South of Broad by Pat Conroy Review

About South of Broad
Leopold Bloom King has been raised in a family shattered—and shadowed—by tragedy. Lonely and adrift, he searches for something to sustain him and finds it among a tightly knit group of high school outsiders. Surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, as well as Charleston, South Carolina’s dark legacy of racism and class divisions, these friends will endure until a final test forces them to face something none of them are prepared for.
Spanning two turbulent decades, South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest: a masterpiece from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds.

My thoughts:

The main character of this book is Lepold Bloom King a/k/a The Toad. I really felt sorry for Leo in the beginning of the book with all the troubles and trials in his life but then I realized by the middle of the book what strength he had. His mother was overly critical and also the principal at his high school. His father was very gentle and kind. There were alot of surprising, tragic and heart racing things in this book. I love the way Pat Conroy brought some things that were happening in Charleston into the book and it flowed with the storyline. Leo was a loner at times (alot of the time) but he always had this connection to go back to which was his group of high school friends. These friends remained friends and came to each others aid all through their lives. I must admit there were times in the beginning and even the middle of the book that I struggled and then something just started clicking with this book and I couldn't put it down! Charleston is such a lovely and beautiful city but this book is much more than a book about Charleston it is about people who could have lived that lived there and their complicated lives!

GIVEAWAY

The publishing company that asked me to review this book is giving away 1 trade paperback copy of this book. Here is what you need to do for the giveaway:

Open to US & Canada only (No PO Boxes), the publisher will send the book directly to you.

Leave a comment. Make sure to include your email address so that I can contact you in case you win! Otherwise, I won't be able to include your name in the drawing.

Giveaway ends, April 30, 2010. I'll use random.org to choose a winner.


About Pat Conroy



Pat Conroy is the bestselling author of nine books: The Boo, The Water is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, My Losing Season, The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life and South of Broad. He lives in Fripp Island, South Carolina.
Visit Pat Conroy’s website for more info about his work.
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Pat Conroy's website: http://www.patconroy.com/

South of Broad on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/South-Broad-Novel-Pat-Conroy/dp/0385344074/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

The link part of blog is not cooperating but here is a link you can go to for TLC's reviews and tour schedule: http://tlcbooktours.com/2010/02/pat-conroy-author-of-south-of-broad-on-tour-april-2010/