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Book Review of The Great Santini

The Great Santini
The Great Santini
Author: Pat Conroy
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
rocky1 avatar reviewed on + 52 more book reviews


The Great Santini is-in my opinion-Conroy's best work to date. Maybe I can relate because I also had a military dad who demanded respect from his family, but I truly found myself engrossed in the story of a father and son who are so different from one another but not.

Mild-mannered Ben is uprooted (along with wiseass sister Maryanne, their two younger siblings and their mother) when Bull Meechem (aka the Great Santini) returns home and is relocated by the marines. Through the course of the book, we get to see a year in Ben's life, and all the trials and tribulations he must deal with-and how they are so normal for him after years and years of moving. The ending of the book is extremely moving and we see the family come full circle. I didn't think I would be so moved by this particular book, yet I was. It was also interesting because the reader gets a glimpse of Southern life and individuals in the 1960s, and some of the attitudes that prevailed then.

If you want a book you can't put down, choose The Great Santini. I guarantee you won't be disappointed, sportsfans.