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Original Essays | December 12, 2009

Alexander McCall Smith: IMG The Courage of Others



I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War... Continue »
  1. $16.76 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    La's Orchestra Saves the World

    Alexander McCall Smith

Great Santini

by Pat Conroy

Great Santini Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

Review:

"The strength of this first novel (Conroy's earlier best-seller, The Water is Wide is non-fiction) is its realism. The dialogue, anecdotes, and family atmosphere are pure Marine and probably autobiographical. At the heart of the book is the search of the 18-year-old son to find himself while learning to understand and love his rigidly authoritarian Marine father, the 'great Santini.' A good novel and enjoyable reading, though the descriptive writing is somewhat juvenile. As usual, when one reads a first novel so heavily autobiographical, one wonders if the author has exhausted his experiences and if a second novel will be inferior." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)

Review:

"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

Product Details

ISBN:
9780553268928
Author:
Conroy, Pat
Publisher:
Bantam Books
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Family life
Subject:
Family saga
Subject:
American fiction
Subject:
Domestic fiction, American
Subject:
American fiction -- 20th century.
Copyright:
Series Volume:
74-1
Publication Date:
December 1987
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Language:
English
Pages:
448
Dimensions:
6.91x4.28x1.02 in. .48 lbs.

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