- Audio CD
- Publisher: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (May 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0553713345
- ISBN-13: 978-0553713343
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
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
“Robust and vivid . . . full of feeling.”—Newsday
“Tender, raucous, often hilarious.”—Booklist
“A fine, funny, brawling book.”—The National Observer
Book Description
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.
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.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Book from Pat Conroy,
By
This review is from: The Great Santini (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!!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Too accurate,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Santini (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.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Dad Disease,
By
This review is from: The Great Santini (Mass Market Paperback)
Summer 2004 Reading List - Mini ReviewThe 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.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
