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Beach Music: A Novel
Unavailable
Beach Music: A Novel
Unavailable
Beach Music: A Novel
Audiobook (abridged)8 hours

Beach Music: A Novel

Written by Pat Conroy

Narrated by Peter MacNicol

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

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.

PAT CONROY is the author of five previous books: The Boo, The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and
The Prince of Tides, the last four of which were made into feature films.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 5, 2000
ISBN9780553750515
Unavailable
Beach Music: A Novel
Author

Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy (1945–2016) was the author of The Boo, The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life, My Losing Season, South of Broad, My Reading Life, and The Death of Santini.

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Reviews for Beach Music

Rating: 3.9592144145015107 out of 5 stars
4/5

993 ratings40 reviews

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Tedious. I couldn't finish it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A Beautiful novel!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have read this book at least a dozen times, and it remains one of my very favorites. I can't recommend it enough.

    The story centers around Jack McCall, who leaves his home in South Carolina and moves to Italy with his daughter, Leah, after losing his wife. The story follows Jack and Leah as they make a new life in Italy, eventually return to South Carolina, and cope with the loss of their beloved wife and mother. There are interesting subplots throughout, along with beautifully written characters, some of whom are larger than life and just as compelling as Jack. We meet Jack's family, his deceased wife's parents - who Jack has a difficult relationship with - and friends with troubled pasts who reappear in Jack's life unexpectedly. It's long, at 800 pages, but the story is so engrossing that the length shouldn't put you off. It flew by for me and I found myself wishing there were more to read.

    The book, in my view, is somewhat of a love letter to South Carolina, and the South in general, as are many of Pat Conroy's books. He knows his characters and his settings intimately and treats them with love and respect. For this reason, and many others, Pat Conroy has long been one of my favorite authors.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I didn't see a selection for the audie award winning Frank Muller narration of this book, but that is the version you'd want. Wonderful read on paper and audio.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Totally engrossing southern family saga, which of course, means alot of dysfunction, sadness, a couldn't-put-it-down. A masterpiece.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I finally found an enjoyable book, after reading many poorly written books. I have read Conroy before, but feel that this is one of his better novels. Conroy employs many of the same themes in all his novels: the South, the beach, loggerhead turtles, the military, religion, sex, the Viet Nam War, and domestic violence. This story touched upon the Jews and Nazis, Italy, and cancer. The McCall family consists of 5 brothers, their drunken lawyer/judge father, and emotionally and physically battered mother. A full array of sub characters displays a vast gamut of emotions and personalities. During my reading, I had many questions for Conroy. Many of the questions surround John Hardin, the youngest of the 5 brothers. What is the significance of this character always being called his first and middle name? To many, this would seem minor, but the author plays on the name John Hardin. Many of the scenes are memorable, especially when a minor character reveals his/her story. We too often only see the surface and not the individual under the skin.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Conroy's writing is so effective that I started feeling suicidal. Much of this story is tragic. I had to take a break when only 1/3 finished because it was beginning to impair my well-being. I hope to get back to it after finishing some Evanovich fluff to lift my spirits.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book has amazing back stories that are so interresting. It feels like you are reading a series of books. But the love of the Brothers, the Friends and the families, really make this a wonderful story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My least favorite of Conroy's book. Again the fractured extended southern family the strong, love-hate mother-sons relationship as the eldest son returns from self exile in Rome where he is raising his young daughter alone as his mother, a childhood friends commited suicide before his departure from his deep Southtown, leaving him estranged from his family(4 brothers) he returns to be at the bedside of his terminal ill mother. Once again the plot focuses on family rerelationship, dysfunctionalilty as the family relives their troubled youth, what drove his wife to suicide and the secret behind his close friend, the son of an Army general, joining the priesthood to escape/atone for a violent crime he committed at that same growing up time at the height of the Viet Nam war
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pat Conroy's novel is a wide ranging depiction of life in Charleston, South Carolina and to a lesser extent Rome, Italy. It is a multi-generational and multi-family story with interesting, fully developed main characters. As with his prior novels and a later one, South of Broad, Conroy focuses on the psychology of the narrator and his closest friends. Jack McCall is a person who has always been at the border of activity of his circle of friends. It is as if he just missed the center of the action but still was affected intensely by relationships with the boys and girls and later men and women of Charleston. With Jack, it is a matter of communication. He is very insightful privately but inhibited in outward expression. This makes him an excellent observer and mostly reliable witness to social events and character motives. Two major historical themes are explored: antiwar activities of college students in the U.S. in the 1960s as the Vietnam war dragged on, and the history of Jewish life before, during, and after World War II. The two themes determine to a large extent the psychological development of the characters and the courses of their interactions. The focus is on four male characters (including Jack) with different levels of commitment to past and present South Carolina coastal life. As in previous and subsequent work, Conroy writes in a lyrical poetic style capturing the enduring landscape of Charleston and Rome as backgrounds for his story. Each descriptive sentence, it seems, is a sensual portrait of environments the author clearly adores. If you have read South of Broad, you may notice parallels with Beach Music in theme, story, and characters even though the novels are distinct. I read the more recent novel first and would suggest reading them in chronological order. South of Broad has more dramatic action and is not dominated by the legacy of the Vietnam war and history of Jewish survival preceding, during, and after WWII. The center of identification though in both novels is Charleston, SC and the unique culture of the residents. I recommend Beach Music with the reservation that the characters are somewhat inaccessible to readers living outside of coastal South Carolina. The low country is a partially closed community of people with a shared past and culture. The characters are interesting and I cared about them, but did not completely identify with their motives. Because of that lack on my part, the actions and relationships of the characters did not quite ring true. This observation was not my experience with South of Broad. Even though I have lived part time in the low country for five years, I am an outsider and probably always will be.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There's a scene from my most favorite movie, The Big Chill, where William Hurt says...'no one had a more cushier birth than we...'. I found myself relating that scene repeatedly throughout this book. While I was born a generation and a half after the characters, I can certainly remember and even relate to some events that transpire. As a born Southerner I can relate both to the author's style of writing as well as the environment he is trying to depict, at times successful and at times not quite so. I have read comments about Conroy's writing being not believable, that 'people don't talk like that'. A fraction of that may be true. Most New Yorkers don't talk like Jack McCall, neither do most South Carolinians. However, the really great Southern storytellers do. Sure at times I wish he'd have dropped every third adjective for the sake of speeding things along, but then I remembered that this was his story to tell. Beach Music is not a beach read. It is a comprehensive look at a generation that had to deal with so many conflicts of their own present, their parents' past, and their childrens' futures. As I have witnessed in my own extended family, for characters in this story there was a bond between friends that was unlike any generation before or since. I've always been a bit envious of them for that. This is a story about imperfect people and imperfect families, the consequences of revealing too little and revealing too much, of love lost and love found, and of great friendships that never end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful, sad, intricate story regarding a group of friends and their lives in the south in the 60s and beyond. This is another book that ranks on my list of favorite books of all time, and it is far and away my favorite of all of Pat Conroy's books.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not my favorite of his but very interesting from an auto-biographical sort of place.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For the first third of this book it felt like it could be a (rather lame) sequel to Prince of Tides - different characters, same themes. Eventually though the author began to allow the story to take its own shape and that's when it really started to shine.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As usual, Pat Conroy displays a rabidly dysfunctional family, based in Waterford, South Carolina. Jack McCall born to a drunken father and a weird mother, who had a horrid childhood, has four brothers,one of whom is crazy at times. Conroy weaves a tale about these people and those who come in touch with them, which manages to say much about the Vietnam divisions in the US, and the Holocaust horror--based on fact or imagination? The book is 800 pages and frankly I think is too long, and a lot of the hagiographical stuff about Leah, Jack's daughter, could have been spared the reader. There are episodes whch are of high interest, but there is an excess of foul language at times and it is hard to believe the events as described could have happened. I know they did not but even in fiction one should be able to believe the events could have happened.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story was good, however the style of writing was dry and slow. It was very angry, repetitive, and I found myself putting it down and not picking it back up for days. However when I did pick it up the story haunted me and kept me thinking about all that happened. The writing irritated me however the several stories within this book had me entranced. Had it not been a library book with a deadline for it to be returned I'm not sure I would have finished reading. But I am so glad I stayed up well into the night to finish it to the end. The women were portrayed as vain and weak, expect when it came to something they were passionate about - then they were ready to kick some major butt.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Audiobook. Ambitious novel. I had recently read My Revolution. This is also about coming to grips with 60s and Vietnam as one approaches getting older. This one also throws in the Red Brigade and the Holocaust. Nothing if not nervy. This books is definitely more interested in the male characters. The females are male fantasies. But this was an interesting read. Finished on a road trip.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved this book - hope to find the time to reread it some day.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Beach Music is one of my top ten favorite books of all time. I love Pat Conroy's descriptions and how all of the story lines work together.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beach Music is an excellent book. It includes vivid descriptions of a wide variety of settings including appalling ones like the brutal Appalachia out back and a horrific Holocaust concentration camp as well as pleasant ones like the urban beauty of Rome and the natural beauty of costal areas of the American south. Truth be told, this book has so much in it, that in my mind I can't imagine that it was all part of the same book. He could have made at least five books out ot it. I read it about four years ago and many of these diverse elements linger in my memory. It takes brilliant writing to bring so much together and keep it together within the framework of a coherent story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I had a stack of books to read and put this off until last because I didn't think I would like it; instead, it was my favorite! Very interesting family relationships.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful story about a father and daughter plus assorted relatives set in the deep south.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I listened to the audiobook narrated by Frank Muller, and the combination of his skillful reading and the poetic prose of Pat Conroy made listening to this book an emotional experience. I lost count of how many times this book made me laugh, cry, and reflect on my own life.The story is beautiful and poignant and heart-breaking as it weaves between Rome, Italy and Waterford, South Carolina. There are several stories within the story, each one emotional and some even terrifying to comprehend.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love how this book weaves in and out of the South and Italy. I recommend listening to the book on tape of it. It is long, but the reader was excellent. Not sure of his name, but he sounded a lot like Kevin Spacey.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was my least favorite of Pat Conroys's books. Although I will say that one of my favorite descriptions in any book I've read is on page 48; talking about his relationship with his mother. Other than that, not really worth the read
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Beach Music is one of Pat Conroy's best novels and this performance is quite good. However, this is an abridged version of the novel and critical portions are missing. So. If you are a fan of Pat Conroy's and select this performance as a chance to revisit a favorite novel you may be disappointed.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The music added to the audiobook was terrible! So distracting, please don’t do that! Didn’t love the story either. A winding family story with no real “hook”. Overall it was a downer.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A truly epic book. It includes gaps, corniness, and unneeded interludes but a wide range of events over were well tied together. And Conroys poise could be over the top sometime but at other times he would describe ideas, thoughts, and feelings that were almost beyond description. The love of wife vs mother. The part of Rome, the terrorist attack, and the fact that everyone must ne beautiful in South CAroline were a bit much but a long enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If this was my first time with Pat Conroy, I don't know if I'd go on to his other books. It felt like three books cobbled together, and while I get it - I see why he intertwined those three stories - I still would have preferred him to have left out the Holocaust references, which felt contrived.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I feel like I grew up with a lot of the characters Conroy portrays here. The descriptions of growing up in low country and the sea life of the coast were particular highlights.