The Prince of Tides

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Incredible!
Review: I have purchased this book 4 times in the past five years because I keep losing it to friends and/or reading it so much that all the pages fall out. I have never been so moved by a book in my entire life except Les Miserables. I'm not necessarily comparing Pat Conroy to the great Victor Hugo, but he does similarly use words so beautifully that while you're reading it you can feel the sand beneath your feet and taste the fresh raw oysters. Another I'd recommend by Conroy is The Lords of Discipline-a little more disturbing and not quite so ethereally poignant, but still a fantastic read.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: I just finished this book two days ago, and I still can't stop thinking about it. It is one of the most moving, touching, tragic, and amusing novels I have ever read. The story of the football coach Tom Wingo and his doomed family will forever remain in my memory, and is truly one of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: Conroy at his (melodramatic) best
Review: Let's face it: it's not Great Literature. Conroy's novels never succeed in attaining the pathos of Faulkner, the simple grace of Hemingway, the polished linguistic accomplishment of Styron, or the touching, funny characterizations of Irving. Conroy has never met a storyline he didn't reuse over and over again. His prose, in this book as in others, is rife with overwrought similes and metaphors, self-consciously "lyrical" effects, shallow psychological analyses, movie-script dialogue, and unlikely plot twists. At times, his characters (especially narrator Tom Wingo) are so painfully melodramatic and self-centered, so obscenely morose, that I longed to reach into the text and shake some sense into them. And it's always annoying (not to mention disingenuous) to have Conroy put his latest troubled family forth as "just another typical Southern childhood," while throwing in every calamity in the book, ranging from abusive fathers to redneck rapists, to government plots, to face-eating tigers and hurricane-born children. If this is the typical Southern childhood, I thank God I was born in the North.

And yet, for its many flaws, "Prince" does succeed in generating some genuine emotion - you can't help but feel bad for these poor Wingo kids. Pity may not be the emotion Conroy was aiming for, but it's better than most of his competitors in the "popular literature" genre. He's not a great writer, but at least he's tries.

Rating:
Summary: muy poetico
Review: aunque parece una historia un poco desenfocada, ya que todos los personajes tienen algun tipo de trauma o problema, hasta la misma doctora, la novela es muy hermosa y poetica y aunque no llegue a ser uno de los grandes libros de la literatura, siempre sera entretenido y bonito leer entre clasicos a un buen contemporaneo.

LUIS MENDEZ [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: POETRY
Review: I LOVE ALL OF PAT CONROY'S BOOKS, BUT THE PRINCE OF TIDES IS MY FAVORITE. I AM FROM THE SOUTH AND CAN APPRECIATE HIS LANGUAGE, ETC. MY FAVORITE ABOUT CONROY IS BOOKS ARE WRITTEN IN POETRY TO ME. THE WORDS FLOW SO BEAUTIFULLY THROUGH MY MIND AS I READ.

Rating:
Summary: an all time classic
Review: I have to confess that I read this book years ago, but like many great books, it stays with you over the years. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of Tom Wingo or Savannah -- some criticize Conroy for not being "literary" -- he may not be Faulkner, but he's a fine writer and a great storyteller. I thought he might be a one-hit wonder, but after loving 5-6 of his other novels as well, I'm convinced that he's the real thing. Don't be a snob about Conroy -- I've rarely met someone who didn't love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Writing Still Lives!
Review: At times I've wondered if truly beautiful writing has disappeared from modern fiction and, if so, whether it will need to be reborn for us. As long as author Pat Conroy is around, however, we need not be concerned. This is a wonderful, lyrical, poetic novel that alternates between the protagonist's present day conflicts and his childhood in the Carolina low country. It's hard for me to think of a novel I like any better from any age. I wish I could say the same about the movie. Despite a noble effort by Nick Nolte in the lead role, Barbra Streisand sinks the film version, as director and female lead. I wish I had never even watched it so as not to intrude on this otherwise perfect gem of a book.

Rating:
Summary: simply glorious
Review: In this work, Conroy is able to tell a ruly touching story that is full of both pain and humor. The novel follows the narrator, Tom Wingo, from South Carolina to New York after his sister has attempted suicide. From the first sentence of the novel, in which he proclaims, "my wound is geography and my anchorage that keeps me in my port of call", the reader is thrown into Tom's past and present existance. By far one of the most gripping and thought provoking novels i have read, i encourage all to read this book. and please, don't judge it on the the movie if you saw it...no justice is done to the author's wit or narration.

Rating:
Summary: OK...but I found the movie to be better
Review: I read this book only because someone mentioned to me that it is better than the movie. I loved the movie and thought it was great. I liked seeing the interaction between Tom and the psychiatrist. And it was a great love story. However, I thought the book left a little to be desired. I thought it was long-winded. I got bored reading about the Wingo history, I guess. I know this was necessary for the story in the book, but it just wasn't my thing. There were a few twists that were good and that aren't in the movie, but not too much suspense. Some sections I found hard to get through and boring. It didn't hold my attention that well. However, that is just me. I guess I am more of a mystery/suspense reader. So, if you are like me, this book might not be for you. But, like a movie, it is always better to determine these things for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Good book..however!
Review: Since I am a genealogist and a decendent of MATLIDA WINGO...I would like to know where this author got her story line and why she used the surname WINGO. This story follows to close to what is known about this lineage. Wingo's did come to America, first to VA than settled in South Carolina. And, there was a lineage on Henry wingo with a son named Tom! I just think this story was sooo disturbing and hits to close to home with the genealogical facts! I have been teased about being a WINGO and because of this book it has painted a very bleak picture of my hertiage! believe me..what I know of my Wingo heritage..this story doesn't apply. There are not many Wingo's in the United States....I wonder how they feel about this book?