Was your dad in the military? Highly disciplined and expected the same from his family? Was he abusive? Away from home much of the time?

And how about your mom: Was she a social climber? Wwollen up with her own importance? Clinging to the past?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you'll identify with this family. Conroy's usual themes are present, but with his talent, it always seems new again. His writing plops you down into the heart and souls of the Santinis. His deft phrasing, his quirky outlook on things, and his musical prose, elevate a normal, dysfunctional family into the ranks of 'classic' literature.

I've read it 3 times. At my age, and counting all the other books I want to re-read, I figure I'll have time to read it at least twice more. Thumbs up!

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I loved (loved, loved) this book! I recently read, for the first time, Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy, and enjoyed the story and writing so much that I decided to give this book a try. Pat Conroy is truly a master! The verbal sparring between the Meechum family members had me laughing out loud. Each character is so well developed - and so original. I highly, highly recommend this "classic".

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Great book. A must for Conroy fans. No one beats Bull Meecham in the dysfunctional father role.

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This is a great book. Being in the air force at the time that I read this is so typical. A wonderful story, well written. Even my kids read it and really identified with his children. The part about the car trips was so true to form, also all the moving etc. We all started calling my husband the Great Santini.

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Great character development and good look at life. Even set 50 years ago.

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Having read Beach Music, South of Broad, & My Losing Season, I was familiar w/Conroy's style. I love the humor & the raw human interaction, but grow weary at times with his use of esoteric language (as if he's trying to earn "extra credit" for inserting over-the-top vocabulary, sort of like Mary Ann in this book).

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I enjoyed this unevenly crafted coming of age tale of growing up in the south in the 60's. On one level this is an examination of one family's struggle to love a "hard to love" father who never learned to show the love he so obviously had for his children. On another level, I think that this book is just Pat Conroy's way of making some money off the therapy work he so obviously needed.

In the early chapters its made clear why this maverick fighter pilot is hated but as the story continues, and despite the man's unchanging nature, the reader's perception changes; until, by the end, you do understand the love his children bear him. It might be Stockholm syndrome, it might be genetics and the biological imperative, it might just be conforming to outsiders expectations.

Whatever it is, the book is a continually interesting read that gives a portait of a period in time that is now gone and a type of individual that is rare today.

In my opening I mentioned that this book was unevenly crafted. How else can one explain the usage of such words as: obstreperously (noisy, clamorous, or boisterous), cuglion (stupid, cattle headed fellow), grizzle-demundy (stupid person - always grinning), slubberdegullion (a slobbering or dirty fellow, a worthless sloven) and the somewhat overobvious, somewhat uninspired sentence "Ben Meechum awoke fully awake."

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Emotionally raw, but hard to stay with, the story of a soldier who has trouble coming home and being a father. Conroy does not spare the hard details, and there will be overlap with his other books. Perfectly manages though to convey how abused children can still feel love for the parent.

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