Beach Music

A Novel

By: Pat Conroy

Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz

Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Pat Conroy is without doubt America's favorite storyteller, a writer who portrays the anguished truth of the human heart and the painful secrets of families in richly lyrical prose and unforgettable narratives.

Now, in Beach Music, he tells of the dark memories that haunt generations, in a story that spans South Carolina and Rome and reaches back into the unutterable terrors of the Holocaust.

Beach Music is about Jack McCall, an American living in Rome with his young daughter, trying to find peace after the recent trauma of his wife's suicide. But his solitude is disturbed by the appearance of his sister-in-law, who begs him to return home, and of two school friends asking for his help in tracking down another classmate who went underground as a Vietnam protester and never resurfaced. These requests launch Jack on a journey that encompasses the past and the present in both Europe and the American South, and that leads him to shocking--and ultimately liberating--truths.

Told with deep feeling and trademark Conroy humor, Beach Music is powerful and compulsively readable. It is another masterpiece in the legendary list of classics that his body of work has already become.

©2009 Pat Conroy (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"Astonishing...stunning...the range of passions and subjects that brings life to every page is almost endless." (The Washington Post Book World)

“Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel.” (Houston Chronicle)

“Magnificent... Beach Music is clearly Conroy’s best.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Best Book I've Listened to in Years.

I absolutely loved this book. The author had me from the first chapter and the relationships in the book were at times so touching and others completely hilirous. I had never read any of Pat Conroy's books. I am now a huge fanl.

What A Journey

I loved and lived the authentic journey of life in each chapter. It was filled with the purest essence of love, struggle, sacrafice, firgivenss, reconciliation, pain and love once again. I'll never forget this story and the lessons of life I learned from reading it.

Favorite book...ever!

I have read this book at least 4 times, and now I listened to it through audible. It still makes me smile, laugh out loud, tear up, and gasp in horror as the story unfolds. Love it!!!

My favorite book of all time!

I've listened to and read this book at least 20 times. It never fails to make me laugh and cry. Pat Conroy is a superb storyteller!

Pat Conroy can really write a book

I am always for whatever reason Hesitant to listen to or read another Conroy book after I read and listened to the Great Santini because I felt it would be hard to top a novel on that level but once again I see that this novel reaches the same intense level of struggle and survival that comes along in any man’s life. The last chapter wraps up a very long and tough ride for most of the characters. This is a great book for a long drive.

Wonderful book - merely adequate narrator

What made the experience of listening to Beach Music the most enjoyable?

Pat Conroy's wonderful writing kept me listening, despite the pain of listening to Jonathan Marosz's dreadful accents.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His South Carolina accent sounded completely false, but his Italian pronunciation was so bad as to be painful.

Any additional comments?

The reader might be fine if he didn't have to contend with accents that he is not good at, but he detracts greatly from the book. I hope this book will be re-recorded with a reader who can do justice to the accents.

Is this a part two??

I liked it, good easy listning. To wide a time period, author got lost on snippets or partitions that was realy good short stories. But in the book it felt seperate from the story.

Great author. Takes a bit to get used to.

Would you consider the audio edition of Beach Music to be better than the print version?

I'm sure i would have never finished the print version, this was so long, I even had to put the audio book aside twice. It could have been several smaller novels.

What did you like best about this story?

Hmm. Hard to say. The author had an interesting and skilled writing style. I cannot say that it is my favorite style, only that the flowery style of wriign he chose to use he did well. I prefer less embroidered writing and a faster moving plot, however I don't take this away from the author, he has a right to his stylized way of writing.

What about Jonathan Marosz’s performance did you like?

Excellent read.

Who was the most memorable character of Beach Music and why?

None. It all got a bit tedious after it had gone on for so long.

Any additional comments?

He is a great writer, he will have his fans. I'd prefer to see his work tightly edited in a film than try to get though one of his books again. There is also a repetition of child rape in several of his books. Authors do sometimes repeat themes, so having read a couple now I'll not read another. He is a master of prose, I'm more a fan of a faster moving great story. My summer, would be better with fewer words, but then it wouldn't be a Pat Conroy. Definitely one for the Pat Conroy fan.
Great value if you like a long listen.

Good book, bad southern accent....

Would you consider the audio edition of Beach Music to be better than the print version?

I could have done either for this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beach Music?

The ending and the matriarch being so sick. Hearing a son's love for his mother pour out in his grief. Touching.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His southern accent was a little "put on" and I find myself with a truer one.

If you could take any character from Beach Music out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Definitely Shilah.

Any additional comments?

None.

Beach Music - Beautiful

What did you love best about Beach Music?

This book totally took control of me and pulled me into the story so that when it ended, I was bereft.

What other book might you compare Beach Music to and why?

This book cannot be compared to any other I have read.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Marosz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I have listened to Jonathan Marosz's reading. He was terrific!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was too long to listen in one sitting but I was able to listen in manageable chunks so that I never lost the thread.

Any additional comments?

It distresses me that I am unable to download all of Mr Conroy's books, due to restrictions on copywrite. I hope that this policy is reviewed.