Rating: 
Summary: A surprisingly deep emotional journey...
Review: This book was recommended to me by a friend, and upon seeing its 800 plus page mass market paperback edition, I thought I was in for some light, forgettable reading. As a frequent reader of heavy, "classic" literature, I was pleasantly surprised at how very wrong my initial insticts about Beach Music were.This novel spans much of the twentieth century, including the Holocaust and the Vietnam protest movement, and handles a wide spectrum of difficult subject matter and vivid emotions with grace and staggering detail. I found myself so absorbed at times that I would literally forget where I was, so drawn was I into the rich imagery Conroy has created. I didn't want this book to end, have reread it four times and often take it along on long trips as a sort of literary security blanket. This is a rare, beautiful novel, which deserves a place in the canon of great American literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Beach Reading
Review: This book was my pick for winter vacation this year and it was a perfect diversion! I was totally engrossed in the characters Pat Conroy developed and the scenes of the Holocaust, the South and Italy were mesmerizing. The only weakness in the book was, perhaps, the plot. At the end of the book all the pieces did not explain each other, as I had hoped they would. This was my first reading of a Conroy book (I have seen the movies)and it will definitely not be the last.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding Storytelling
Review: Southern Fiction to dwell in, Mr. Conroy is a talented storyteller and knits together a most amazing novel. Holocaust survivor stories meet a coming of age in the 60s tale, seasoned with sand and sea, betrayals, mental illness and drunkenness, which then evolves into a novel of family, faith, friends and forgiveness. There are numerous vivid and emotionally rich stories within this book, and many social statements. The language is stunningly brilliant, the characterizations are almost caricatures but somehow quite believable. A multilayered book, that not only maps out the city of Rome, but which is rich in the cadence of the South (specifically low country of South Carolina) with side trips to California, Minnesota, the hills of Appalachia, Canada and Nazi occupied Europe. Between the places and the stories, music and food weave in and out, and this was a book I was sad to finish. Crossing my fingers for a film and a soundtrack to go along with it.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: Normally a hard-nosed reader, "Beach Music" left me in tears. Pat Conroy's breathtaking command of the English language and awesome character development continue to leave me in slack-jawed awe. He consistently produces America's finest novels. A 10-Star rating should be added just for him.
Rating:
Summary: yummy & luscious
Review: I'm usually a reviewer who argues for strong editing, saying books are too long and in need of brutal slashing and burning.
But this book of Pat Conroy's doesn't fall in that category; I loved and cherished every word of it. It's rich, lush, full of atmospheric detail.
Pat Conroy at his best, and it makes me want to go to Italy and the South.
Rating: 
Summary: Flashes of brilliance...
Review: ...were not enough to save this book. I bought this book based on a friend's recommendation and on my love of "My Losing Season". Conroy certainly has a flair for the English language, and some of his introspections and descriptions of the world around him are simply impeccable. That said, this is one of the most pretentious books I have ever read. Additionally, the dialogue in this novel was so flippant and trite that it made me cringe whenever I stumbled upon a scene where Jack was talking to either his daughter or to his four brothers. Jack is an American expatriate living in Rome with his young daughter after his wife, Shyla, committed suicide in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Various events bring Jack back home, among them his mother's struggles with leukemia, his Hollywood producer's friend's idea to make a movie about their childhood, and memories of the beautiful Shyla. Do you see a pattern here? This book covers nearly every topic known to literature: cancer; sexual assault; true love; courtroom drama; racism; schizophrenia and assorted mental illnesses; the Holocaust, the Vietnam War; suicide; terrorist attacks; and the extinction of the loggerhead turtle. Simply put, this book is a little overly ambitious. Sometimes less is more. And some areas I wish Conroy had explained a little seemed to be devoid of detail and/or explanation. For example, Jack repeatedly refers to his horrible childhood and lays blame with his mother, Lucy. However, readers are never really told what Lucy did that was so horrible. For the most part, throughout the book, Conroy paints Lucy as a saint who saves the loggerhead turtle, does her best to diffuse racism in the south, and prepares her sons for her imminent death with grace and dignity. Perhaps the worst part of the book is the dialogue between Jack and his four brothers with the unbelievably pretentious names (i.e. "Dupree"). At all times, the brothers engage in a battle as to who can be the most sarcastic and witty, and the banter simply seems false and tiresome. All of that aside, the story did have its moments. The stories concerning the Holocaust were riveting and some of the descriptions of nature and Rome were flawless. This book simply lacked an authenticity that I found so touching in "My Losing Season." What could have been a beautiful, and much simpler, story was cluttered with too much witty repertee and an attempt to tackle too many serious subjects at once.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!!!
Review: This is one of my very favorite books. I am new to Conroy's work, but now that I have read this book, I rushed out to get more. Its colorful language, engaging plot, and well-developed characters had me reading well into the wee hours of the morning. It is Conroy's intense passion that makes this book worth reading over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best
Review: I loved The Prince of Tides. In that work of Conroy's, I found the writing to be beautiful and smooth. The plot was amazing and drew the reader in. That's why I was so surprised about Beach Music. While the writing still had its moments, I found the plot to be unrealistic and "out there." It kept twisting and turning and getting further from what Conroy does best-- write about the south, his childhood, and things he is familar with. The frequent dialogues between the brothers in the book seemed like contests to see who could be the most sarcastic, and didn't really add to the story at all (just took up space). I love some of Conroy's earlier work, but this didn't measure up. Of course, he still gets three stars because no matter how poor the plot, he can still write beautiful passages that make the book at least salvagable.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Pat Conroy at his very, VERY best. One of very few books powerful enough to bring me tears as I was reading it. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Music to my ears
Review: As I set off for Europe this summer I picked up this book and it just drew me in. This book was recommended to me by my mother and father, being that it was both of their favorite books. I have never finished a book so fast or wanted to continue to read more of one authors books. I have now gone on to read three others of his, but this one was by far the best. It is a great novel that seems so realistic even with the zany events that occur throughout the book. I love Southern humor, and this book demonstrates it so perfectly. I have recommended this book to all of my friends, and not one of them has read it and not absolutely loved it. This book is great for female or male, in that all people can relate to it in some way. I absolutely love Pat Conroy and his writing styles.
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