The Great Santini Audiobook, by Pat Conroy Play Audiobook Sample

The Great Santini Audiobook

The Great Santini Audiobook, by Pat Conroy Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Michael Crouch Publisher: HarperAudio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 12.00 hours at 1.5x Speed 9.00 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: January 2023 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9780063309517

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

37

Longest Chapter Length:

64:03 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

13 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

29:18 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

14

Other Audiobooks Written by Pat Conroy: > View All...

Publisher Description

“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

Download and start listening now!

"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)

Quotes

  • “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

The Great Santini Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.97297297297297 out of 53.97297297297297 out of 53.97297297297297 out of 53.97297297297297 out of 53.97297297297297 out of 5 (3.97)
5 Stars: 15
4 Stars: 13
3 Stars: 4
2 Stars: 3
1 Stars: 2
Narration: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 (5.00)
5 Stars: 1
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 (5.00)
5 Stars: 1
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    — Scott, 10/17/2021
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Worth reading. A good story. "

    — Win, 2/17/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I reread this one every now and then! "

    — Becky, 2/7/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Hands down one of the best books I have ever read. "

    — Heather, 2/1/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I've probably read this book three times and it just keeps getting better "

    — Norma, 1/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " 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
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Great read - Ben and Bull are well developed characters - flawed but not fatally. "

    — Roann, 12/14/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I enjoyed this book a lot. It gave me an interesting look into each character and some uncomfortable moments with this dysfunctional family. "

    — Barb, 12/11/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " And I thought Beach Music was bad. This is the worst Conroy book of all that I've read. He should have started & stopped with The Prince of Tides. "

    — Ann, 12/6/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I read this book in one night...very powerful story. "

    — Andrea, 11/29/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " I did not enjoy this at all. I thought the book was all over the place!! "

    — Amypeterson14, 10/7/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This book is an incredible haunting description of the reality of growing up with a practicing alcoholic. It is a fascinating story - and Conroy a master story teller. You don't read his books, you immerse yourself in them! "

    — Dan, 9/23/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Read this years ago. My new goal is to read and own every book Pat Conroy wrote. "

    — Mary, 8/17/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " It was ok. Not my favorite Conroy book. "

    — Lauren, 4/1/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Great Book... had missed it. Just finished it last night "

    — Ron, 3/8/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Amazing book. It is a work I read in high school whose passages still resonate with me as an adult. "

    — Jeremy, 10/6/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Just another fabulous Pat Conroy book. "

    — Ron, 4/9/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I love this author (my other Conroy reviews I hope make this fact patently clear), but this book was hard to read. The father-son relationship in this one was almost too painful to bear. But as always, Conroy's beautiful writing presented it all beautifully. "

    — Karen, 12/21/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " An okay read about a military brat and his relationship with his father. "

    — Veronica, 11/1/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Pat Conroy makes you think. Personalities are described to the point where you can feel for the characters. He touches on so many aspects of life and how our lives are shaped by how we are raised. "

    — Fran, 8/26/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Very fine read. This was at least my 3rd time reading it....... "

    — Sara, 7/17/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " I like Pat Conroy a lot. This book was rather brutal and it hit home because I have a friend who grew up a military brat and his father was very Santini-like. But, Conroy is a master story teller and I cared about the characters enough to finish the book. "

    — ms.petra, 7/4/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Pat Conroy is my favorite author! Another great book of his! "

    — Renee, 6/28/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Well, with all the questions I get regarding this book and my name, it was a MUST read. The characters are very well developed, although the dad is a jerk. All in all, a good read. "

    — Jennifer, 6/14/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I enjoy all of Pat Conroy's books, this being one of his early ones isn't quite as good as some of his more recent work, but it shows so much potential. And you know he's drawing on his own autobiography in this story. "

    — Maureen, 5/7/2011
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " Read it in Semantics and Logic 9th grade. "

    — Amanda, 5/2/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " I must admit that I didn't like this much. A colleague has used it in class, but I wasn't much taken with it. It seems dated and thus not useful as an exploration of gender roles. "

    — Claire, 3/25/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " There's nothing this man writes that isn't 5 stars. "

    — Samantha, 3/13/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I had to read this book in High School and I think it was the only one that I really loved. I re-read it again and found it was even better. It's a great story of a father/son and their relationship "

    — Kirsten, 3/8/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Lived up to expectations. One of my favorite reads of all time. Some of the best characters ever in a book. I'd highly suggest. "

    — Trey, 2/27/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " I have read other Conroy books (Prince of Tides and South of Broad) and loved them. The Great Santini is nothing like those books. This one is about a family in the military with an abusive father. I can't think of anything to recommend it and am struggling to finish it. "

    — Judie, 2/25/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Classic -- could be set in 1962 or 2011. "

    — Sue, 2/23/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This was a great book, and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed all the characters in the story, and it was interesting to watch each of them grow. However, the ending was sad but very good at the same time. "

    — Joe, 2/9/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I need at least ten stars for this one. It's my favorite of all by Conroy. "

    — Diana, 2/2/2011

About Pat Conroy

Donald 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.

About Michael Crouch

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.