Beach Music

Rating:
Summary: Music To My Ears
Review: Pat Conroy is, more or less, the best modern American writer. Word truly seem to flow from his "pen"; his characters are captivating and well-developed; his descriptions, whether he's describing a person, place or thing, are unbelievable; and his plots are such dramas, filled with scenes that will make you laugh, make you shrink back in horror, and make you cry.

Beach Music is probably the best, and longest, of Conroy's books. The melodrama begins when Jack McCall, an Southerner who moved to Italy to raise his young daughter after his wife committed suicide, is called back to his home town--Waterford, SC--because his mother is dying. The book describes Jack and his four younger brothers (including wonderfully written scenes with his youngest, and craziest brother John Hardin--who happens to be my favorite character) as they struggle with their family's past, their mother's dying, and the pitiful-excuse-of-a-human-being that is their father.

Secondly, this book describes Jack's attempt to understand why his wife killed herself, and his attempt to reconcile with her family. This part of the book, Jack's in-laws' stories, are probably the hardest emotionally to read. Both of his in-laws were survivors of concentration camps, and their stories are truly heart-wrenching.

Thirdly, this book tells the tale of Jack reuniting with his best guy and girl friends from his teenage years. This part tells how Jack fell in love, how he met his best friend, and what happened to each of their lives. For whatever reason, this section of the book reminded me of the Big Chill (probably because of the reuniting of old friends), but I found this part very enjoyable.

Overall, this book is about a man having to look back--not necessarily reminisce, but to re-examine--on his past to try to solve problems he has with himself, his family, and with raising his daughter without including any family help. This book is very good, very powerful, and, personally, is a book I would take if I were stranded on a desert island.

Rating:
Summary: The most difficult of Conroy's novels
Review: Pat Conroy is my favorite author--I just wish he produced a new book every three months like John Grishom. There is absolutely nobody else who has the power of "description" and "Imagery" that he has.

I love Conroy's writing because it is always so contradictory. He makes you love and hate his characters at the same time. I started out by being completely annoyed with John Hardin in this novel, and then he ended up being my favorite character--he was so funny and outrageous. I felt the same about his mother--loved and hated her at the time time. I remember this was also true of his characters when I read "Prince of Tides." He has such an ability to play with the reader's emotions.

Beach Music was harder than his other novels because of so many subplots & characters, but instead of wishing it hadn't been so long and gone into so much, I found myself wishing it was longer, and he had developed the characters & subplots even more.

There is always a feeling of "letdown" when you finish one of Pat Conroy's novels because you don't want it to end. Nobody writes about "dysfunction" with his sense of humor.

Rating:
Summary: Beach Music could have been better
Review: I love a book that you can really sink your teeth into. I love a great story that offers a story within a story, espescially when it eventually completes a puzzle. I love a satisfying ending, even if it isn't necessarily a happy one.

Beach Music was frustratingly close to all of these things, but it never quite got there. I'm not sure why the author chose to no go the entire mile in many parts of this book. Don't get me wrong: I didn't HATE it. I just think it missed the mark on a lot of points.

The main characters interactions with his family were not quite believable. The conversations and actions seemed forced by the author. I mean, do people really talk this way to each other? I loved the Mother character and thought Conroy did a great job explaining a portion of her background. I kept looking for the rest of it, however, and it never materialized. Same thing with the main characters former in-laws. Explanations never came to be. What exactly happened between him and his mother? In the present tense, they seemed to get along fine but the main character kept deferring to his terrible childhood. There was not even one sentence explaining what was so terrible in the book.

It was ok. I was just kept looking for more. I'm not real excited about reading another Conroy novel. He seems a little lazy to me.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterful tale of epic proportions
Review: Although Prince of Tides is still my favorite, Pat Conroy once again overwhelmed me with this touching saga. Conroy is a true master of the English language; his words are music to the soul and each page is another movement in his grand symphony. I lost myself in this book and when I reluctantly finished I just sat speechless in awe of such powerful beauty. Conroy creates magnificent characters that, though flawed, each reveal an aspect of the human spirit. Beach Music made me appreciate life: the beauty of nature, the importance of family, the virtue of loyalty, and the longing for home. A genius at storytelling, Conroy tells tales that make you laugh and cry and then all fall into place to show how human lives and experiences interconnect and touch each other in powerful ways. Those readers who are critical of the novel for the seemingly "over-ambitious" way the author weaves together so many historical events have obviously missed the point. History touches all our lives. It is impossible to take four generations of a family that have not been affected in some way by the events Conroy describes. He brings history to life through his characters in a poignant way, spinning a web of human pain and triumph accompanied by the strains of the beach music.

Rating:
Summary: Read this gorgeous book slowly and savor every word.
Review: I just finished reading Beach Music, and I feel as though I've taken a long, painful journey through time. It took me over a month to read because I only have one hour a day early in the morning, and I could not bear to miss a single word of this beautiful book. It contains gorgeous prose, masterful interweaving of families and the often sadistic way in which they interact, love and friendship that transcends time and space, and the chapter about the holocaust was riveting-- I've never seen that shocking part of our history explained with such depth and passion. Same thing with his description of the sixties with all of its well-meaning destruction. I lived through that myself, and it was exactly as Conroy described it. I found it extremely fascinating that by and large the most profound and naked truths were uttered by John Hardin, the schitzophrenic brother. And of course I cried at the end when Jack's mother died, having also been through the trauma of watching my own mother die. Wonderful job, Pat. This reader appreciates every single word you wrote, and wants more. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I first read this book several years ago and then again about three years ago and now again. As a southerner with a love/hate relationship with the south, Conroy was right on target with his character and location discriptions. The book gets slow at times but just sticking with it pays off. The only thing I hated about it was finishing it. It draws you in and you just want it to continue forever.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful read...............
Review: I almost put this book down when the first chapter became too descriptive but fortunately I did not! I laughed, I cried and I became totally immersed in the character's lives. I was so sorry when the book came to an end and I look forward to the next Pat Conroy novel.

Rating:
Summary: Music to your ears
Review: Reminiscent of Jackson McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or some of William Styon's works, BEACH MUSIC is a tour-de-force of emotions. Conroy is one of the few authors who can so perfectly draw chacters that we both hate and love at the same time, and set them in situations that take our breath away. I've always considered PRINCE OF TIDES to be his greatest work, but after reading this one, there's no contest!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for even novice readers
Review: I usually only read certain authors and this book was given to me by a client and I really was not entertaining the fact of reading this book. I thought that I would just add just another useless book to the library to look at...yeah right. I picked this book up and I swear that if it was not for the need to eat, sleep, clean, and work I would have had this book done in no time at all. I just couldn't wait till I had time to read it next. Something new is always happening and it keeps you wanting to know more. I think that this was a very good book to cuddle up to at night and dream about while I was sleeping ... the characters were not really described all that well but after a while you start getting your own description of them in your head and what a book to read while working and trying to get away from the office if only for a few minutes. I seriously recommend reading this book even if only to see what it is about. I tell you this ... give it some time and it will grow on you and it will be a book to remember

Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Beach Music is about Jack McCall, an American living in Rome with his young daughter, trying to make peace after the recent shock of his wife's suicide. But his loneliness is disturbed by the appearance of his sister-in-law, who begs him to return home to his dying mother, and of two school friends asking for his help in tracking down another classmate who went underground as a Vietnam protester and never resurfaced. These requests catapult Jack on a journey that takes in the past and the present in both Europe and the American South, and that leads him to shocking and eventual liberating facts.

(...) I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and great storytelling. As a writer Conroy has the ability to make you hate the characters then totally reverse that thought and love them by the end of the book. He also captures the setting through detailed descriptions that truly make you feel like you are there and actually witnessing the story. The story is of love and hate and what a thin line they are. With twists and ethical dilemmas, Beach Music, is a great book for anyone to read.