South of Broad by Pat Conroy (ISBN:038541305X)

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		South of Broad
	
				(195 reviews)			
(1372 Readers)

			Pat Conroy		
	
The publishing event of the season: The one and only Pat Conroy returns, with a big, sprawling novel that is at once a love letter to Charleston and...more
 The publishing event of the season: The one and only Pat Conroy returns, with a big, sprawling novel that is at once a love letter to Charleston and to lifelong friendship.Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints. Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving father who teaches science at the local high school. His mother, an ex-nun, is the high school principal and a well-known Joyce scholar. After Leo's older brother commits suicide at the age of thirteen, the family struggles with the shattering effects of his death, and Leo, lonely and isolated, searches for something to sustain him. Eventually, he finds his answer when he becomes part of a tightly knit group of high school seniors that includes friends Sheba and Trevor Poe, glamorous twins with an alcoholic mother and a prison-escapee father; hardscrabble mountain runaways Niles and Starla Whitehead; socialite Molly Huger and her boyfriend, Chadworth Rutledge X; and an ever-widening circle whose liaisons will ripple across two decades-from 1960s counterculture through the dawn of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The ties among them endure for years, surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, and Charleston's dark legacy of racism and class divisions. But the final test of friendship that brings them to San Francisco is something no one is prepared for. South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest; a long-awaited work from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds.   less

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Showing 10 of 195 reviews

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I've never read Conroy before, but this book was recommended to me by a beloved former English teacher of mine.  I read it for one of my book clubs, and really enjoyed it.  Conroy's command of language is breathtakingly amazing, but the subject matter is not nearly as caustic as other beautifully written books I've read (Thousand Splendid Suns, Water for Elephants, etc.).

This story is...more
 I've never read Conroy before, but this book was recommended to me by a beloved former English teacher of mine.  I read it for one of my book clubs, and really enjoyed it.  Conroy's command of language is breathtakingly amazing, but the subject matter is not nearly as caustic as other beautifully written books I've read (Thousand Splendid Suns, Water for Elephants, etc.).

This story is inventive, engaging, and witty. The characters are incredible: some you want to beat with a stick, some you wish you could have by your side in real life, and others make you yearn to be a better person. Though the ending of the drama in the second half of the book was anti-climactic to me, and I felt that some of the violence and detail about disturbing things was unnecessarily graphic, I'd highly recommend this book. It's lyrical, thought-provoking, and fun!   hide

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							April
						
							few weeks ago						
This was my first Pat Conroy book.  I have heard so many wonderful things about his writing that I eagerly anticipated starting this story.  This book is hard to review.  The story, once you get to it, is wonderful...however getting to where the pace picks up takes crossing 25-30% of the book.  If this book were edited a little better I would have rated it 4 1/2 stars because the story really is...more
 This was my first Pat Conroy book.  I have heard so many wonderful things about his writing that I eagerly anticipated starting this story.  This book is hard to review.  The story, once you get to it, is wonderful...however getting to where the pace picks up takes crossing 25-30% of the book.  If this book were edited a little better I would have rated it 4 1/2 stars because the story really is something.  I was also not disappointed in his writing style--every sentence is beautifully written and his use of metaphors is masterful.   hide

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							Suzanne
						
							few weeks ago						
I am so done with Pat Conroy. Finished his book "South of Broad" and it was horrible. Tired of wading through unspeakable horrors discounted by jokey dialogue and unrealistic caricatures for characters, just to get to a few lyrical passages about the South. Also he has two main characters named Niles and Fraser-- really?... If you must read it, read Part One (beautiful) and stop; make up your own...more
 I am so done with Pat Conroy. Finished his book "South of Broad" and it was horrible. Tired of wading through unspeakable horrors discounted by jokey dialogue and unrealistic caricatures for characters, just to get to a few lyrical passages about the South. Also he has two main characters named Niles and Fraser-- really?... If you must read it, read Part One (beautiful) and stop; make up your own ending.   hide

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							Brooke Ponder
						
							few weeks ago						
It took me a while to get into it. Although it was beautifully written, I didn't buy some of the dialogue between the main character and his friends or family. Real friends do not talk to each other that way. Also, Conroy makes Leo out to be this unlikely hero in every single scenario and it was a bit unrealistic. I enjoyed the twist at the end but that's about it.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
No one does emotional conflict like Pat Conroy (Lords of Discipline, Prince of Tides, The Great Santini), and South of Broad is no exception. This is a real saga! Whether self-inflicted, innate or circumstantial, name a human challenge and Conroy dishes it up in this novel. 

Charleston is the main character and the primary love affair is between the narrator and his beloved city,...more
 No one does emotional conflict like Pat Conroy (Lords of Discipline, Prince of Tides, The Great Santini), and South of Broad is no exception. This is a real saga! Whether self-inflicted, innate or circumstantial, name a human challenge and Conroy dishes it up in this novel. 

Charleston is the main character and the primary love affair is between the narrator and his beloved city, which provides the backdrop for racial tensions, family secrets, love--requited and not--, mental illness, friendship and disasters of both major and minor proportions visited upon a most unlikely posse of friends. 

South of Broad is also a story of reconciliation and homecoming, of knowing what and who matter most and cherishing them despite their brokenness.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Beautiful, lyrical, descriptive writing about the South (as always) which I felt carried this one. Deeply wounded characters and disturbing events...which would have been fine had not every single one of them been deeply wounded, most by severe abuse. About halfway through, I just felt drained and wanted the book to end. Overall, a good read, but not my favorite Conroy.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
have to admit, there were times, early on in this book that I wanted to close this book and not finish it. But, I am so happy that I finished it and I admit..I loved this book! It is a very complex story with many twists and turns and pure excitement! It is a long book, some 512 pages, but this book is worth every minute of your time you spend reading it! The author takes you away and paints a...more
 have to admit, there were times, early on in this book that I wanted to close this book and not finish it. But, I am so happy that I finished it and I admit..I loved this book! It is a very complex story with many twists and turns and pure excitement! It is a long book, some 512 pages, but this book is worth every minute of your time you spend reading it! The author takes you away and paints a vivid picture in your mind about the characters and the setting of this book. This book is a must read if you are looking for somethig that will grab a hold of you!   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Totally unbelievable plot, contrived dialogue--no one has conversations like that--and overly descriptive--come on, just get to the story!  But for some reason, I had to keep going until I got to the end.  Not my favorite Pat Conroy, but lots to discuss.  Oh, and the language, really, do I need to read the "F" word every other page?

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							Polly
						
							few weeks ago						
Great book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Pat Conroy is one of the greatest authors of our time! Not as good as Prince of Tides or Beach Music but it was close!

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
While it's not my favorite of his books, it was a real pleasure to devour another Pat Conroy tale.  The city of Charleston is a main character, and I loved the way he wrote about her.  As always, Conroy manages to make you happy, sad and scared with his magical story telling and great sense of sarcastic humor.  I always enjoy the quick dialogue between his characters.  Some parts seemed...more
 While it's not my favorite of his books, it was a real pleasure to devour another Pat Conroy tale.  The city of Charleston is a main character, and I loved the way he wrote about her.  As always, Conroy manages to make you happy, sad and scared with his magical story telling and great sense of sarcastic humor.  I always enjoy the quick dialogue between his characters.  Some parts seemed slightly overwritten and cheesy, especially at the beginning, but overall it's a solid book.  I hope he doesn't wait 14 years for the next one again!!!   hide

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