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Summary
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A big sweeping novel of friendship and marriage (The Washington Post) by the celebrated author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini Leopold Bloom King has been raised in a family shattered and shadowed by tragedy. Lonely and adrift, he searches for something to sustain him and finds it among a tightly knit group of outsiders. Surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, as well as Charleston, South Carolina's dark legacy of racism and class divisions, these friends will endure until a final test forces them to face something none of them are prepared for. Spanning two turbulent decades, South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest: a masterpiece from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds. Praise for South of Broad Vintage Pat Conroy . . . a big sweeping novel of friendship and marriage. The Washington Post Conroy remains a magician of the page. The New York Times Book Review Richly imagined . . . These characters are gallant in the grand old-fashioned sense, devoted to one another and to home. That siren song of place has never sounded so sweet. New Orleans Times-Picayune A lavish, no-holds-barred performance. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution A lovely, often thrilling story. The Dallas Morning News A pleasure to read . . . a must for Conroy's fans. Associated Press From the Hardcover edition.
I was really excited to dive into Pat Conroy's latest novel, as he is my favorite writer of all time. But unfortunately, South of Broad turned out to be a major letdown. Here's why:
1) The narrator was absolutely terrible. While he did attempt to do the southern accent, all the characters sounded so similar that it became confusing to distinguish who was speaking without constant dialogue tags.
2) The characters in the book were quite stereotypical and predictable. There were no surprises, not even at the end where we were probably meant to be shocked.
3) The lack of subtlety was quite evident throughout the story. Every little detail and nuance was overly explained, almost as if Conroy didn't trust his own writing to convey the underlying thoughts, feelings, and motives.
4) Despite Conroy's efforts to make each character memorable, it fell flat. I kept waiting to feel some connection or empathy towards them, but it just never happened.
5) Despite the book's length, it felt like there were parts missing. It seemed as though the story was condensed, missing that true essence of Conroy's writing. I even dozed off during part 2 and didn't bother going back to listen to what I had missed, only to find out that the important plot points were repeated multiple times later on.
All in all, South of Broad is not a true reflection of the talent that brought us masterpieces like The Great Santini, Prince of Tides, and Lords of Discipline.
I'm a huge fan of Pat Conroy, but this book was a bit disappointing. It felt like he was revisiting familiar territory with the usual themes of race, class tensions, and the complex relationships with mothers.
The dialogue felt awkward and sometimes unbelievable. The constant arguments between the characters grew irritating, and the main character's attempts at humor fell flat and missed the mark.
Furthermore, the characters lacked depth, making it challenging for me to fully connect with the supposed heroes or despise the villains as intended.
I gotta say, 'South of Broad' is hands down one of the most disappointing books I've ever had the displeasure of reading or listening to. It's like Conroy took a whole bunch of terrible life scenarios, threw them in a hat, and randomly picked out 27 of them to cram into this story. There's absolutely nothing redeeming about it.
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