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
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Possibly the best novel ever written, certainly in the twentieth century. You will read it again and again. Pat Conroy was a master of writing.
Love Pat Conroy books and this is my favorite!!!
This was the third time I have read this book, and I was as transfixed by Pat Conroy’s characters and his amazing writing ability as I was the first time around. His use of language is a thing of beauty.
I enjoyed the characters in this book and the history behind each, including their high school experiences. Stories included abusive fathers, Vietnam era, Italian cities, along with the low country south. Great read in Pat Conroy style!
I love Pat Conroy’s writing style and this was an entertaining and happy book.
loved this book. I want to see the movie,.
I have loved all of the Pat Conroy books.
Pat Conroy is one of the best authors I’ve read. His writing is lyrical and the descriptions of places take one away to the sights, sounds and smells of the locations. His characters become only too real and one is lost in their lives and stories. No one is flawless which makes them all too human and relatable. This novel is a story in a story in a story. I loved it and would highly recommend Beach Music.
I just loved this book. So many stories in one and somehow they all worked together. I’m sorry that Pat Conroy is gone. He had a very special heart.
This book is longer than I anticipated as an e-book but entertainiing. As other reviewers have noted (and the length could suggest), this isn’t for impatient readers. There’s more than one “shaggy dog” episode – which do develop characters to some extent. Also the daughter is unbelievably mature.
Having earlier read “The Water is Wide,” I wasn’t quite prepared for this but will certainly recommend it.
Pat Conroy never disappoints!!!
Conroy writes about the low country and the water like nobody else can. He brings to you the rhythms of life near the ocean in ways that make you wish you were there to enjoy it.
One of the best books I have ever read. Pat Conroy turns words into music. He is a master storyteller. My favorite story.
A favorite I re- read every couple of years.
Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors and this book is simply wonderful. The characters are contemporary with those of us who grew up in the era of the Vietnam war and the story is flavored with the Southern U.S. coastal spices that Conroy infuses into so much of his work. It’s a family history, a reckoning, and a coming of age story with a plentitude of all sorts of people coming to life on the pages. A lyrical writer who really sets the scene with anguishing events offset by the gentle humor that life sometimes brings . . . he will be missed (he died in 2016).
This was probably not one of Pat Conway’s best but it was still well worth the read. The characters will stay with me awhile
Fun story.
This is one of my all-time favorite novels.
I lived through this time and he captures it so well.
Love the beautiful descriptions and flow of words… great characters