athoffman18's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first Pat Conroy book, and I am now a lover of Conroy. His writing is very beautiful, and would satisfy even the heaviest of fluff readers. Every one of his characters has a depth, but also a simplicity about them. His writing style and descriptions of things make this a very difficult book to put down to the very end. Upon reaching the end you feel sad that it is over, yet satisfied in the way it ended.
teachingkids1982's review against another edition
4.0
A long, consuming read with a lot going on but a good read.
ghostduchess's review against another edition
5.0
This has long been a favorite read. Shyla and Jack shared a love that most people only dream about.
cjherman's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
3.0
pattyrican's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
mdelguercio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
maggieleeanne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child death, Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Genocide, and Child abuse
Moderate: War, Torture, Self harm, Physical abuse, Racism, and Mental illness
kdudek's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful writing. I found myself reflecting afterwards on particularly well-written phrases, which I don't recall ever doing before. My first Pat Conroy experience and I will seek out other novels.
stevensabby's review against another edition
5.0
Pat Conroy is among the greats. His writing astonishes.
jlworley's review against another edition
5.0
I hold Pat Conroy largely responsible for my longtime desire to live on the Carolina coast; now that I do, at least part of why I love it is because I get to feel like I'm walking around inside one of his novels.
This book took me two weeks to read; that's FOREVER compared to most I read, but the reason was simply because I wanted to savor every bit of it. Pat Conroy tells beautiful stories with characters I end up feeling like I know in real life. In most novels, that makes me want to speed through, to find out what happens to so-and-so, etc - but Conroy's words are woven together so delightfully I find myself re-reading sentences just because I love the way the words feel bumping around in my head. I borrowed my copy from the local library but will likely purchase it to live on my bookshelf just so I can mark some of my favorite sentences to come back to whenever the urge strikes, and because I'll likely start missing some of the folks who live in the story and will want to get reacquainted with them.
All that to say: highly recommended read.
This book took me two weeks to read; that's FOREVER compared to most I read, but the reason was simply because I wanted to savor every bit of it. Pat Conroy tells beautiful stories with characters I end up feeling like I know in real life. In most novels, that makes me want to speed through, to find out what happens to so-and-so, etc - but Conroy's words are woven together so delightfully I find myself re-reading sentences just because I love the way the words feel bumping around in my head. I borrowed my copy from the local library but will likely purchase it to live on my bookshelf just so I can mark some of my favorite sentences to come back to whenever the urge strikes, and because I'll likely start missing some of the folks who live in the story and will want to get reacquainted with them.
All that to say: highly recommended read.