The Great Santini: A Novel (original 1976; edition 2002)

I love everything Conroy has written and this was excellent. The relationships within the family are so real. A story that really pulls you in. ( )

I hadn't realized that anyone else had been raised the way I was. Remarkable, moving. ( )

My favorite Pat Conroy book. ( )

The Great Santini is-in my opinion-Conroy's best work to date. Maybe I can relate because I also had a military dad who demanded respect from his family, but I truly found myself engrossed in the story of a father and son who are so different from one another but not.

Mild-mannered Ben is uprooted (along with wiseass sister Maryanne, their two younger siblings and their mother) when Bull Meechem (aka the Great Santini) returns home and is relocated by the marines. Through the course of the book, we get to see a year in Ben's life, and all the trials and tribulations he must deal with-and how they are so normal for him after years and years of moving. The ending of the book is extremely moving and we see the family come full circle. I didn't think I would be so moved by this particular book, yet I was. It was also interesting because the reader gets a glimpse of Southern life and individuals in the 1960s, and some of the attitudes that prevailed then.

If you want a book you can't put down, choose The Great Santini. I guarantee you won't be disappointed, sportsfans. ( )

As a marine, Bull is one of the best. As a father, he is not one of the best. Through the pages of this book, Pat Conroy tells the story of Bull and his family as they make a home in South Carolina during Ben Meecham's senior year in high school. New friends are made, new relationships forged, and old family habits are faced with laughter and heartache. The four Meecham children, their Mid-Western Marine father, and their Southern bred mother come alive within the pages of The Great Santini. They struggle with their undying love for family and the love/hate relationship they have for the lives they have very little control over.

Pat Conroy has a gift for the written language. His rich Southern heritage permeates every page. With one sentence he can invoke anger, bring you to tears, or make you roar with laughter. His words are eloquent and harsh, stirring and sharp. He is a master. ( )