South of Broad

By: Pat Conroy

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 20 hrs and 1 min

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)

A Truly Enjoyable Listen

I came to truly like and care for the characters. OK, so the story may may not be believable, in that it is unlikely that all of these events would occur in the life of one group of people. But, this is fiction! I laughed, I teared up, and I shared the hopes, dreams and fears of the characters. A truly enjoyable escape. Pat Conroy's language often seems a bit forced - yet I still love the imagery of his writing and the humanity of his characters.

Big Story

This was a well written book with excellent character development. The story spans over a long period and manages to keep your attention. I've never been to Charleston SC but feel like I have after this read.

Love Pat Conroy - This book is very different

I have loved all of Pat Conroy's book and this is no exception. It was very different than most of his other books. I had previously bought the book to read and tried twice but couldn't stand it. Listening to it was much better and the first 200 pages were much easier to tolerate with someone reading it. Once I got into the book I could hardly turn it off. Great story line.

Epic Novel

I enjoyed every minute of this book. Yes, sometimes it detailed a lot, but you get in the southern drawl groove and it all fits. Great reader.

Loved the Story; Loved the Narration

I loved this novel, and I'm not shocked that the reviews are so polarized. It is a bit melodramatic sometimes, but I am assuming the South has its melodrama like the Caribbean where I live. Readers who can't accept the melodrama as the tone for this story, will undoubtedly be turned off. I felt it was necessary to shape the characters who had to struggle against racism, unfairness and abuse. Conroy is such a master of structure. He knows how to pace a story for maximum effect and lure readers into a false sense of complacency with scenes that seem, at first glance, to be simple to the point of being trite. This makes the impact of certain events hit home even harder. Here, Conroy takes the theme of the dysfunctional family, child abuse and obsessions to extremes, but it makes a fitting background for the sense of survival that emerges in most of the characters. Pat Conroy is a champion of the South -- particularly South Carolina -- which he captures in exquisite descriptions that elevate setting to downright reverence. And still, Conroy's work transcends regionalism. There are feelings and circumstances for everyone to identify with in a Conroy novel.

excellent

superb, excellent story telling, excellent counsel performance. powerful and elegant, a love letter to life

Another Pat Conroy Masterpiece

This is a novel that touches a wide range of human emotions. The anger brought on by high school integration. The building of common purpose and esprit of a football team. The development of close friendships from diverse segments of Charleston cultural elements over time. This intertwined by a dark personage.

Loved it!

Loved this book. The narrator was just terrific!!!

A great story of our time

If you allow the humanity and honesty of the characters and events to guide your journey through this story, then you will undoubtedly be a fan. While it's certainly full of southern, particularly Charleston, flavor, it takes you on a trip through events, issues and realitiesx that extent far beyond that wonderful region. I believe Adults over 30 will enjoy this book the most, simply because of their ability to overlap their real life experience and knowledge on top of the characters.

OK for the ride but not meaningful

The main character is a subtle study of a classic Conroy man. The only problem is that he is surrounded by 4 or 5 melodramas. Each one would be part of a remarkable coincidence, but together they overwhelm a good story to the point of almost silliness.
This didn't stop me from enjoying the book, but I thought it was far lesser of a book than any of his previous ones. Almost every person is a caricature, and their fates just didn't mean much to me in the end.
I still was glad I bought it, but I would make sure I heard every other Conroy book before this.

(The southern accent was tolerable except when he slipped into "Mawlie" instead of Mollie - it made me cringe every time.)