Reviews

I've read a few of Conroy's books; and I remain grateful to a friend who recommended him a few years ago. Pat Conroy has a true grace about his writing. I may alienate some people by saying this, but I have always felt a good writer speaks to his readers with a heartfelt conversation that transcends basic variables like geography and age. When I read Conroy, I feel as comfortable and well wrapped in his stories as I do with other writers like, Stephen King. He great, grand critics might argue that there is no literature here; but when I want a good story.. i know I won't go wrong with Conroy.

"The Great Santini," is a tad dated by 2016, in that you have seen many of these characters before, but you might want to ask yourself if anyone had humanized them the same way as Conroy did when he wrote this story decades ago.

Reading this with the eyes of a 21st century woman, I wish more was there for some characters that got lost in the shuffle.. particularly those characters that paid with their innocence and their lives...

The story remains what it is though.. coming of age as a boy of the South, raised by the Pater Noster who cannot be replaced, but whom you must dethrone to become a man.

floatsomejetsome's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

One of the rare books where the movie was better. The movie plays up the interesting (to me) bits and displays the awful bits. The back cover says it’s a book “about a man you should hate but that you will love.” Negative on that, sportsfans.

The movie version adds some flying (and gets it mostly right as I recall, which the book does not), focuses on the camaraderie of the marines, and best of all, really cuts down on the gratuitous child and spouse abuse. This is primarily a book about a father who beats the crap out of his family constantly and does his best to turn his boys into terrible men. The movie makes this a subplot.

Content Warnings

jmmcand's review against another edition

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5.0

Pat Conroy is definitely my favorite author. His storytelling (or truth telling of his family) is captivating.

pcro99's review

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emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

brianahartzell's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a biased review because the world (not the family dynamic, thank God) in this book is very similar to my own as a spouse of a navy pilot. The writing of this book is engaging and eloquent (when it is not Bull speaking) and I was drawn into the story and wanted to read more. However, the characters (mostly Bull and Lillian) are so very unlikable it is hard to say I liked the book. So how do you rate a well written book in which you didn't love the characters nor the ending (spoiler alert: the end is my worst fear as an aviators spouse)?

kateyolivia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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