Step into the powerhouse life of Bull Meecham. He’s all Marine—fighter pilot, king of the clouds, and absolute ruler of his family. Lillian is his wife—beautiful, southern-bred, with a core of velvet steel. Without her cool head, her kids would be in real trouble. Ben is the oldest, a born athlete whose best never satisfies the big man. Ben’s got to stand up, even fight back, against a father who doesn’t give in—not to his men, not to his wife, and certainly not to his son. Bull Meecham is undoubtedly Pat Conroy’s most explosive character—a man you should hate, but a man you will love.
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Review
“Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel.”—Houston Chronicle
“Robust and vivid . . . full of feeling.”—Newsday
“Tender, raucous, often hilarious.”—Booklist
“A fine, funny, brawling book.”—The National Observer
“Stinging authenticity . . . a book that won’t quit.”—The Atlanta Journal
“[Pat] Conroy has captured a different slice of America in this funny, dramatic novel.”—Richmond News-Leader
“Conroy takes aim at our darkest emotions, lets the arrow fly and hits the bull’s-eye almost every time.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Robust and vivid . . . full of feeling.”—Newsday
“Tender, raucous, often hilarious.”—Booklist
“A fine, funny, brawling book.”—The National Observer
“Stinging authenticity . . . a book that won’t quit.”—The Atlanta Journal
“[Pat] Conroy has captured a different slice of America in this funny, dramatic novel.”—Richmond News-Leader
“Conroy takes aim at our darkest emotions, lets the arrow fly and hits the bull’s-eye almost every time.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
From the Publisher
"Robust and vivid... full of feeling." -- Newsday
"Stinging authenticity... a book that won't quit." -- Atlanta Journal
"A tender, raucous and often hilarious book." -- Booklist
"Conroy has captured a different slice of America in this funny, dramatic novel." -- Richmond News -leader --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
After re-reading The Prince of Tides (a classic), I went to my "To Be Read" pile and grabbed The Great Santini. Although, it did not 'capture' me in the way The Prince of Tides did, it is definitely a great read. Pat Conroy once again, through his lyrical words, proves what a great writer and story-teller he is. The Great Santini is a powerful story about military life and a very complex father/son relationship. I both loved and hated Colonel Bull Meecham (who is the Great Santini). I have spent over 20 years as a military wife and Conroy really "knows his stuff" as he tells the story of the complexities of a military family. Bull is a typical military officer who finds it difficult to separate the way he behaves on duty from the way he behaves as a husband and father. He wants and tries to run his family life in the disciplined, hard-fashioned way he commands his "troops." Lillian is his devoted wife who plays the "role" of a military wife perfectly (I found her relationship with her son very touching--the letter she wrote him on his 16th birthday is a tear-jerker). Ben is Santini's son who is coming to terms with life as an adolescent and his feelings about his father; he is an extremely well written character who I grew to feel sorry for and admire at the same time. Maryann as Santini's sarcastic, wise-cracking daughter was my favorite character who has her own unique way of dealing with her father that makes the reader laugh out loud but, at the same time, realize how much she is hurting and craving his love and attention. It is a great story of the very good and also the very, very bad times of the Meecham family. It is funny, touching, emotional, sad--it has everything!! I highly recommend The Great Santini or any of Pat Conroy's books. He is the best!!
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I found, as many might, this portrait of a control freak and abusive father to be very disturbing. I understand it had to be written; that it was a sort of purge for Conroy, and I'm grateful he summoned the courage to show us this man, but what I found so unsettling was the fact that the main character so resembled the many fathers I have known in the south and elsewhere. I can only hope that all the right people read this book and take some comfort in knowing that they're not alone. While Santini's intentions were basically good and (in his mind) nurturing, he's the ultimate portrait for a man out of control As with other books dealing with the father figure/issue (think BIG FISH or THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD) there are disturbing scenes in this one. More subtly crafted than his PRINCE OF TIDES, this book is a keeper.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Summer 2004 Reading List - Mini Review
The Great Santini is a pretty good coming of age story. It is not bad as an embracing-your-southern-heritage story. But it shines when it humanizes a monster of a Dad and shows how families of dysfunction operate and compensate.
Conroy blends humor and morbidity in this somewhat autobiographical look at growing up as a marine kid in the South.
I prefer Ordinary People when it comes to dysfunction, and A Walk To Remember when it comes to southern coming of age but this is still a good and thought provoking read.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not Great Santini
The Great Santini is the story of a Marine family, the Meechams, during the late 1950s. The father, Bull Meecham is the typical military father: crude, tough, conceited, and prone... Read more
Published on April 13 2004 by J. L. Porter
5.0 out of 5 stars
How did he know?
Pat Conroy has given us one of the most memorable characters in all of literature. My question for him is "How did he know what my father was like? Read more
Published on Mar 4 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
Conroy Strikes Gold Again!
The Great Santini is absolutely beautiful to read. There's something about Conroy's characters that just draws one into the vortex of their lives. Read more
Published on Sep 15 2003 by Annabel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Amazing!!!
This was one of the most astonishing books i have read in a long time. The life of a Marine child is not easy, considering that physical and mental edurence that one has to adapte... Read more
Published on Aug 19 2003 by Mike Ross
4.0 out of 5 stars
Insight into life in a military childhood
This is the second book of Pat Conroy's that I have read (the first was "The Water is Wide", which was his first book, I believe). Read more
Published on Mar 31 2003 by J. Vess
3.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful but flawed
Just like the title character of this book, the novel itself is powerful but flawed. While I was caught up in the maelstrom of family relations and spellbound by the character of... Read more
Published on Mar 27 2003 by Michael Riordan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Discipline is a Double Edged Sword
I recently read the Lords of Discipline and wanted to read more of Pat Conroy. I was not disappointed with the Great Santini. Read more
Published on Feb 9 2003 by Daniel Hancock
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Great Santini
This novel by Pat Conroy is an amazing contemporary novel that leads you through the life of a military family in the late 1950's. Read more
Published on Jan 26 2003 by Erin O.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly Good
I decided to read this book on a bit of a whim. We were vacationing on Hilton Head, near Conroy's hometown, and I wanted to become better acquainted with this talented author's... Read more
Published on July 28 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Conroy Classic
Conroy is the best of the best. Theres no better author at writing gut wrenching, heart stomping, laughter filled family sagas rich with strong appealing characters that you love... Read more
Published on Feb 22 2002 by JabberWocky
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