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: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Ehh, not my cup of tea.
Review: Conroy's a bit too emotional for my taste and he tends to overwrite. I enjoyed The Great Santini a lot, but this one didn't do much for me. There's one chapter, when a few teenagers get stranded at sea on a motorboat, that's great. And his portrayal of southern life is cool, but I wasn't crazy about this one overall.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, but could have been three books
Review: For a book that curiously begins with an error in the first sentence (the "Silas Pearlman Bridge in Charleston" is really the Silas Pearman Bridge), this is a fine read. Perhaps the change in spelling is literary license. After 500 pages down and 300 to go, I was ready to drive to Charleston and throw the book over the bridge from which Shyla leapt. However, I'm afraid of heights and, since the book was heavy enough to kill a whale if it hit him on the head, I decided to just finish it. It was a richly rewarding experience. Still, I was left with the feeling that I had read three different books rolled into one. The material relating to the holocaust could have been incorporated into one standalone book, the story of Jack and his friends would have made a great vacation read all by itself, and the story of Jack and his family would have been a wonderful third book. Beach Music is a good thing, but maybe too much of a good thing. Anyway, I loved the story but wished the descriptions of food, marshes, cities, sunsets, sunrises, so forth and so on could have been shorter. At 800 pages, even a masterpiece can be laborious. No doubt though, Conroy should never be speed-read, just as Mozart should never be fast-played.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but could have been three books
Review: For a book that curiously begins with an error in the first sentence (the "Silas Pearlman Bridge in Charleston" is really the Silas Pearman Bridge), this is a fine read. Perhaps the change in spelling is literary license. After 500 pages down and 300 to go, I was ready to drive to Charleston and throw the book over the bridge from which Shyla leapt. However, I'm afraid of heights and, since the book was heavy enough to kill a whale if it hit him on the head, I decided to just finish it. It was a richly rewarding experience. Still, I was left with the feeling that I had read three different books rolled into one. The material relating to the holocaust could have been incorporated into one standalone book, the story of Jack and his friends would have made a great vacation read all by itself, and the story of Jack and his family would have been a wonderful third book. Beach Music is a good thing, but maybe too much of a good thing. Anyway, I loved the story but wished the descriptions of food, marshes, cities, sunsets, sunrises, so forth and so on could have been shorter. At 800 pages, even a masterpiece can be laborious. No doubt though, Conroy should never be speed-read, just as Mozart should never be fast-played.
Rating:
Summary: Darling of the South
Review: I have read a lot about Pat Conroy, and read a lot BY Pat Conroy, and having met him in person, one of nearly thousands who stood in line for a signature to go along with my copy of Beach Music, I must say, I believe he is the Darling of the South. We have embraced him, and hopefully encouraged him to tell his story intertwined with ours. My only disappointments with each book come as I read the last word on the last page; I always want more. Thank you Mr. Conroy, for your fine writing, for your fabulous personality, for your amazing gift of storytelling, but most of all, for your honesty.
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 my favourite reads
Review: I read a lot, and after having read this, I went out and bought all the other Conroy's I could get my hands on. However, although Prince of Tides is hailed as his best, Beach Music has come to be my favourite book. Which, I might add is saying something.
I was deeply touched by the love with which he writes, not only about friendship and family values, but also of his home country.
While some readers might be annoyed by the often exaggerated linguistics, I still believe that this is a must-read. I have passed it on to all my friends, who loved it too, so much, in fact, I have to order a new copy, because mine is fallen apart.
Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: Want to know about South Carolina
Review: If you are interested in learning what a lot of white middle-class and professional people are like in South Carolina, read this book. I was born and raised there and know my state and its people and am impressed with Conroy's apt and introspective descriptions.
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.
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