An American expatriate in Rome unearths his family legacy in this sweeping novel by the acclaimed author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini A Southerner living abroad, Jack McCall is scarred by tragedy and betrayal. His desperate desire to find peace after his wife’s suicide draws him into a painful, intimate search for the one haunting secret in his family’s past that can heal his … family’s past that can heal his anguished heart. Spanning three generations and two continents, from the contemporary ruins of the American South to the ancient ruins of Rome, from the unutterable horrors of the Holocaust to the lingering trauma of Vietnam, Beach Music sings with life’s pain and glory. It is a novel of lyric intensity and searing truth, another masterpiece among Pat Conroy’s legendary and beloved novels.
Praise for Beach Music
“Astonishing . . . stunning . . . The range of passions and subjects that bring life to every page is almost endless.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Magnificent . . . clearly Conroy’s best.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Blockbuster writing at its best.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Pat Conroy’s writing contains a virtue now rare in most contemporary fiction: passion.”—The Denver Post
“A powerful, heartfelt tale.”—Houston Chronicle
more
One of the deepest, complex, heart wrenching stories I have ever read.
The best of Pat Conroy. Beautifully drawn characters written almost like lyrical poetry. Love, suspense, inspiration, hope. Pat Conroy was a treasure and this would be a great introduction to all of his work if you haven’t read any of his novels. If you have the opportunity to listen to the audio version, it is an even better experience. Can you tell I liked it?
I read it a long time ago, but it made me a fan of his writing. It’s a long book, and it stays with you like a good friend.
One of my favorite books written by an American Shakespeare.
Typical Pat Conroy
Best novel I have ever read. Read it three times!
Pat Conroy’s Beach Music captures the essence of life in the south, family issues, love, and forgiveness. His ability to duplicate voices from different cultures and stations in life is both a true gift to him, and from him to the reader.
I adore this book, and try to read it once a year just as an example of how powerful good story telling can be. I recommend it to all readers.
Renee Johnson
This may be my favorite Pat Conroy book. I love them all though. So so good!
Classic Conroy
Amazing book! I love it!
Just finished this book. Good summer read for me. The characters were varied but the main ones formed a cohesive group of friends growing up in the deep south. Coming of age in the sixties. You see them evolve as childhood friends in elementary, high school, college and into adulthood. They were football players and cheerleaders in high school which forged a lasting bond. In college they went to University of South Carolina but went separate ways for various reasons. Things get interesting when differences over Vietnam cause them to go different ways.
Much is revealed about the old south, the relationship between fathers and sons, mothers and their children and brothers. The holocaust is involved in a unique way. Travel from Eastern Europe to South Carolina is presented in different experience from many who came to U.S. All in all enjoyable and heartbreaking at times. Loved the way the story ends. Like I was a fish on a hook, Pat Conroy cast his line out and pulled me in over and over again.
One of the best stories I’ve ever read.
The classic beach read. I was thoroughly swept up and away.
Pat Conroy is a master storyteller. No on uses adjectives better than Pat!
Anything by Pat Conroy is worth reading!
All I can say it’s one of.the best.books I ever read. Along with water for
Elephants and the agony and the ecstasy
Still one of my top-10 books!
We will miss Pat Conroy. What a wonderful writer.
Wow—what a great read. Conroy has to be once of the best writers of his time. Loved this book as well as South of Broad and will be reading more of his books. Intelligent, entertaining, so well written–just a great book.
Heart wrenching novel but so believable. Always have enjoyed Pat Conroy’s novels.