brentolie's review against another edition
5.0
What a novel. Powerful and beautifully written. It was a joy to read.
readers_block's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
Uuuugh. I love Pat Conroy, but this one just wasn't really for me. It's hard to explain: I can't tell if I gave it more credit than I deserved because its Conroy, or because I had such high expectations that they fell flat because its Conroy.
Prince of Tides, South of Broad, etc are all up there for some of the best reads ever, for me. I just couldn't really find the joy in this one. Even the writing lacked a bit for me. It almost felt like an excuse to just bat around witty insults and macho slang? Like, the sheer amount of gay/genitalia jokes started to parody itself. Sportsfans, pissants -- nobody is actually addressed normally in this book. By the end the dialogue felt so rote in terms of the volleying of insults that it was hard to not roll my eyes.
I'm kind of bummed because this is my last fiction Conroy and I had waited a long time to read it. Oh well.
Uuuugh. I love Pat Conroy, but this one just wasn't really for me. It's hard to explain: I can't tell if I gave it more credit than I deserved because its Conroy, or because I had such high expectations that they fell flat because its Conroy.
Prince of Tides, South of Broad, etc are all up there for some of the best reads ever, for me. I just couldn't really find the joy in this one. Even the writing lacked a bit for me. It almost felt like an excuse to just bat around witty insults and macho slang? Like, the sheer amount of gay/genitalia jokes started to parody itself. Sportsfans, pissants -- nobody is actually addressed normally in this book. By the end the dialogue felt so rote in terms of the volleying of insults that it was hard to not roll my eyes.
I'm kind of bummed because this is my last fiction Conroy and I had waited a long time to read it. Oh well.
pattieod's review against another edition
5.0
A gorgeous book. Read so long ago that I need to re-read.
lisabwright's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautifully written book. The forwards and reviews state “You’ll want to hate The Great Santini but you’ll love him.” I didn’t love him. He was a horrible, wife and child abusing bully. This book is a beautifully written tragedy. It made me feel sad.
fallinginreverse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jjfsf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bobbo49's review against another edition
5.0
Although I saw the movie many years ago, and have loved much of Conroy's writing, somehow I never got around to The Great Santini until now. While I felt that some of the events in the later parts of the book were not sufficiently developed, overall I loved the story and the writing. Santini himself is recognizable to me as a more extreme version of my own father from those same years - although not a Marine, nonetheless always described briefly in books as "a tough covert operator." Dad was, of course, far less physical with his children (and never with mom), but he surely ran the house in a strict manner not terribly different from Santini, and you knew better than to argue with, or challenge, him. Some of the book had me laughing out loud, or reflecting on the impacts (positive and negative) of moving every few years to a new school (including for my senior year of high school), new friends (some now life-long), new life; some had me cringing with Ben and Mary Anne. Certainly an excellent read for those of us who grew up in that time, or in that kind of transient life, or with some family similarities!
stephee's review against another edition
3.0
I read this because a colleague gave it to me.
This book is a little dated now and I thought it went on a bit too long. But the vocabulary is amazing. And luscious (if that can be possible!). The parents are horrible, I couldn't find anything likable about them at all. However, the main characters are the two siblings who gave me hope for the family. I especially loved the character of Mary Anne - I would have been her friend!
This book is a little dated now and I thought it went on a bit too long. But the vocabulary is amazing. And luscious (if that can be possible!). The parents are horrible, I couldn't find anything likable about them at all. However, the main characters are the two siblings who gave me hope for the family. I especially loved the character of Mary Anne - I would have been her friend!