About the Author

Pat Conroy (1945 2016) was the author of The Boo, The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life, My Losing Season, South of Broad, My Reading Life, and The Death of Santini.

From the Trade Paperback edition."

Reviews

"Powerful" UPI.
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's East Of Eden... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." Detroit Free Press
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." San Francisco Chronicle
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." Chicago Tribune
"Compulsively readable" Glamour
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." Publishers Weekly
Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. Houston Chronicle
This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language. Atlanta-Journal Constitution
A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters. Pittsburgh Press

"

"Powerful" "UPI."
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden.".. Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." "Detroit Free Press"
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." "San Francisco Chronicle"
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." "Chicago Tribune"
"Compulsively readable" "Glamour"
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." "Publishers Weekly"
Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. "Houston Chronicle"
This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language. "Atlanta-Journal Constitution
" A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters. Pittsburgh Press
"
""

"Powerful"--"UPI."
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden.".. Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three."--"Detroit Free Press"
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past."--"Chicago Tribune"
"Compulsively readable"--"Glamour"
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals."--"Publishers Weekly"
"Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel."--"Houston Chronicle"
"This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language."--"Atlanta-Journal Constitution
""A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters."--Pittsburgh Press
"
"

"Powerful"--"UPI".

"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden"... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three."--"Detroit Free Press"

"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell."--"San Francisco Chronicle"

"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past."--"Chicago Tribune"

"Compulsively readable"--"Glamour"

"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals."--"Publishers Weekly"
"Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel."--"Houston Chronicle"

"This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language."--"Atlanta-Journal Constitution

""A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters."--Pittsburgh Press
"
"

"Powerful" -- "UPI,"
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden,.". Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides" is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press,"
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle,"
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune,"
"Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour,"
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly,"

" Powerful" -- "UPI,"
" A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden, .." Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides" is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press,"
" A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle,"
" A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune,"
" Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour,"
" A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly,"

"Powerful" -- "UPI."
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden..". Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides" is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press."
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle."
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune."
"Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour."
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly."

"Powerful" -- "UPI.
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press.
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle.
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune.
"Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour.
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly.

Savannah Wingo, a successful feminist poet who has suffered from hallucinations and suicidal tendencies since childhood, has never been able to reconcile her life in New York with her early South Carolina tidewater heritage. Her suicide attempt brings her twin brother, Tom, to New York, where he spends the next few months, at the request of Savannah's psychiatrist, helping to reconstruct and analyze her early life. In beautifully contrasting memories which play childhood fears against the joys and wonders of being alive, Tom creates and communicates the all-consuming sense of family which is Savannah's major strength as a poet and her tragic flaw as a human being. Conroy has achieved a penetrating vision of the Southern psyche in this enormous novel of power and emotion. BOMC main selection.Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

YA In order to aid a psychiatrist who is treating his psychotic sister, Tom Wingo arrives in Manhattan and describes figures from his youth, among them an abusive father, a mother obsessed with being accepted by Colleton's tawdry elite, eccentric grandparents, stolid brother Luke, and sensitive, poet-sister Savannah. Despite the book's length, scenes such as Grandmother Tolitha's visit to Ogletree's funeral home to try out coffins, Grandfather's yearly re-enactment of the stations of the Cross, Mrs. Wingo's passive-aggressive retaliation by serving her husband dog food, Luke's Rambo-like attempt to keep Colleton from becoming a nuclear plant site, and a bloody football game with the team's first black player deserve students' attention. While Conroy's skills at characterization and storytelling have made the book popular, his writing style may place it among modern classics. He adds enough detail so that readers can smell the salty low-country marsh, see the regal porpoise Snow against the dark ocean, and taste Mrs. Wingo's gourmet cooking and doctored dog food. The story is wholly Tom's; Conroy resists the temptation to include the vantage points of other characters. It is the reluctance of Tom to tell all, to recount rather than recreate his family's past, and to face up to the Wingos' mutual rejections that maintain the tension just below the story's surface. It is Tom's coming clean about his past that lays bare the truth and elevates Prince of Tides above a scintillating best seller. Alice Conlon, Univ . of Houston

"Powerful" UPI.
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's East Of Eden... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." Detroit Free Press
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." San Francisco Chronicle
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." Chicago Tribune
"Compulsively readable" Glamour
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." Publishers Weekly
Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. Houston Chronicle
This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language. Atlanta-Journal Constitution
A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters. Pittsburgh Press

"
"Powerful" "UPI."
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden.".. Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." "Detroit Free Press"
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." "San Francisco Chronicle"
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." "Chicago Tribune"
"Compulsively readable" "Glamour"
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." "Publishers Weekly"
Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. "Houston Chronicle"
This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language. "Atlanta-Journal Constitution
" A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters. Pittsburgh Press
"
""
"Powerful"--"UPI."
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden.".. Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three."--"Detroit Free Press"
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past."--"Chicago Tribune"
"Compulsively readable"--"Glamour"
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals."--"Publishers Weekly"
"Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel."--"Houston Chronicle"
"This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language."--"Atlanta-Journal Constitution
""A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters."--Pittsburgh Press
"
"
"Powerful"--"UPI".

"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden"... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three."--"Detroit Free Press"

"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell."--"San Francisco Chronicle"

"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past."--"Chicago Tribune"

"Compulsively readable"--"Glamour"

"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals."--"Publishers Weekly"
"Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel."--"Houston Chronicle"

"This is a powerful book. . . . Conroy is a master of language."--"Atlanta-Journal Constitution

""A literary gem . . . The Prince of Tides is in the best tradition of novel writing. It is an engrossing story of unforgettable characters."--Pittsburgh Press
"
"
"Powerful" -- "UPI,"
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden,.". Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides" is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press,"
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle,"
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune,"
"Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour,"
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly,"
" Powerful" -- "UPI,"
" A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden, .." Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides" is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press,"
" A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle,"
" A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune,"
" Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour,"
" A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly,"
"Powerful" -- "UPI."
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden..". Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides" is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press."
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle."
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune."
"Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour."
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly."
"Powerful" -- "UPI.
"A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's "East Of Eden... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. "The Prince Of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." -- "Detroit Free Press.
"A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell." -- "San Francisco Chronicle.
"A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past." -- "Chicago Tribune.
"Compulsively readable" -- "Glamour.
"A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase...For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals." -- "Publishers Weekly.