Beach Music

A Novel

By: Pat Conroy

Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz

Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Pat Conroy is without doubt America's favorite storyteller, a writer who portrays the anguished truth of the human heart and the painful secrets of families in richly lyrical prose and unforgettable narratives.

Now, in Beach Music, he tells of the dark memories that haunt generations, in a story that spans South Carolina and Rome and reaches back into the unutterable terrors of the Holocaust.

Beach Music is about Jack McCall, an American living in Rome with his young daughter, trying to find peace after the recent trauma of his wife's suicide. But his solitude is disturbed by the appearance of his sister-in-law, who begs him to return home, and of two school friends asking for his help in tracking down another classmate who went underground as a Vietnam protester and never resurfaced. These requests launch Jack on a journey that encompasses the past and the present in both Europe and the American South, and that leads him to shocking--and ultimately liberating--truths.

Told with deep feeling and trademark Conroy humor, Beach Music is powerful and compulsively readable. It is another masterpiece in the legendary list of classics that his body of work has already become.

©2009 Pat Conroy (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"Astonishing...stunning...the range of passions and subjects that brings life to every page is almost endless." (The Washington Post Book World)

“Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel.” (Houston Chronicle)

“Magnificent... Beach Music is clearly Conroy’s best.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Excellent Book!

Such a beautifully written and narrated book. A story of love, loss, heartbreak, and history.

My Favorite Novel

I have read this book three times and listened to it on audio twice since discovering it in the early 90’s. Set in the south and so beautifully written, you feel like you know the characters. Love this book!

Love Story of the South

Beautifully written and beautifully narriated. You walk the shaded streets of Charleston as the story unfolds and treasure what makes Southern Low Country culture so unique

Just as great the second time around

I first read this thirty or more years ago and thought it was wonderful then. This time I read it as an audiobook. The richness of the language is delightful and the story is filled with wonderful and I moving characters. I was deeply moved by the ending. I hadn’t been to Italy when I first read the book. I’ve had the good fortune to visit several times now and will be returning with a granddaughter in July. There is a lot of pathos and a lot of passion described in the story. The beach Music is in part the sound of surf that the baby loggerhead turtles transition to begin there life at sea.

Extremely Well Written & Surprisingly Entertaining

Peat Conry it's a master and I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and turn a phrase. his unique humor is particularly entertaining. On one hand I would say it's almost too long, yet in the end it is so complete that I see why.

I liked so it much I even bought the Kindle version so I could refer to many of his clever descriptives of people, places and things.

The narrator was a good selection for the part.

story in the end that I appreciate it

easily one of the best books I've listened too

I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved , loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, this book!
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Conroy at his best

It’s easy to get swept away by the grace and elegance of Conroy’s powerful storytelling.

I love this book!

The characters are so real, no family is perfect, this family is no different! My favorite character was Jack; his family was wild and crazy. He came out on the other side in spite of his families many issues.
I set aside reading time everyday, with this book I went over every day. Loved the voice of Mr. Marosz who spoke the words!

Great book, terrible narration

This book is wonderful. the flow of the writing is visible. however I struggled getting through this version due to the narrator.

Every Year Beach Read

I love the style and enthusiasm of Pat Conroy from Beach Music through South Of Broad to the Santini books. I devour Beach Music once a year at my pleasure! Narrative is spot on for us Southerners!!