Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: I decided to read this book on a bit of a whim. We were vacationing on Hilton Head, near Conroy's hometown, and I wanted to become better acquainted with this talented author's work while in his neck of the woods. I'd just finished reading "The Prince of Tides," which was a little disappointing (not bad, mind you, just different than I'd expected.). Of the two, I actually preferred "The Great Santini." This book, the tale of a Marine family temporarily based in South Carolina in the early 1960s, was both warm and bittersweet. The descriptions of the setting were dead on, just as one would expect it would be since it's situated in the author's home state. (BTW - the movie was filmed in Beaufort, S.C. - a real treat of a destination.) Be advised that there are troubling moments of family conflict, including domestic violence. But what is so compelling is the way that the reader becomes drawn to all of the family members -- even to bellicose Bull, the father. Particularly memorable is a chapter toward the end when Bull is flying through the night sky. It is one of the most moving and heartwrenching passages that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Even if you've already seen the movie, you'll find this a worthy read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Conroy Classic
Review: Conroy is the best of the best. Theres no better author at writing gut wrenching, heart stomping, laughter filled family sagas rich with strong appealing characters that you love to detest. This is not my favorite Conroy masterpiece, but I do believe it is the best. The characters in this story are like no other you will ever read. You will learn to hate certain charecters, yet at the same time you cant help loving them. I am utterly jealous of anyone who gets to read this book for the first time. If only I could go back in time........ Its that good!
Rating:
Summary: If you know you're...
Review: a civilian, you aren't one. A fine coming of age story with special appeal for military brats of all persuasions. Conroy hits the low and the high points with painful accuracy. Especially worth a read in these troubled times, if your own experience has not let you peer into the closed world of the military and their families. A good, fast read, that stands up to a second inspection. Better than the film.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful reading
Review: This was Pat Conroy's first novel and I believe this is his only book written in the third person. His writing is beautiful, and in my opinion, has grown even more so in the last 25 + years since he wrote this. I respect him because he has not flooded the market with his books like so many other best-selling authors. This is the story of the Meecham family: Bull, the father, a Marine jet-fighter pilot who refers to himself as "the great Santini"-- as in "The great Santini has spoken"--he is the *law* in the family; Lillian, the mother, a Southern belle who tries to soften her husband's pronouncements and shield her four children from his sometimes-violent wrath; Ben, their son, who is a senior in high school and has a love/hate relationship with Bull; Mary Anne, one year younger than Ben, smart-mouthed and unattractive; and the youngest children, Matt and Karen. I thought the characters were well-drawn and fully fleshed-out. By the end of this book, I felt that I really *knew* them well. The exploration of the father/son, father/children relationship was masterfully done. The locale was not as important to this novel as it was in his other books, especially "Beach Music" and "The Prince of Tides". In this respect, the book could have taken place any where...whereas in the aforementioned books, the locales were almost characters in themselves. All in all, an outstanding book, one that made me sad and happy, made me laugh and cry.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book from Pat Conroy
Review: 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!!
Rating:
Summary: Epitomy of Love/Hate Relationship
Review: I loved this book and I hated this book. Especially Bull Meecham, who I despised at times as much as I could not help but love him. All of the characters, no matter how minor, are so integral to this book, that with out any one of them, this book would not have been such a fascinating and hard to put down read. Well written, although occasionally I found myself having to go back and re-read parts because it would get a little confusing. Other times I had to go back and re-read parts because I would get so involved that I would skip over words in my haste to read more. A somewhat gritty and harsh book about an egomaniac of man, his wife and their children growing up under the highs and lows of his mood swings, in their latest home in the South. As another reviewer mentioned, Bull's personality only made him more human, something that he and other characters, especially his children, had to deal with. He was aptly named.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, powerful book about family dynamics
Review: As a military brat I have surprised myself by finding ways to avoid this book over the years. I have enjoyed Mr. Conroy's other novels but for some reason assumed that the life of a military family would not interest me because I had already lived that life. I could not have been more wrong. This book was amazing. The character development was intense, the action compelling and the flow wonderful. Please pick up this book.
Rating:
Summary: Almost my autobiography
Review: I have practically lived Conroy's books, being a child of the military (in my case the United States Navy)and professional nomad while still having deep roots in the Old South. This book in particular, spoke to my soul. It is about the unconditional love we have for our parents, who are themselves fallible human beings. Reading this book lead me to see my father as a human being for the first time, and in a large part was responsible for my deciding to forgive him for the scars of my childhood. in response to my reaching out as an adult to get to know him, he was finally able to become the friend and advisor he longed to be to me when I was growing up. Only through forgiveness and understanding are we capable of breaking the cycle of emotional and physical abuse so prevalent in the children of abusers.
Rating:
Summary: one more heart-tuging novel in the tradition of pat conroy
Review: i've just finished reading this highly impressive book and i find myself still spelbound by the great Santini. in COLONEL BULL MEECHAM, pat conroy has undoubtely created one of his most authentic, convincing, impossible-to-love but impossible-to-hate heroes. it is obvious that the guy is a bully but he inspires a lot of admiration and in my opinion embodies all traits of a typical fighter pilot. the end of the book clearly show us that after all, this fearsome tyrant is human beyond our imaginations. lilian meecham comes as a true southern heroine and she is as strong and powerful character as southern women come. no other kind of woman could have been a better match for the great santini. a book of intense emotions filled with powerful, larger-than-life and awe-inspiring characters (especially santini and lilian). i highly recommend it as a wonderful and immensely enjoyable read ! get ready for another conroy gem !!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Conroy and a great read
Review: I found "The Great Santini" to be a fantastic read for numerous reasons. Conroy's vivid character depictions of the Meecham family and subsequent development of these characters engaged the reader. As an aviator in the US Navy, I found Conroy's depiction of "Bull" to be both appalling and fascinating. So much has changed(much for the better) and the traditional machismo fighter pilot has been transformed into a more subtle but equally confident aviator. I was surprised at Conroy's overtly autobiographical description of his family (what do they think of "Santini"?), but Conroy's courage to tell this tale should be commended. In summary, this is a fine read and anyone who has served or grown up in naval aviation will relate well to the characters.
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