Need some opinions...

Some of you may know from a previous post that I'm one of the younger members of this group and am still in high school. Well, today, my English teacher (yes, the conservative one) assigned a book to my class.

Behold, The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy.

I don't know much about the book aside from its cheesy 80's cover and the fact that my mother absolutely loathed the film. Obviously, my hopes are not high.

My question to you all is this: am I going trudge through this 700 page novel (if it, indeed, deserves to be called such) absolutely despising it?

I don't know the book; it looks like a pretty arbitrary choice to me. But please don't ever be put off a book by the film. I've loathed films of novels I've loved.

I realized after posting this that everything I had to say about Prince of Tides was really addressing The Great Santini.

No Comment!

Don't know the book myself either, but a LTer whose taste I trust completely ('Rique, you hang around here?) owns it and gives it 4.5 stars. That bodes well, methinks.

Actually, I mainly replied so that I could reference the Simpsons: anybody remember when Marge's flashback to her childhood with her great-aunt Gladys turns out to be a scene from Prince of Tides? :)

Didn't read PRINCE OF TIDES but I enjoyed two other Pat Conroy books, THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE and THE GREAT SANTINI, when I read them (many moons ago).

I think that PRINCE OF TIDES is a very odd book to assign to a high school class. The other two I mentioned would make far better choices.

Let us know what you think of it...

Ah, well, I feel much more excited (and relieved) about this book than I did.

Thanks!

Wow. This group is actually proving useful. I feel all come over with pride....

I read it!! And it was good.
Actually my tastes may not be yours, but I thought it was well written. I had read his The water is wide a non-fiction & I honestly believe that would be a much better pick for HS students. In fact, it was on some reading lists. (I worked in the local library & the local schools sent over their reading lists, usually the students had a choice often a lists of 10 or 12. My daughter also read Prince of Tides & thought it was really good. She also liked The Great Santini & Beach Music

Philosopher, comedian, and Shiny Time Station conductor George Carlin starred in the "Prince of Tides" movie. So the movie can't be all bad.

I read Prince of Tides in high school too (though by choice, not by assignment) and enjoyed the HELL out of it. Just one fascinating story after another.

Update:

I'm now half way through the book and am loving it. ;-)

Great news! Read on...

Portrait of a Lady is also splendid. I'm on Chapter 11. This book will take a while, but one doesn't chug VSOP cognac from the bottle. It's better in little sips. Also, "Portrait" is quite funny at time. James sometimes sounds like a stuffy pompous prissypants, but he is also a master of wit and creating "atmosphere."