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Most Helpful Favorable Review
22 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
Best of the best; conroy's most realized work
SOUTH OF BROAD is set in contemporary Charleston, and follows the life of Leo King and his handful of best friends through the latter half of the last century, roughly the late sixties till the ninties. Like all Conroy novels, this one is full of drama, action and breat...Read More
SOUTH OF BROAD is set in contemporary Charleston, and follows the life of Leo King and his handful of best friends through the latter half of the last century, roughly the late sixties till the ninties. Like all Conroy novels, this one is full of drama, action and breath-taking prose - no other living southern writer compares. It is shorter and faster moving than Prince of Tides or Beach Music, and offers a realistic portrayal of American Catholicism rare in recent literature, all clothed in typical smart-ass Conroy humor.Show Less
posted by Jenk88 on April 24, 2009
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11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
???
OK, maybe I just don't "get it", but I'm trying very hard to keep reading this book. I'm maybe a quarter of the way through it and I just cannot get into it. It's not pulling me in at all. The characters seem totally unbelievable to me. What kids who were teens in t...Read More
OK, maybe I just don't "get it", but I'm trying very hard to keep reading this book. I'm maybe a quarter of the way through it and I just cannot get into it. It's not pulling me in at all. The characters seem totally unbelievable to me. What kids who were teens in the late 60's actually talked and acted that way? I'm trying to finish this book because of the other really great reviews, but I have to force myself to pick it up.Show Less
posted by Anonymous19 on August 31, 2009
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Best of the best; conroy's most realized work
SOUTH OF BROAD is set in contemporary Charleston, and follows the life of Leo King and his handful of best friends through the latter half of the last century, roughly the late sixties till the ninties. Like all Conroy novels, this one is full of drama, action and breath-taking prose - no other living southern writer compares. It is shorter and faster moving than Prince of Tides or Beach Music, and offers a realistic portrayal of American Catholicism rare in recent literature, all clothed in typical smart-ass Conroy humor.
22 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
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A must read!
I picked the book up on Friday and had a hard time putting it down! The characters, Charleston, friendships all of it was so wonderfully written. The characters were so well detailed right down to emotions that I found myself falling in love with them. It was especially heartbreaking reading about the flooding. Jamestown, Silvercreek are was flooded here in NY and that made it all the more real. I loved the characters and how their lives intertwined through the years and came back full circle. I have loaned it to a friend and raved about it to anyone who would listen. I plan to read it a second time.
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Oscar_Aguilar
Posted August 14, 2009
I Also Recommend:
A Great Gift to the South
I read this new Conroy novel and must say that it is simply beautiful from the first line. The story, set in the late sixties till the nineties, mostly in Charleston, is centered on the life of Leo King. Born into a devout Catholic family, Leo is haunted by his brother's suicide, and trying to salvage a ruined adolescence with the help of a handful of best friends, who have their own histories and ghosts to deal with. Conroy often writes of salvation through friendship,
and this is his strongest novel yet on the subject.
It is also an unexpectedly Catholic novel, and at base, a very devout one. The South, and the Low Country in particular, are exalted, beloved, and cherished in prose so fine it breaks your heart. I don't want to spoil the story in any way, but have to say that the last pages did that thing that modern novels seem incapable of doing these days: it lifted my heart, ending on just the loveliest, most affirming word (won't say what.)
I Love Yous Are for White People is the only other book that has touched me this deeply this year. I recommend reading both wholeheartedly.13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Tumultuous Highs and Lows
This will probably be one of my hardest reviews to write for the simple fact that nothing I write can do this novel justice. Every emotion possible was covered in this book, and for me felt deeply: heartbreak, love, second chances, anguish, loss, sympathy, agony, joy, lust, anger, pride and hurt. I know I'm particularly susceptible to feeling as if I'm there in many of the novels I read but I think I can say with certainty that this was one of the most evocative pieces of work I've ever read and I now understand the editor's note in the front of the advanced copy sent to me. This is the first novel Mr. Conroy has published in 14 years and I can see why so many were anxiously awaiting his next. Never having read his work before, I'm loathe to do so if this doesn't exceed hopes and expectations piled upon each other for this successor to his previous novels.
Initially I was intimidated by the florid prose in this very long novel (512 pages). By page 12, I was ready to set it to the side. By page 20, I was sucked in and couldn't put the book down. Not for the sake of being redundant, but the story within the pages tapped into my emotional reserve, and I cried, laughed, gasped, shuddered, and smiled at many, many points within the pages. Nothing of the story was predictable, beyond the expectation of some overwhelming incident lying in wait. In that, South of Broad didn't disappoint. Nor in anything else actually. The tales within the plot tied up seamlessly, even one that was an integral part of the story but not expected to be given a resolution or understanding, and my heart broke for several characters many times over. The ending left me a little drained, and hoping the best for the characters within the book, and not a little disappointment that this which has kept me compelled all weekend has drawn to a close. I fell a little bit in love with the protagonist of the story and would love to see from his perspective again someday. This is truly a must read and one of the most compelling stories I've ever read.13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2009
???
OK, maybe I just don't "get it", but I'm trying very hard to keep reading this book. I'm maybe a quarter of the way through it and I just cannot get into it. It's not pulling me in at all. The characters seem totally unbelievable to me. What kids who were teens in the late 60's actually talked and acted that way? I'm trying to finish this book because of the other really great reviews, but I have to force myself to pick it up.
11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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tacomapat
Posted October 10, 2009
All over the place
I've read all of Pat Conroy's books, except for The Boo; I love Pat Conroy's books. I certainly don't hold my breath waiting for his next book to come out, because there have been many years between the last three books. I was delighted to hear that a new book was being released this summer and I bought it immediately. However, I cannot say I enjoyed the book. The story line was implausible to me and I felt it was all over the place and not at all cohesive. Some of the story lines were just too convenient and not at all believable. Many questions were left unanswered.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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gvanman
Posted April 19, 2010
Setting over Substance
I've been a fan of Pat Conroy for a very long time. For me, South of Broad failed to deliver on Conroy's ability to tell a great story or generate a quest to keep my nose buried in the book until I was finished. Using Charleston as the setting for the story seemed to be a simple choice for Conroy, since it's the setting for his own life's story. But this "Big Chill" type of narrative was hollow and a bit too cutesy for me. Each of the main characters spoke with the same snippy, sarcastic, and too clever dialogue to be believable. Each time the old friends were all in the same room, you could anticipate the bantering, with no real differentiation between them. There was nothing extraordinary in terms of suspense or anticipation, except that I kept wondering when I'd get through the book. Pretty weak from a writer that's offered much over the years.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted January 27, 2010
Way Off Course
Pat Conroy's prose is as lush as ever, but the sad and tired caricatures of Southern gentry and rednecks who populate this book are a disservice to Conroy and the city he obviously loves so much. Even the twin horrors of child molestation and pedophilia lose any possible value as a plot device, becoming both diminished and predictable when inflicted upon nearly every major character. Where was the editor?
Do yourself a favor -- skip the disturbing melodrama taking place South of Broad and just re-read The Prince of Tides.6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Novel Goes South
This is one of the worst books I have ever read. I loved "Prince of Tides", but my headline says it all - Conroy's writing style has gone south. The writing is dreadful, cliched and in tone - for lack of a better word - just plain icky. His portrait of the one gay character is so unoriginal and cardboard, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought he was writing a parody. And parts of the book are downright stupid. After a major hurricane, workers miraculosly appear 3 days after to repair the homes of the narrators' friends. I can tell you from experience with Hurricane Wilma that not even divine intersession could accomplish repairs 3 days after an event of that nature.
Quite frankly, I cannot figure out why so many reviewers gave this book 3 and 4 stars, but evidently they do no know what good literature is.5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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shannonWA
Posted October 10, 2009
so sad
Pat Conroy has been my favorite all-time author for many years. No one waited for another novel with as much anticipation than I! Then I got the book and was very disappointed. very. the characters were card-boardy, stilted dialog.. dumb book. If it had been any other author, I would have stopped reading after 20 pages. nothing could be as disappointing to me except finding out that there is no Santa Claus.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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In this book Pat Conroy writes with a crow bar-----
Turning over every rock to expose every unthinkable human corruption and vice. What a nasty man. I read Prince of Tides years ago, and I cannot remember it being offensive. Do people really talk this way? If so, no wonder I have a feeling of uneasiness around homosexuals. If heterosexuals used every conversation to insert salacious comments about their sexual activities they would well deserve a little shunning. I finished the book though, so it must have held my interest. Bad on me.
4 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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fabian-archer
Posted June 8, 2010
Conroy missed the boat on this one.
I've enjoyed Mr. Conroy's previous books, but this one is too long and tedious and the characters are unbelievable; they never seem to get out of their high school stage. It's like a bad B movie of the 40s or 50s, and the lead character, in this case Leo, says - Let's put on a show. Am also very tired of Conroy putting his excruciating childhood into every book. Move on. Get over it.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted August 20, 2009
It's just not good, sorry
I pre-ordered this book months ago...counted the days til it was released...jumped for joy when it arrived...and page after page I kept wondering...when is this going to get good. It never did and I couldn't even finish it.
I could give you all details why, but I don't even want to go there. These other glowing reviews I've read on this website must be friends and family because trust me...it's not good, not even close.4 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Recommend only for die-hard fans
South of Broad centers around Leo King, otherwise known as "Toad' by his friends and enemies alike. Part of the book is set when "Toad" is in his late teens, and he's had a rough life. A family tragedy has caused a huge rift in his family, and caused him to have a mental breakdown. The summer before his senior year of high school he makes an eccentric group of friends, and these friends will be close to him into adult hood. These friends bring their own sets of troubles and problems.
I was so excited to get my hands on an ARC of this book. I loved both The Prince of Tides and Beach Music; and was thrilled to see that Conroy had written another novel. Unfortunately, I found this book very disappointing. I'm not sure if it's just that my tastes have changed in the years since he's last published a novel, or if this book truly isn't that good. Don't get be wrong, I did love a few things about it. Some of the writing is beautiful, especially when he describes Charleston and South Carolina. Wonderful imagery of the ocean, tides, beaches. But the plot is so predictable and cliched. You can seen any "secrets" coming way before they are revealed, including the big secret at the end which was probably just about the biggest cliche in the whole book. Then there's the dialogue, which is melodramatic and "cutesy" to the point of being unbelievable (who talks that way in real life??). And the do-gooder main character, who is probably the most unrealistic teen age boy I've ever read about. Also, some of the characters are so stereotypical they are almost laughable: the flamboyant gay, the so-awful-and-insane-it's-cartoonish bad guy, and the token black couple with their "ghetto" speak. Plus, there were a few scenes that were so ridiculous they are laughable. For instance, a scene where adults in their 30s reinact a high school pep ralley, complete with cheers. Vomit inducing.
All in all, I'm glad I read the book since I'm sure many will love it and it will be greatly hyped. But, for those who fell in love with his earlier books, it may end being a disappointment like it was for me.4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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I'm devestated !!
I ordered this book before it came out... my husband had a two week fishing trip planned and I was extremely busy with a class reunion... when this book came I placed it in a prominent place and anticipated the time when he was gone, the reunion was over and I could just immerse myself in it... it is one of the worse books I've ever read !!! The characters are not fully formed, there is no plot... I'm on page 150 and am giving up !! I rarely don't finish a book but this one is almost making me gag as well as my being so disappointed by Conroy's writing... Beach Music is one of my all time favorite books of fiction and I loved the Prince of Tides as well. I've read all Mr. Conroy's books.. What has happened in the 16(?) years since his last book to make this author lose his ability to mesmerize his audience? Reading the other reviews I began to doubt my take on this book so I tried again.... I just don't understand what these people see in this... "Charleston has its own heartbeat and fingerprint, it's own mug shots and photo ops and police lineups. It is a city of contrivance, of blueprints; devotion to pattern that is like a bent knee to the nature of beauty itself. I could feel my destiny forming in the the leaves high about the city" ?????? What the hell does THAT mean? I love words but this is ridiculous!! I guess some authors just run out of steam and, like movie stars, cannot let it rest...
I've never written a review before but I am so disappointed I just had to "vent"..3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted August 27, 2009
South of Broad hits bottom
I was all excited when I heard Pat Conroy had a new book out after having read all of his previous hits. Well, this one didn't make it with me at all although I kept pushing myself to get through it. However, right about the middle I gave it up completely and gave it to a neighbor to see what she thought. What a waste of paper and ink!
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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David_Mc
Posted August 26, 2009
Disappointed
I loved Mr. Conroy's other books. This one didn't live up to the others. I read 300+ pages and I can't finish it. I kept waiting for it to pull me in, but it never happened. Others may like it, but it was disappointing and I kept waiting for it to end, which unfortunately it didn't.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted August 24, 2010
Disappointed
I was dissapointed in this book. It was not what I expected after reading several other of Pat Conroy's books. All of which I have loved. It was a heavy read and I felt unrealistic. For this group of unlikely high school friends to remain close through adulthood was rediculous. I actually threw the book away when I finished it.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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More crazies than the pan can handle
Very well written. Suspenseful and sometimes touching. Conroy has conjured up the most disturbed people imaginable and put them all in one school district. I found the plot just too far fetched and the characters over the top. I finished it but don't think I am healthier for the experience.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted January 9, 2010
Pat Conroy does not disappoint.
The characters, the intensity of the story and the lavish description of the beautiful city creates a memorable read from the opening sentence. Pat Conroy has the ability to transport the reader to a place which not only captivates the mind but fills the heart with the passion that the characters share throughout their lives as friends. A very grown up book that connects people on a very special level, at a special time, in a special place.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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