![]() So much of this made it into the story of Leo King and I’m amazed one person could experience so much and turn it into a story, let alone the number of books Conroy has written that draw inspiration from his life. Conroy taught English and was fired from one of his jobs for pointing out racial problems in the school. The book was presented as evidence in his parents’ divorce case. His father was violent and abusive and Conroy wrote about this in his book, The Great Santini. His father was in the military and he moved a lot as a child. Conroy lives in San Francisco and went to Citadel. As always, we started with a little background on the author. I’m a fan of Bohjalian and despite the negativity, I would say I’m not a fan of Conroy. But as a novelist, I know all too well that there are few easier ways to wrest sniffles from a reader than to have a couple of real men cry like babies in each other’s arms or a good woman stoically sniff back her tears. It’s possible that the sobbing and sniveling occasionally felt inauthentic to me because I am a priggish New Englander who is uncomfortable with what may be a Southern penchant for drama. A favorite criticism our group read was from author Chris Bohjalian: Apparently, this one is considered one of his worst! Critics say it’s melodramatic and the prose is over the top at times. ![]() ![]() I was surprised to find most people who were big Conroy fans hated the book. ![]() My book club met last week to discuss a book I loved, South of Broad by Pat Conroy. ![]()
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