Rating: 
Summary: Music To My Ears
Review: Pat Conroy is, more or less, the best modern American writer. Word truly seem to flow from his "pen"; his characters are captivating and well-developed; his descriptions, whether he's describing a person, place or thing, are unbelievable; and his plots are such dramas, filled with scenes that will make you laugh, make you shrink back in horror, and make you cry.Beach Music is probably the best, and longest, of Conroy's books. The melodrama begins when Jack McCall, an Southerner who moved to Italy to raise his young daughter after his wife committed suicide, is called back to his home town--Waterford, SC--because his mother is dying. The book describes Jack and his four younger brothers (including wonderfully written scenes with his youngest, and craziest brother John Hardin--who happens to be my favorite character) as they struggle with their family's past, their mother's dying, and the pitiful-excuse-of-a-human-being that is their father. Secondly, this book describes Jack's attempt to understand why his wife killed herself, and his attempt to reconcile with her family. This part of the book, Jack's in-laws' stories, are probably the hardest emotionally to read. Both of his in-laws were survivors of concentration camps, and their stories are truly heart-wrenching. Thirdly, this book tells the tale of Jack reuniting with his best guy and girl friends from his teenage years. This part tells how Jack fell in love, how he met his best friend, and what happened to each of their lives. For whatever reason, this section of the book reminded me of the Big Chill (probably because of the reuniting of old friends), but I found this part very enjoyable. Overall, this book is about a man having to look back--not necessarily reminisce, but to re-examine--on his past to try to solve problems he has with himself, his family, and with raising his daughter without including any family help. This book is very good, very powerful, and, personally, is a book I would take if I were stranded on a desert island.
Rating: 
Summary: a sizable read
Review: Shyla McCall jumps of a bridge, instantly fracturing a community; creating a schism between two families.
Beach Music traces the journey of Jack McCall, the widower, and his daugther, Leah, from Rome, where he attempts to hide from his family, to South Carolina, where he must face his greatest fear--his past.
Weaving together episodes from significant events from the past (Vietnam war, WW I and II, etc.), Pat Conroy contrives a delectable tale. The dialogue is lively, and George Fox's monologue was the high point, for me.
Nevertheless, the book suffers from obesity.
Not taking anything away, Beach Music is excellent, especially for those who have spare time.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: This is my favorite book that I have EVER READ!! (and I read a lot) I didn't want it to end. I have recommended to every "reader" I come across. This is a must read-two or three times!
Rating:
Summary: Hauntingly Beautiful Book
Review: This isn't just a book -- it's a revelation that has stuck with me since the moment I first read it seven years ago. I've seen it commented that it feels like more than one book and should have been broken up into more than one manuscript, however I disagree. Every piece has it's purpose and place in the book. It just wouldn't have been the same without certain elements in each section. It's an epic story told in wonderfully crafted flashbacks and first person narration.
If a reader begins to question why a certain scene is being presented, I encourage them to continue reading -- and all will be revealed.
Symbolism and fantastic, vivid imagery is abundant in this book. I am not normally a fan of first person narration, but Jack McCall is a character that sticks with you. When I was first assigned this book to read in high school, I balked because it was lengthy, and not the sci-fi books I normally liked to read. I first rented it from the library, and since then I've bought the book a total of 6 times. I read it, and then give it to a friend. Now I'm getting ready to buy it on Amazon for my mother.
I can't recomend this book enough!!
Rating:
Summary: Case Studies
Review: To fans telling the story again and overwriting are cause to rejoice. The main character is a widower of one year. He has a young daughter and determines to move to Europe. Jack McCall has been blamed by his wife's family for her death. His sister-in-law seeks him out in Rome. Jack had been in love with his wife's mother when he was a boy. Jack survives in Europe by writing about beautiful cities and great places to eat. Mike, Capers, Jordan, Ledare, and Jack were students in the same high school group. Mike Hess is doing better than anyone. He has appeared in PEOPLE MAGAZINE. Capers Middleton is running for Governor of South Carolina. Jordan Elliott has joined the Benedictine Order. For all intents and purposes Jordan has vanished. There is a suspense build-up as the reader wonders what it is that Jordan has done to make him hide away in various monasteries. Jack has four brothers-- Tee, Dallas, Dupree and John Hardin. Their father used to be a man of substance. Unfortunately he was the town drunk, too. The father had loved Tolstoy but could not bring himself to love his own family. Jack returns to South Carolina upon learning that his mother is hospitalized. Mike sets up a meeting that includes Ledare and Capers in order to obtain the help of his classmates to create a miniseries. (Actually the author uses a delightful conceit here, that of having a group of high school friends gather together to produce a miniseries.) Capers begs Jack to support his political career. It turns out that Capers took child custody from Ledare through the use of private eyes and other machinations and even arranged to kill her favorite tree. Jack thinks that if Italy survived the Huns it could survive a visit from his mother. Jack does make peace with his deceased wife's parents and his daughter Leah gets to know her grandparents during a visit to North Carolina after Jack's mother's visit to Rome which ended in a shoot-out at the airport. Jack's mother is a story teller. His father married the shape of a woman and had no particular clue to her nature. Jack's parents inherited a notable house from a woman with ties to South Carolina history who had been a friend of Jack's mother. Leah, Jack's daughter, finds Waterford, South Carolina comfortable. She wonders why her father took them to Rome, (where he attempted to come to terms with his demons). Leah's maternal grandmother Ruth Fox had come to Waterford as an orphaned teenager. Jack's father had loved drink too much to provide his sons with a happy childhood but his friend Jordan had an even worse time with his Marine officer father. Once in boyhood though Capers, Jack, Jordan, and Mike were lost at sea. Jrodan's survival skills learned from his father ensured their safety. They landed at Cumberland Island, Georgia after fifteen days at sea. It seems that Jack's wife's father served on the Judenrat. In the camp he lived in his head and concentrated on music. Mike restages their college years for the participants in a mock trial setting. After the shooting at Kent State Jack and his friends were arrested for attempting to destroy the South Carolina draft records. Capers, it was discovered, had been working for the state investigative body all along. They had received a suspended sentence from a generous-spirited judge. The writing is sensuous. The story is very very moving.
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