The Prince of Tides

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Summary: Prince of Tides is one of best I ever read
Review: Has anyone out there read many and many books over the years to the point where the books you read as of late don't interest you or excite you as much as they used to? Well, I'm one of those people. Not a lot of books these days fail to grab my attention with such surreal realism and heart and emotion as Pat Conroy's The Prince of Tides did. When I picked up this book last August, I had no idea what a ride I was in for. I read the first 200 pages with keen interest but had to put the book down due to starting a new semester at college. Now five months later and with finals and a wacky semester down the drain, I finally had the time to read the rest of the four hundred plus pages. The minute I picked up the book again after five long months all the details I had read and long forgotten came back to me like shooting stars. The magic of being able to envision the charectors and the scenes of the best and worst moments of their lives had returned to me after years of diminsihing like a candle. Prince of Tides is an extraordinary epic based on the Wingo family and their trials and tribulations throughout their lives. Conroy sketches out every detail of his characters with naturalness rarely read. He also managed to speak on a great many deals of horros that plague people like me every day of our lives, such as, mental illness, child and spousal abuse, rape, psychotherepy, the Vietnam War, racism in the South and betrayal. But I think that the greatest gift that Conroy offeres in this novel is the gift of love. He writes Susan and Tom's story of love and understanding with major depth. He doesn't simply make it a happy ending but one of lost fates; if only they had met early on in life. It's a wonderful novel that all people on all walks of life can relate to, especially the ones who weep a fate lost. The reader is able to close his or her eyes and to place themselves into the mind of Tom Wingo to live out his life just as it was written. And for that I am greatful because it's been a long time since any novel has made me do that.

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Summary: This Book Will Change Your Life - I Guarantee It!
Review: I am a man in my late 30's and I have read some of the greatest literature of our time. I read this book for the first time over 10 years ago. I continue to read it every few years because everytime I pick it u,p I am engrossed in it from the first few pages. I believe this is one of the best novels ever written. It tells the story of a dysfunctional family in a way that touches us so closely. Conroy does, at times, write about extraordinary events when, perhaps a more mundane description could suffice. Yet, this is what prevents this book from being trite or cliche. (Think of the family's "pet" tiger or the incredible story of the water skiing grandfather.) Please, do not judge this book by the movie. It was a mistake to ever try to turn this book into a movie and it failed miserably at the hands of the egomaniacal Babs. Read this book. It will stay with you for the rest of your life!

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Summary: A fast read!
Review: I was taken back by the size of the book at first, but as I read I soon hoped that the story would go on forever. I watched the movie many years ago and liked it, however the movie leaves out so much of the beauty the book holds. I finished this book in October and have not stopped thinking of the Wingo's. I urge you to buy this book and find out the charm for yourself.

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Summary: A Book You Will Never Forget
Review: If you want a good fireside read, full of rich characters, lush imagery and lyrical prose- this book may be for you. Savannah is a mad poet who's difficult childhood fuels incredible art. Tom is her stoic twin brother, who unravels their dynamic tale. They grew up on the marshes of South Carolina's low country, amidst beauty and hardship. This is one of those books that one continues to reflect upon long after the last page. And of those books, it is on the top of the heap.

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Summary: Don't let the movie dissuade you!
Review: On vacation in Minnesota a friend gave me this book to read. Once I started it I could not put it down. I found myself reading all night. Pat Conroy has written a true "American Classic". I'm amazed at what a great story teller this author proves to be. The movie does not even begin to scratch the surface of the story in the book. This has become one of my top 5 favorite books.

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Summary: Lyrical, humorous, & wise
Review: An intelligent and entertaining novel. No fluff here.

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Summary: It is a magnificent poetry
Review: This is the only book of Pat Conroy that I have ever read and I was taken to it from the very first sentence. This novel proves that English language can be beautiful just like the romantic languages; it just needs to be handled by the likes of Mr. Conroy. More than a novel, this is a poem that unfolds in front of us like a fierce, blazing explosion of vivid colors of a New England autumn. The unforgettable voyage that a lucky reader is taken through is filled with colorful images of the world of tides, of the Carolina sky, of the Colleton marshes, of the riveting fireworks in the sky that makes savannah cry out "oh mama, do it again!" and of very many more. The beauty of the Carolina coast has been immortalized in Pat Conroy's elegant, flowery English. While reading, I got the feeling that I was sitting through an engrossing symphony orchestra and I wished the curtain never fell!

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Summary: Simply the best book I've ever read!
Review: Pat Conroy depicts love, life, sorrow and the nightmares that all to often become reality. His writing is lyrical and you find yourself repeating his words aloud. The story is so compelling it's difficult to put the book down. If you are looking for a book that will completely engross you and stay etched in your memory forever- this is the one!

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Summary: Fiction at its best
Review: I first read this book six years ago, and yet every time I pick it up, I am as hypnotized by Pat Conroy's masterful storytelling as I was the first time I read The Prince of Tides. This saga of a lowcountry Southern family draws you in so much that not only can you not put it down, but you don't want it to end. All of the characters are fully realized, and there are passages so beautifully written they leave the reader breathless. (Some great monologue material for budding actors/actresses.) The highest recommendation I can give, however, is that every single time I have given this book to a professed "non-reader," they have finished this book in record time, and began to look at reading in a whole new light. Definitely one of my favorites.

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Summary: Simply magnificent in every way
Review: I am a 16 year old male (going into junior year) and I had to read "The Prince of Tides" for summer reading for English 3 Honors. If I could use one word for this book, it is "perfect". Words can't even describe the amount of emotion and detail used in this particular novel. I think there's a little bit of Tom Wingo in all of us. I did find it somewhat disturbing, but it was great. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good book.