“Conroy takes aim at our darkest emotions, lets the arrow fly and hits a bull’s-eye almost every time.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
This is the story of Bull Meecham, the epitome of the Marine officer. Demanding, authoritarian, as tough a disciplinarian at home as at the base, Bull is a difficult man to please, and even harder to love. This is also the story of Ben Meecham, Bull’s oldest son. A gifted athlete whose best never satisfies his father, Ben must balance his own ambition with his father’s expectations – and decide what course he will chart for himself and what kind of man he will become. Piercing, bittersweet, and unforgettable, The Great Santini is Pat Conroy’s semi-autobiographical lens into fathers and sons, and the powerful legacy one man can leave behind.
“Robust and vivid…full of feeling.” – Newsday
“Few novelists write as well, and none as beautifully.” – Lexington Herald Leader
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"I am a Pat Conroy fan. Reading this book brought back a lot of memories of growing up as a military brat. He completely nailed that part. I could totally relate to his experience. I liked this book a lot. There were some parts that seemed irrelevant and as much as that bugged me, I still really liked this."
— Donna (4 out of 5 stars)
“Narrator Michael Crouch portrays the epitome of the Marine fighter pilot, Bull Meecham, with a bar of blue twisted steel in his delivery…Crouch imbues each character with the perfect tone and pitch, letting listeners feel pity, horror, and joy as Ben and his siblings mature…Listen to Crouch’s narration with both ears and an open heart.”
— AudioFile" Worth reading. A good story. "
— Win, 2/17/2014" this book was good, but it was amazing. i would suggest it cause its good to try it. very "rough" material[swearing etc.] its worth a shot though "
— Kaleigh, 2/14/2014" I reread this one every now and then! "
— Becky, 2/7/2014" Hands down one of the best books I have ever read. "
— Heather, 2/1/2014" I enjoy all of Conroy's work. While this is good reading, I think this one reveals a lot of Conroy's childhood -- the demanding, hard-drinking officer father had to be his own. "
— Lisa, 1/22/2014" I've probably read this book three times and it just keeps getting better "
— Norma, 1/18/2014" this is my husband's FAVORITE book and he's read it ovr and over so I have to include it, too!Also a great movie "
— Kono, 1/13/2014" Done that. Been there, Bought the T-short and the hat.Gave this to my Mom to read and she said she could have written the book. There is a lot of true stories in this book. "
— Jeffrey, 1/4/2014" Great read - Ben and Bull are well developed characters - flawed but not fatally. "
— Roann, 12/14/2013" I enjoyed this book a lot. It gave me an interesting look into each character and some uncomfortable moments with this dysfunctional family. "
— Barb, 12/11/2013Donald Patrick “Pat” Conroy (1945–2016) was an American author of acclaimed novels and memoirs, two of which made it to #1 on New York Times bestsellers list: Beach Music and South of Broad. Four of his novels were made into major motion pictures: The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, Conrack, and The Lords of Discipline. The novel on which the movie Conrack was based, The Water Is Wide, won an NEA Human and Civil Rights Award and an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
Michael Crouch is an actor based in New York City. His audiobook narration has won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, and Best of the Year accolades from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. He can also be heard on national commercials, cartoons, video games, and the animé series Pokémon XY and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.