The Great Santini

Rating:
Summary: Comming of Age
Review: Pat Conroy's The Great Santini is a truly a story of comming to age for Ben Meecham, Bull "The Great Santini" Meecham's son. Bull Meecham wants his family to run like the Marine Corps. which he so proudly loves. However, families dont work like this and is very apparent throughout the course of the book. Bull is also trying to relive his childhood through his oldest son, eventually driving him to do an outrageous event. However, through all the harsh things he does, you'll grow to love and appreciate him, just as his family did, and learn of a secret love between Bull and his son Ben under the fighting between the two.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Lords of Discipline - Pat Controy

Rating:
Summary: Too accurate
Review: Summer 2004 Reading List - Mini Review

The Great Santini is a pretty good coming of age story. It is not bad as an embracing-your-southern-heritage story. But it shines when it humanizes a monster of a Dad and shows how families of dysfunction operate and compensate.

Conroy blends humor and morbidity in this somewhat autobiographical look at growing up as a marine kid in the South.

I prefer Ordinary People when it comes to dysfunction, and A Walk To Remember when it comes to southern coming of age but this is still a good and thought provoking read.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing!!!
Review: This was one of the most astonishing books i have read in a long time. The life of a Marine child is not easy, considering that physical and mental edurence that one has to adapte to when having a father such as Bull Meechem. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who has an intrest in dark humor, and the sarcasiem of a school boy.