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)

Colorful and unexpected

Pat Conroy's Beach Music is my favorite book so downloading his latest was an easy decision. He lived up to my expectations. The pictures he paints with words are vivid, the relationships he creates are realistic and the story line was unexpected. The way he interweaves the lives of the characters kept me guessing and even when I was sure the direction the story was going, he let me know that you never know the direction life will take you. Reading his books always reminds me that everyone has a story, but not everyone can tell it with the fervor that Mr. Conroy imparts to his readers. I so enjoyed this listen that I felt I'd lost some friends when the book ended.

Highly recommend.

I love Conroy's writing so much that I was apprehensive about hearing the book read because I so enjoy reading it and creating his characters voices in my head. Though each characters voice would have sounded different in my imagination Mark Deakins did an impressive job. This audiobook kept me company for many days and I savored the time I carved out each day to listen. I am sad that it ended.

All-Time Favorite

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It is full of humor, heartbreak, sadness, evil, camaraderie and nostalgia. I feel as though I am a part of this group of friends and I feel deeply everything they go through. I read this book years ago, but thoroughly enjoyed it this time on Audible!

Mispronunciations and…

Fake Southern accent. The story was still well worth the listen and was the usual Pat Conroy fashion.

Another eloquent Conroy Novel

Great story. Incredibly well written but a hard one with lots of trying times…even more than some others. Listen but beware of some awful situations. Not an easy or light book but phenomenal nonetheless.

Amazing cast of characters

The unlikely group of friends who are 100%there for each other and the way the story unfolds puts it at the top of my list of recommended book The narrator is fantastic

Long, but worth it

A good story that brings to life the city and culture of Charleston starting in the late 60s. Full of memorable characters and events. Beautifully read.

A beautiful, poignant, and humorous read!

I loved the story and the narrator. Hated for it to end. Now, on to the next Pat Conroy book!!

Conroy shines

Masterful writing and incredible story telling. Conroy is at his best for this joy ride down the streets and events of the holy city.

Just beautiful

Wonderfully told story of adolescence, family, friendships and more through the life of a boy as he grows up in Charleston South Carolina. One of the best books I’ve read in years. Funny and uplifting.