• South of Broad

  • By: Pat Conroy
  • Narrated by: Mark Deakins
  • Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (2,910 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
South of Broad  By  cover art

South of Broad

By: Pat Conroy
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best seller.

“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.

©2009 Pat Conroy (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“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)

What listeners say about South of Broad

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,824
  • 4 Stars
    658
  • 3 Stars
    238
  • 2 Stars
    108
  • 1 Stars
    82
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,523
  • 4 Stars
    289
  • 3 Stars
    77
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    15
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,357
  • 4 Stars
    368
  • 3 Stars
    125
  • 2 Stars
    48
  • 1 Stars
    37

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Authors Need to Review Pronunciations

I am actually in the process of listening to the book and am only about a third of the way through. Pat Conroy is one of my favorite writers and this is the first book of his that I have listened to. I read the actual books of all the others. I am enjoying the book. However, I continue to be amazed at the improper pronunciation of proper nouns by narrators on audio books. Mr. Deakins mispronounces one of the most notable names from Charleston and I don't understand why Pat Conroy or someone else did not correct this! Huger is properly pronounced like "You gee". It makes me cringe every time I hear him say it wrong. A similar thing happened with another SC author in another audio book set in SC. Please people, do your pronunciation research! Someone from the local area might just be listening!!! And yes, I am from SC.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

56 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Wanted very much to like this book, but.....

I'm a real Pat Conroy fan, so this was a book I looked forward to listening to -- in fact, I saved it for a time when I could really enjoy it. But bottom line: several times, I nearly quit listening. If it had been almost any author other than Conroy, I no doubt would have.

I didn't have a problem with the narrator as some did, although the grating mispronounciation of "Herb Caen" -- aauuuuggggghhhh -- over and over was annoying. Instead, this was just a flawed novel.

The biggest problem was that the cookie-cutter "good" characters never rang true -- no human is (or ever has been) as saintly as Leo. No gay man could ever be as marvelously talented, creative, tolerant and all-around perfect as Trevor. It didn't take long at all before I was all-full-up with listening to Leo's pious and perfect responses to whatever bad stuff came his way -- and an awesome amount of bad stuff it was.

I also disliked the never ending chatty banter among this group of whatever-may-happen,we-always-hang-together friends. There was way too much emphasis on the fact that some were black and some white, way too much ostantatious acceptance of Trevor's sexuality (What? were you afraid we wouldn't get it, so it had to be laid on with a trowel?) But overall, all that witty byplay just got tiring. Enough, already -- tell us a story! We don't need the endless stream of one-liners.

Thirdly, the plot line was just not believable. The notion of this group of childhood friends becoming adults, and repeatedly setting out to rescue one of the wayward members was just too much.

And by the way, why the scene repitition from earlier books? Or is the tender washing of elderly feet -- lifted almost word for word from "Lords of Discipline" -- just a South Carolina thing?

I'll go back and listen to the earlier Pat Conroy books -- now THOSE were something!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Long Overdue

It has been at least 10 years since Pat Conroy had written a sweeping passionate great American novel. South of Broad left me wishing there was another page another chapter. Write about anything but most importantly what happens next even if it means that they changed a diaper and went to the grocery store. Mr. Conroy's love of the English language gives the reader that rare joy of both enjoying the plot as well as enjoying the way the sentences float onto the pages as if delivered by an Angel and not a bic pen. A Conroy novel will never disappoint you and this installment takes it to an entirely new level. Treat yourself, spoil yourself today, and take your time with this one. Savor every word. Take your time and sip in each sentence allowing you to enjoy the romantic poetry of his language and develop the passions for his deeply created characters. You will not regret it!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

My Mistake

For some odd reason, I thought South of Broad was written by the same Pat Conroy who wrote The Great Santini and Lords of Discipline. My mistake. This is clearly the Pat Conroy who used to write under pseudonyms like Harold Robbins and Jacqueline Susann. For this is nothing but a shabby melodrama, a soap opera peopled by cardboard cutouts, with a little "hot" sex tossed in, and an amazingly bizarre structure. It feels as if whoever this particular Conroy is, he tried to cobble together a bunch of stories he had sitting around in shoe boxes. At best, it's chewing gum for the mind -- a brainless book to read while burning on the beach...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Masterful Storyteller has a new offering.

I wanted to find out why Conroy took so long to complete this manuscript. But I nearly failed to order the download. So many of the other reviewers were negative about the story and many hated the reader. But from the very first few moments this book held me -- with a great story, simply told through a wonderful selection of characters.
Leo King is a Catholic. His mother is a former nun. Conroy could not have told his tale effectively without the repeated reference to the Catholic faith.
In the process of enjoying South of Broad, I soon learned that the numerous compelling and will-crafted stories. It's a love poem to the beautiful and historic city of Charleston. I liked the way Conroy described how Leo's high-school football team took shape. Having lived it the South and possessing first hand understanding of the painful process of desegregation, I took particular joy in the actions of a Black football coach as he crafted his championship team from a group of mostly unwilling players.
In San Francisco, Leo and his band of Charleston friends attempt to rescue one of their group, who was stricken with Aids. Conroy's factual approach to that terrible chapter in our history rings true.
Another memorable character is South of Broad is a maniac murderer whose sworn duty is to butcher his family and Leo. His children, a diverse set of twins, were conceived so their insane father could torture them in perpetuity. One of those twins, Sheba is Leo's first love. She becomes a Hollywood star because the only to live in her father's home was to create a world of make-believe.
If you are concerned with the art of storytelling, this book will provide you with masterful insight. South of Broad offers interesting characters. It contains wonderfully crafted stories told against a rich tapestry of history. The dialog is articulate and often great fun. What more could one ask for in a work of fiction.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

I dont believe Pat Conroy Wrote this!

I have loved all his books.
After listening for two hours, I believe Pat didnt write this or he had a head injury!
Something is Real Fishy here!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

More please?

This was my first book by Pat Conroy and I would hope that he is considering a continued story of Leo's life beyond these tragedies. I loved the drama, comedy and emotions the writing evoked in me. I giggled, sighed, worried and naturally, cried. People complain about the jumping around but I've seen this style in many books and enjoy it. I think it adds to the storyline and always promises a surprise revealed about Leo's life, "back when" or in his adult life.
I will probably read it again but will, for now, check out another by this author. Decisions, deciisons.....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

"Grease" Goes to Charleston

What has Pat Conroy been doing for 14 years? And what kind of parents would call their daughter "Sheba"? I dislike the naming of characters with exotic names, to sort of make the reader think that person is ""special". The publisher's summary mentions the suicide of the protagonist's brother as a key incident, so as to make you think the book is about family dynamics in adjusting to tragedy. However the tragedy merely plays a background role - so far - and I've only read a few chapters but I cannot go on with this self-indulgent drivel from the mouths of overgrown high-school students with nothing better to do than party.
What editor in his/her right mind would consider this serious literature? I's no more than a daytime TV soap opera read by a baritone voice that reminds me of that old governor of Georgia, George Wallace.
If you like Charleston, as so many of the positive reviewers do, you may like this shallow exploration into post-adolescent angst delivered by a southern baritone voice that will remind you of the worst preachers (of any faith) to which your parents dragged to of a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Pat you have let me down.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly Entrancing

How many of us wish that we had friends like those in "South of Broad"? I thought I had some friends like those, and they were only cultivated in my 50's; but the friendships disappeared when I moved to another state, but I digress.
This is my first Pat Conroy and I found his use of the English language extraordinary. The characters were so well developed but Mr. Conroy was always able to, in his inimitable style, carve just another facet onto each persona. His words flowed like the most beautiful classical concerto I have ever heard!
I laughed out loud, and I cried, and I just had tears in my eyes throughout the book. Some occurrences had an eerie, though distant, similarity to my own life. And the book, to this point, has a distinct sense of plausibility.
I am well into the third part and do not want this story to end as I feel that my friends will be gone and will only remain as phantoms in my memory.
If Mr. Conroy has usurped the words in Merriam-Webster for his previous books as he has in "South of Broad" I am sure that I shall meet, greet, and make other friends, but they too shall sadly end up as phantoms.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A good read!

Would you listen to South of Broad again? Why?

I probably would not listen to the book again, but does not mean I didn't like it, I did--I always like Conroy....this book wasn't Prince of Tides..but it was worth the price.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful