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thelexingtonbookie's review against another edition
4.0
As many of you know, I adore Pat Conroy's writing. Ever since I read South of Broad, I've been snagging up copies of his work to read when I can. I was feeling in the mood for one of his novels, and lucked upon finding an audiobook version of The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son on Libby. This was Conroy's last publication, autobiography/ memoir published in 2013, three years before his own death in 2016. Death of Santini recounts most of his inspiration behind all his other novels, and his own truth about the troubled relationship that he had with his family, but in particular, his father.
After Conroy's controversial first novel, The Water is Wide, he went on to write his first semi-autobiographical novel, The Great Santini, in which he fictionalized many profound moments and relationships in his own life. The Great Santini was a character modeled after Conroy's father, Don, a charismatic fighter pilot with a hot temper that was often directed at his wife and children. Conroy was physically abused by his father, and their relationship was an obviously tumultuous one. At times, Conroy was fascinated by the man who fearlessly flew into battle- other times, he wished him dead.
In The Death of Santini, Conroy reflects on the complications of their relationship, and how it affected Conroy, his siblings, and their own successes and failures. In stylistic Conroy fashion, there's a heavy dose of self-depreciating humor, dry witticism, and dramatic storytelling leading up to the tale of his father's passing. Conroy more than once states that the Conroy family were "f*cked up", but despite that, they were a proud lot who loved and hated each other fiercely and in equal measures.
On the audiobook, Conroy reads his own prologue, and then narrator Dick Hill takes it away with a candor and cadence that I think does Conroy justice. His voice brings the family to life, and though it's a winding tale- also stylistic of Conroy- Hill manages to keep my attention and intrigue throughout the 15 hours of audio. I laughed, teared up, and gaped in disbelief at some of Conroy's tales, and I know that any fan of him or his work would enjoy The Death of Great Santini, no matter what medium they choose.
After Conroy's controversial first novel, The Water is Wide, he went on to write his first semi-autobiographical novel, The Great Santini, in which he fictionalized many profound moments and relationships in his own life. The Great Santini was a character modeled after Conroy's father, Don, a charismatic fighter pilot with a hot temper that was often directed at his wife and children. Conroy was physically abused by his father, and their relationship was an obviously tumultuous one. At times, Conroy was fascinated by the man who fearlessly flew into battle- other times, he wished him dead.
In The Death of Santini, Conroy reflects on the complications of their relationship, and how it affected Conroy, his siblings, and their own successes and failures. In stylistic Conroy fashion, there's a heavy dose of self-depreciating humor, dry witticism, and dramatic storytelling leading up to the tale of his father's passing. Conroy more than once states that the Conroy family were "f*cked up", but despite that, they were a proud lot who loved and hated each other fiercely and in equal measures.
On the audiobook, Conroy reads his own prologue, and then narrator Dick Hill takes it away with a candor and cadence that I think does Conroy justice. His voice brings the family to life, and though it's a winding tale- also stylistic of Conroy- Hill manages to keep my attention and intrigue throughout the 15 hours of audio. I laughed, teared up, and gaped in disbelief at some of Conroy's tales, and I know that any fan of him or his work would enjoy The Death of Great Santini, no matter what medium they choose.
thuglibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
"In families, there are no crimes that cannot be forgiven." Pat Conroy wrote that in his book *The Prince of Tides* and this startling memoir explains the emotions behind that statement. Conroy is a virtuoso with words and takes the readers along as he recounts his life with the *Great Santini.* The account of his military brat childhood is more extreme in the abuse that he and his siblings endured that he previously wrote about. Readers will love *The Death of Santini* and I expect that there will be a rush to re-watch the film version. Loved it.
lynnski723's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed listening to this book about Pat Conroy's dad and his relationship with him. It was an awful childhood, and I think he had some of his father's personality in him. He could have easily written off his dad, but he didn't. He continued to have a relationship with him and over time they became close. I truly believe that by the end he actually loved him.
bobbo49's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, disappointing. Yes, this is the non-fiction version of Conroy's life. And yes, we already know a lot of the stories from his fiction, from his early years in The Great Santini onward. But frankly, his life reads better as fiction: the family was so totally dysfunctional throughout his life, and Conroy's own bitterness, anger and recriminations against his father and his siblings (and even, on occasion, his mother) overwhelm the telling and the voice. I will finish reading his fiction, but can't recommend this autobiography.
mcsnide's review against another edition
4.0
A fitting close to the story of Conroy's love-hate relationship with his father and family, this book feels more intimate in many ways than his previous writing about his family. There is a thin line between hatred and love, and it's not always clear on which side of that line Conroy's feelings toward his father fall. It's almost as though his hatred of his father made him love the old man even more.
halkid2's review against another edition
2.0
Often disjointed and leaning toward self-indulgent. Not my favorite from this author.
sunny76's review against another edition
3.0
This was not my favorite Conroy novel, but I did like it. They seemed to find common ground and even demonstrated love for each other in their own ways. They had coffee together every morning and seemed to get along even with the little jibes they fed each other. Recommended, if you are a Conroy fan.
valeriemadsen's review against another edition
5.0
To me, this book speaks powerfully about forgiveness, recognizing one's own character flaws, and making peace with an ignored heritage. I laughed hard and I cried hard while reading this.
jessicabrazeal's review against another edition
4.0
Pat Conroy is such a magical story-teller. He will be so missed.