Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Conroy Book
Review: Although both my father and sister prefer Prince of Tides, I think this is Conroy's masterpiece. It tells a compelling story of a boy at the Citadel in Charleston, SC growing up and learning about human nature. This book is full of interesting characters and surprises. I gave this to a (non-reading) friend before he attended the Air Force Academy, and he finished found it fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Conroy is a master, this proves it
Review: The Lords of Discipline is an excellent book of friendship, love, pride, betrayal, redemption, and honor. It comes at you from all angels. No matter what genre you normally read, this book is for you. So well written and so touching, it will make you laugh at the humor of the situations , cry out of loss, feel pride when triumphs occur, and feel anger along with the cadets. Superbly written by an author who makes everything come alive. The characters seem to be real and so close that you could've known them yourself. The setting is so well established you can actually see what is going on. This is the type of book that draws you in and keeps you on your toes. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, the plot line makes a sudden change and makes you want to know more. This book will make you want to read it again and again , and you probably will. If you enjoy any type of literature, The Lords Of Discipline is a must read. You'll never forget the characters, you'll wish you could forget the things they go through. As this is a semi-autobiographical book, you'll read the events of the Plebe year and tell yourself it doesn't happen, but it does. You'll see the world through the eyes of Carolina Institute Cadet Will McLean. You'll see the Viatnam war for what it was and you'll see the injustices of the world as he saw them. You won't regret having read this book
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and engrossing but not great
Review: Patrick Conroy's Lords of Discipline is a good read but there are definitely some blatant flaws. Before I start criticizing though, I do want to acknowledge the excellent diction and the setting descriptions. Conroy does a nice job bringing the Southern military college to life.
However, the Lords of Discpline turns into a twisting and turning detective story with lots of puzzle and strays away what the novel's main purpose is at the the beginning of the book: charting the growth of a boy into a man. Also, these plot twists, while numerous, are somewhat predictable and not provoking to the reader.
I also think that Conroy did not proportion the development of the characters well. Only the protagonist, Will McClean, is the character whose thoughts and actions are analyzed and displayed for the reader. The other characters, while important, are more helpers in moving the plot along than dynamic personalities that readers can relate to.
These are my two biggest criticisms of Conroy's work, that is strays from the theme and only develops one character. Despite these shortcomings, it is an entertaining read and I recommend reading it because it has alot of action to keep you hooked.
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written book
Review: If there is a more elloquent writer out there, someone please point him out to me. The book is beautifully written, with a well a constructed plot, and and deep character development. I found myself constantly envious of Pat Conroy's talent as I moved through the pages. You will find yourself quickly connected to the lead character, and from that point on this book is a page turner. I would call this work a "must-read" and give it the highest possible review.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites...
Review: I was reluctant to read The Lords of Discipline as I'm not much interested in books with military themes. But I finally decided to read it as I love Pat Conroy and it takes place in my favorite of all cities, Charleston, SC. Wow! Not only was I blown away, but I also have a new book for my top ten list.
Aspiring novelist and basketball player, Will McLean, finds himself a college student at the Carolina Military Institute (The Citadel--thinly disguised). Will was not interested in the military, but he promises his dying father that he will attend his alma mater. Will doesn't exactly excel in military studies, but he's a decent student, an athlete, and his professors and peers recognize him for his integrity and his sense of fairness. Still, this is not an easy time to be a student in a military academy--especially in the South. The Viet Nam War was raging, the military was unpopular and desegregation was knocking on the doors of Southern schools. The Fourth Class system is brutal at best, and most cadets will look on their freshman year and Hell Night as living nightmares. There are also rumors of a powerful and clandestine group of Institute students and alumni called The Ten. While nothing has come forward to prove their existence, the possibility of such a group casts a cloud over the Corps of Cadets.
Will and his roommates have survived the trials and tribulations of their underclassmen years. But circumstances change very rapidly. The first black student enrolls at the Institute and Will is asked to be a secret mentor to Cadet Tom Pearce. It quickly becomes apparent that a group of cadets is trying to run Pearce out of the Institute. Will steps in to intervene, and he discovers a truth so horrendous that this knowledge can bring down the Institute. It also makes Will and his roommates targets. Not only is their graduation now in jeopardy, but their lives are also in danger.
Conroy is a master wordsmith, and I find myself reading his sentences over and over again. It's comparable to taking a bite of a decadent dessert, and rolling it around on your tongue to savor every forkful. His descriptions are priceless, his characters well fleshed out, and the plot will have you marathon reading to finish this 498-page book. I especially loved his observations about Charleston and the low country. Conroy also deals with timeless and universal issues. They include the struggles of a young boy growing into manhood and how difficult it is to stand up for your beliefs. Also, how those that love you can cause the worst hurt, and how those you think are loyal friends can betray you in a heartbeat. Conroy dwells on how it is possible to love and hate something at the same time (in this case, the Institute), and how the righteous don't always prevail. And while things might turn out in the end, they might not turn out the way you envision them.
The one bad thing about Pat Conroy is that he is not one of those "serial" bestsellers who produce a book every year-whether they have anything to say or not. While we often have to wait years between books, Conroy's works are definitely worth the wait. Also, after reading The Lords of Discipline, I suggest picking up his nonfiction work, My Losing Season. Detailing his senior year playing basketball for The Citadel, Conroy will reveal how much of The Lords of Discipline is autographical.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging and well written
Review: Pat Conroy's The Lords of Discipline is on the road to becoming a contemporary classic. The book has its fair share of faults, but its so fulfilling and such a pleasure to bask in Conroy's masterful use of language that most of the novel's problems can be forgiven.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks here is that there's only ever one real character (the main character, Will) that we can identify with and like. Other characters that we have small exposure too or who are larger-than-life caricatures are easily enjoyed, but none of the other characters that really matter or that we focus on are very likeable. That is, it seems to me, a conscious decision on Conroy's part, but I think my enjoyment was slightly lessened because of it. Still, Will is such a complex and universally likeable character, and his circumstances were so well detailed and convincingly upsetting, that it can really be ignored.
The only problem in the novel that I really cannot get over is Conroy's story structure. For the first hundred pages or so, we are learning about Will in his senior year at the Institute. His relationships are being defined, he is beginning a romantic relationship with the pregnant Annie-Kate, and he is protecting the Institute's first African-American student from a secret society known as "the ten." Then, just as we get settled into this world and as our anticipation of the characters and relationships begins to really set in, we are whisked back three years to Will's first year at the Institute. All of the information in this interlude is necessary, but the placement takes us out of the novel's most important storylines. It is the awkwardness of this placement that knocks The Lords of Discipline down to four stars in my view.
Still, the novel's strengths make this a must buy for any fan of literature. Conroy's prose really is a marvel to behold; it's a shame the current best sellers like Dan Brown couldn't have some ability at creating poetic prose. Conroy also has a gift at pulling on the proper emotional strings and making us truly passionate about the events in the novel. I found my self truly enraged again and again; a rare occurrence with most modern literature.
Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Conroy Book
Review: Pat Conroy is a masterful writer, but he really outdid himself on this one.The story is narrated by Will McClean as he shares his experience in the Carolina Military Institute. About two or three pages into the book, you will find yourself immersed in the story. His opening description of Charleston, South Carolina is worth the price of the book -- usually long descriptions bore me, but this one was different -- I felt like I had actually been to Charleston after reading it. This story is brutal in some of its details of living and learning in a military school. I have a sneaky suspicion that they are right on target. The hazing, the competitiveness and control and betrayal practiced by cadets on other cadets is uncomfortably like the control games seen outside of military schools. I am neither male nor a graduate of a military school, but I have a feeling that Conroy's descriptions, given through the character of Will McClean, are accurate. This book has the unmistakable stamp of someone who has "been there and done that." There are many plots and subplots -- a young woman whom Will meets, Will's relationship with "The Bear" (Colonel Bearineau)and Will's duty to watch out for Cadet Pearce, the first Afro-American cadet in the Institute's history. And while there is a lot of grimness and harshness, Will stubbornly tries to keep his mind on the good as well as the bad, and he succeeds. Whether or not the book has a "good" ending will depend on the reader's definition of what a "good" ending is. It is triumphant and Will emerges a better person.
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