The Great Santini
by Pat Conroy
On This Page
Description
"Conroy takes aim at our darkest emotions, lets the arrow fly and hits a bull's-eye almost every time." -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel This is the story of Bull Meecham, the epitome of the Marine officer. Demanding, authoritarian, as tough a disciplinarian at home as at the base, Bull is a difficult man to please, and even harder to love. This is also the story of Ben Meecham, Bull's oldest son. A gifted athlete whose best never satisfies his father, Ben must balance his own ambition with his show more father's expectations - and decide what course he will chart for himself and what kind of man he will become. Piercing, bittersweet, and unforgettable, The Great Santini is Pat Conroy's semi-autobiographical lens into fathers and sons, and the powerful legacy one man can leave behind. "Robust and vivid…full of feeling." - Newsday "Few novelists write as well, and none as beautifully." - Lexington Herald Leader. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Lt Col Bull Meecham is a Marine fighter pilot – No – he is the GREATEST Marine Fighter Pilot. Just ask his family or any of the men serving under him. This novel gives us a glimpse of one Marine’s family. Lillian is the gentle, Southern-born wife who tempers her husband’s erratic drive with a cool, steady demeanor. She is the buffer between Bull and their children. But as their first-born, Ben, moves toward high school graduation, he is increasingly at odds with his father. No matter how he excels – at sports or academics – it is never good enough to please the Colonel.
I really disliked Bull and yet I really liked the novel. Conroy completely drew me into this dysfunctional family and their complicated relationships. I show more loved the way he gave us insight into his characters by showing us examples of their strengths and weaknesses: Ben one-on-one against his father shooting baskets in the driveway; Mary Anne masking her pain with a smart retort; Bull coming to Ben’s defense against the town bullies; Lillian pleading with Ben to bring his father home.
As much as I disliked Bull, I grew to love Ben. He is a sensitive boy, growing to manhood, and he is able to glean the good lessons from his father – loyalty to your family and friends, championing the weak, hard work and never giving up – and recognize the poor example as well, vowing to never be like his father in those ways.
The person I was most infuriated with was Lillian. Her blind devotion to the man she married – or the man she hoped he was – drove me crazy. Even when confronted with specific evidence she refused to see how harmful Bull’s behavior was to her and her children.
I have had Pat Conroy on my reading radar for a long time, but never read any of his novels before this. I’m certain this won’t be my last Conroy work. show less
I really disliked Bull and yet I really liked the novel. Conroy completely drew me into this dysfunctional family and their complicated relationships. I show more loved the way he gave us insight into his characters by showing us examples of their strengths and weaknesses: Ben one-on-one against his father shooting baskets in the driveway; Mary Anne masking her pain with a smart retort; Bull coming to Ben’s defense against the town bullies; Lillian pleading with Ben to bring his father home.
As much as I disliked Bull, I grew to love Ben. He is a sensitive boy, growing to manhood, and he is able to glean the good lessons from his father – loyalty to your family and friends, championing the weak, hard work and never giving up – and recognize the poor example as well, vowing to never be like his father in those ways.
The person I was most infuriated with was Lillian. Her blind devotion to the man she married – or the man she hoped he was – drove me crazy. Even when confronted with specific evidence she refused to see how harmful Bull’s behavior was to her and her children.
I have had Pat Conroy on my reading radar for a long time, but never read any of his novels before this. I’m certain this won’t be my last Conroy work. show less
I cannot remember ever bailing on a book after putting in 265 pages and making 56%. I would have certainly stopped sooner had it not been Pat Conroy and a group read. I regret to say, this book is garbage. I kept waiting for the good writing and meaningful story to kick in, but it did not.
I have loved Conroy. [b:The Prince of Tides|16735|The Prince of Tides|Pat Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512744907l/16735._SY75_.jpg|1312477], [b:The Water is Wide|129947|The Water is Wide|Pat Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347578693l/129947._SY75_.jpg|1414582] and [b:Beach Music|16729|Beach Music|Pat show more Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1426903848l/16729._SY75_.jpg|2707941] were all fine reads for me; I am totally happy I did not start with Santini, or I would never have gotten to those. This book is meant to be autobiographical, and I am closing it with admiration for Conroy if this is truly what he rose above. If I have ever encountered a less appealing, more appalling character than Bull Meecham, I cannot remember where it was. But it goes beyond that...I feel not the least bit of anything for a single one of these people, not Bull, not Lillian, and not any of the children, least of all the smart ass, Mary Anne, or pitiful "golden boy", Ben.
The book contains non-stop, pervasive vulgar language and coarse behavior. I do not think this is typical of Marines. I worked with military men for quite a long time, and I found officers were indeed gentlemen, and if this kind of language or attitude was common, it must have been reserved for times when no women were present, because it was never on display before us. I would find it very sad to think Bull Meecham typified our Marines.
In defense of myself, here is a sample of the kind of paragraphs that are repeated time and again, page after page:
So the Krauts fried a couple of Jews. Big deal. It was war. We fried Germans in Berlin and Dresden. We fried Japs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and I mean, sportsfans, we done fried ‘em like eggs there, no pootin’ around. In every war someone gets fried. The Jews got it from the Krauts. In war, there ain’t no morals. There are just winners, losers, and those that got their asses fried sunny side up.”
I do not find this to be clever writing and I believe there is only so much needed to illuminate how disgusting your main character is before we all get the idea.
”You have four fine children.”
“I want the boys to become good soldiers and the girls to be fine pieces of tail for their husbands.”
No father who would say that about his daughters deserves to be read about. I’m out. show less
I have loved Conroy. [b:The Prince of Tides|16735|The Prince of Tides|Pat Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512744907l/16735._SY75_.jpg|1312477], [b:The Water is Wide|129947|The Water is Wide|Pat Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347578693l/129947._SY75_.jpg|1414582] and [b:Beach Music|16729|Beach Music|Pat show more Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1426903848l/16729._SY75_.jpg|2707941] were all fine reads for me; I am totally happy I did not start with Santini, or I would never have gotten to those. This book is meant to be autobiographical, and I am closing it with admiration for Conroy if this is truly what he rose above. If I have ever encountered a less appealing, more appalling character than Bull Meecham, I cannot remember where it was. But it goes beyond that...I feel not the least bit of anything for a single one of these people, not Bull, not Lillian, and not any of the children, least of all the smart ass, Mary Anne, or pitiful "golden boy", Ben.
The book contains non-stop, pervasive vulgar language and coarse behavior. I do not think this is typical of Marines. I worked with military men for quite a long time, and I found officers were indeed gentlemen, and if this kind of language or attitude was common, it must have been reserved for times when no women were present, because it was never on display before us. I would find it very sad to think Bull Meecham typified our Marines.
In defense of myself, here is a sample of the kind of paragraphs that are repeated time and again, page after page:
So the Krauts fried a couple of Jews. Big deal. It was war. We fried Germans in Berlin and Dresden. We fried Japs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and I mean, sportsfans, we done fried ‘em like eggs there, no pootin’ around. In every war someone gets fried. The Jews got it from the Krauts. In war, there ain’t no morals. There are just winners, losers, and those that got their asses fried sunny side up.”
I do not find this to be clever writing and I believe there is only so much needed to illuminate how disgusting your main character is before we all get the idea.
”You have four fine children.”
“I want the boys to become good soldiers and the girls to be fine pieces of tail for their husbands.”
No father who would say that about his daughters deserves to be read about. I’m out. show less
I’ll say upfront that The Great Santini holds the title for the best book I’ve read this year and has a very good chance of retaining that title all year.
Santini is the late Pat Conroy's first novel and he always claimed that it is largely autobiographical. In fact, in his penultimate book, The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son, Conroy describes his actual life with his family and his father, Marine fighter pilot Col. Don Conroy, the original Great Santini. This nickname even appears on his military gravestone at the National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina.
I usually read two books at one time, one text and one audio and often make sure the books are of different genres so that I don’t mix them up in my show more head. This time, though, I read The Great Santini while listening to the audio version of The Death of Santini. The experience was a bit confusing but overall it was fascinating. It reminded me of “Ghosts of History” a website where images of soldiers from past wars are superimposed over recent photograph of the same location. It also showed me how actual people from Pat’s life became characters in his novels. Bernie Schein, Conroy’s best friend from high school can be none other than Sammy Wertzberger in Santini.
Bottom Line: This is a great novel and its greatness comes from the author’s ability to write what he knows. Ernest Hemingway once said “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Conroy clearly took this advice to heart. Don't miss this one. show less
Santini is the late Pat Conroy's first novel and he always claimed that it is largely autobiographical. In fact, in his penultimate book, The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son, Conroy describes his actual life with his family and his father, Marine fighter pilot Col. Don Conroy, the original Great Santini. This nickname even appears on his military gravestone at the National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina.
I usually read two books at one time, one text and one audio and often make sure the books are of different genres so that I don’t mix them up in my show more head. This time, though, I read The Great Santini while listening to the audio version of The Death of Santini. The experience was a bit confusing but overall it was fascinating. It reminded me of “Ghosts of History” a website where images of soldiers from past wars are superimposed over recent photograph of the same location. It also showed me how actual people from Pat’s life became characters in his novels. Bernie Schein, Conroy’s best friend from high school can be none other than Sammy Wertzberger in Santini.
Bottom Line: This is a great novel and its greatness comes from the author’s ability to write what he knows. Ernest Hemingway once said “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Conroy clearly took this advice to heart. Don't miss this one. show less
This book is gorgeously written, but like most books by Conroy, waits until you're in love with each character to shake you by the scruff of the neck. My daughter put it best: "You're just reading along, having a wonderful time, and then everything goes to shit." Yeah. Worth it, but yeah. (God, I'm going to miss him.)
This book had a huge effect on me, to the point that I could barely stand to finish reading it. I detested the Great Santini and I really do not like Pat Conroy for the boundless, endless, limitless stream of excuses he will make for his father. What a horrible bunch of people, what a lot of excuse-making, what a dreadful tale. It gets four stars because it certainly did make an impression on me, and no one could logically say Conroy is a bad writer. Completely lacking in logic and any insight into himself, sure, but he's a good writer. I had managed to forget about this book, and now it's back in my head, dammit.
What an emotional ride I had with this book. Conroy captures the essence of growing up in a military family. As the daughter of an Army colonel, I have experienced the same feelings on moving day. "If the birds of the North are born with migratory instinct fused into the albumen of eggs, then the military families of America develop the same instinct out of necessity. They pack, move, unpack, burrow in, and nervously await their next orders." (Pg. 30) He is dead on with his descriptions of how difficult it is to fit into a new school and community every few years knowing that friendships will be shortlived and that another moving day is in the near future.
This is a story of an extremely challenging and complex father/son relationship. show more Bull Meecham is a Marine through and through who treats his family with the same callousness as he would new recruits. The language is quite crude at times, and the book is saturated with dark humor centering around the demonic mean streak and unpredictability of the "Great Santini."
Conroy writes with such beauty and honesty that I am grateful he became a writer instead of a Marine fighter pilot. I read this on a trip to Charleston and Beaufort so I can report that he does an outstanding job of depicting the SC low country. One can tell that he has a real affinity for this region, so much so that he has chosen one of the islands for his permanent home.
I can't say I "loved" Bull Meecham as the back cover blurb promises, but I do understand that he loves his family deeply in his own warped way. This may be hard for some people to relate to, but as a military brat I totally get it. If Bull Meecham were around today, he would certainly tell everyone to "read this book, sportsfans!" and I concur. show less
This is a story of an extremely challenging and complex father/son relationship. show more Bull Meecham is a Marine through and through who treats his family with the same callousness as he would new recruits. The language is quite crude at times, and the book is saturated with dark humor centering around the demonic mean streak and unpredictability of the "Great Santini."
Conroy writes with such beauty and honesty that I am grateful he became a writer instead of a Marine fighter pilot. I read this on a trip to Charleston and Beaufort so I can report that he does an outstanding job of depicting the SC low country. One can tell that he has a real affinity for this region, so much so that he has chosen one of the islands for his permanent home.
I can't say I "loved" Bull Meecham as the back cover blurb promises, but I do understand that he loves his family deeply in his own warped way. This may be hard for some people to relate to, but as a military brat I totally get it. If Bull Meecham were around today, he would certainly tell everyone to "read this book, sportsfans!" and I concur. show less
The Great Santini is a story about a marine fighter pilot who values being a marine fighter pilot above being a husband or father (or one imagines anything else for that matter). Set in the '60's and 70's in the American South, the story features racial conflict almost as much as the story of a hard drinking, stern, toxically masculine leader of a family that isn't really sure whether they love the man or hate him at any given time. Many of the familial explorations are started but left uncompleted, leaving the reader wishing the thoughts had been more fully formed. It comes to a somewhat predictable end (in my view) without ever explaining the origin of the nickname. Some interesting side plots make for an interesting tale, but overall show more it's not a novel that I never wanted to end. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Southern Fiction
212 works; 52 members
Favourite Books
1,817 works; 316 members
Recommend the 20 best books you've read in the last five years
2,167 works; 605 members
1970s
657 works; 23 members
Books Read in 2023
5,547 works; 145 members
Dysfunctional Families
133 works; 7 members
End of Your Life Book Club
134 works; 4 members
Author Information
44+ Works 23,820 Members
Pat Conroy is the pen name of Donald Patrick Conroy, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 26, 1945. He received a B.A. in English from The Citadel in 1967. After teaching high school at his alma mater, he accepted a job teaching disadvantaged black children in a two-room schoolhouse on Daufuskie Island off the South Carolina coast. Many of show more the children were illiterate, unable even to write their own names. He taught them using oral history and geography lessons. His experience on Daufuskie Island formed the basis for his first successful memoir, The Water Is Wide, which won the Anisfield-Wolf Award from the Cleveland Foundation and was made into the movie Conrack starring Jon Voight in 1976. His novels include Beach Music and South of Broad. Several of his novels were adapted into movies including The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and The Prince of Tides. He also wrote several works of non-fiction including The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life, My Reading Life, and The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son. He died of pancreatic cancer on March 4, 2016 at the age of 70. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- The great Santini
- Original title
- The Great Santini
- Original publication date
- 1976-06
- People/Characters
- Wilbur "Bull" Meecham (lieutenant colonel); Lillian Meecham; Ben Meecham; Mary Ann Meechum; Toomer Smalls; Red Petus
- Important places
- Ravenel, South Carolina, USA
- Related movies
- The Great Santini (1979 | IMDb)
- Dedication*
- Dit boek is met liefde en dank opgedragen aan Frances "Peggy" Conroy de grootste van alle moeders en leraressen en aan Kolonel Donald Conroy, U.S.M.C. Ret., de grootste van alle vaders en vliegers.
- First words
- In the Cordova hotel, near the docks of Barcelona, fourteen Marine Corps fighter pilots from the aircraft carrier Forrestal were throwing an obstreperously spirited going away party for Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meecham,... (show all) the executive officer of their carrier based squadron.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Ben Meecham filled up on the road to Atlanta with the love of his father, with the love of Santini.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 2,167
- Popularity
- 9,314
- Reviews
- 42
- Rating
- (3.99)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 55
- ASINs
- 16