryMarilyn Monroe and Clark Gable brought to life!