Beach Music: A Novel
by Pat Conroy
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Book Summary Information
Author: Pat ConroyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-03
ISBN: 0553381539
Number of pages: 800
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780553381535
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Beach Music: A Novel
Book Review: Vast and Intricately Woven
Summary: 4 Stars
Beach Music is a complex, multi-faceted narrative layered with poetic prose and the rich style that fans of Conroy have come to admire. It is the story of Jack's compacted history, his life, friends and family who he has abandoned after the suicide of his wife, Shyla. When he is summoned from Rome to his native Waterford, SC to attend to his dying mother, he must confront the demons he had been avoiding for the past 5 years. A slew of brothers, a drunk father, a manipulative mother, and former best friends all contribute to his re-immersion in the south. But Conroy knows how to develop his characters and make them likeable despite their imperfections. From the rapid-fire dialogue of Jack's brothers, to the haughty manners of his mother, or the innocence of his daughter Leah, each is written to come alive on the page.
One of Jack's biggest struggles is his confrontation his Shyla's parents, who, after her suicide, attempted to sue for custody of Leah, leaving a bitter animosity. In an effort to reconcile for the sake of Leah, Shyla's Jewish parents reveal to Jack the horrors of their experiences during the holocaust, hoping to better understand why their experiences caused Shyla's depression and ultimate demise. I thought these narratives were the most compelling aspects of the book, rich in history and in terror.
The one part of the plot that I trudged through was the recollection of the Viet Nam era, when Jack and his friends were liberal idealist college students. While the repercussions affected so many characters and drove the plot and its outcome, I felt the energy was misplaced. However, the various story lines came together pretty flawlessly in the end. Every character's explicit tale contributed to the satisfying finale of this finely wrought and intricately woven novel.
Summary of Beach Music: A Novel
PAT CONROY, America?s preeminent storyteller, delivers a sweeping novel of lyric intensity and searing truth?the story of Jack McCall, an American expatriate in Rome, scarred by tragedy and betrayal. His desperate desire to find peace after his wife?s suicide draws him into a painful, intimate search for the one haunting secret in his family?s past that can heal his anguished heart.Spanning three generations and two continents, from the contemporary ruins of the American South to the ancient ruins of Rome, from the unutterable horrors of the Holocaust to the lingering trauma of Vietnam, Beach Music sings with life?s pain and glory. It is another masterpiece in PAT CONROY?S legendary list of beloved novels.
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