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eissac201's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this novel, so full of weighty stories and elegant prose, proved to me my own ineptitudes when it comes to reading literature. There is a large audience for these stories, and I am not among them.
alishabuford's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tigerlipgloss's review against another edition
0.75
I only finished this because my MIL has labeled it as her absolute favorite book ever and I will never trust another recommendation from her. I should have DNFed after the first chapter, but I suffered through trying to give it a chance.
There is absolutely no plot and every character is horrible. Even the one child is awful, she is suppose to be a 6-7 year old but talks and behaves like she is 70.
So much happens in this book but nothing is accomplished. The author covers suicide, racism, religious trauma, religious persecution, war, war crimes, radicalism, turtle rescue, cancer, mental health, alcoholism, and abuse. However, even with nearly 800 pages, I have no clue what the author’s stance is on any of those issues.
Conroy’s descriptions are insufferable, at one point he spends a page and a half describing a tomato sandwich and I do not even know if the character enjoyed it or ate it.
Seriously, do not even try.
There is absolutely no plot and every character is horrible. Even the one child is awful, she is suppose to be a 6-7 year old but talks and behaves like she is 70.
So much happens in this book but nothing is accomplished. The author covers suicide, racism, religious trauma, religious persecution, war, war crimes, radicalism, turtle rescue, cancer, mental health, alcoholism, and abuse. However, even with nearly 800 pages, I have no clue what the author’s stance is on any of those issues.
Conroy’s descriptions are insufferable, at one point he spends a page and a half describing a tomato sandwich and I do not even know if the character enjoyed it or ate it.
Seriously, do not even try.
askatknits's review against another edition
5.0
I did not think it was possible that I could like a book more than I did South of Broad, but then I read Beach Music. This book made me laugh out loud and also brought tears to my eyes as Jack collected the stories of family members and shared them so incredibly beautifully. Long live Chippy the Dog stories, GRRRRR! GRRRRRR! The tender brilliance of Pat Conroy's writing has left an indelible mark on my heart with this story.
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
4.0
I’m still not entirely sure what the overall plot of this was as there were dozens and dozens of stories within the story; yet, this was one of the most engaging and riveting books I’ve read this year.
It was an unusual book due to its diverse range of subject matter. I’m not sure there’s another book like it!
One thing I took away from it was how frightening both religion and nationalism are.
It was an unusual book due to its diverse range of subject matter. I’m not sure there’s another book like it!
One thing I took away from it was how frightening both religion and nationalism are.
mrsswann's review against another edition
2.0
Started out fantastic, I love the way he uses his words, and his descriptions are wonderful. However, the story started to drag on about halfway through the book, and I felt like the story was going nowhere. I will look into more of his books, because I like his writing style!
kateyolivia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0