So sad to lose another favorite author in less than a month. I did not know he had pancreatic cancer, but evidently he had announced it last month. The Prince of Tides is one of my favorite books. I watched a BookTV interview with him last fall from the Southern Festival of Books and it seemed like he was working on something new. With the loss of Harper Lee, we knew she had reduced capabilities and there would never be another book, but this one hits me a little harder.
I saw this this morning . . . my goodness what a writer and what a life story. May he RIP knowing that he made a difference when he passed through this world.
:’)
Another sad loss.
A man who became fabulously successful writing about bad parenting and broken homes. Maybe we’re wasting our time and ruining our kids’ chances for success.
Yesterday Pat Conroy, author of many books including The Great Santini and Prince Of Tides died. At our house he was known for his book “My Losing Season” which was probably one of the first and most though provoking books for my S (in high school) and my oldest daughter. My S, an avid sports fan and athlete, has coveted every one of Pat’s books he has read. Each vacation, he brings one along and reads or re-reads one of his books.
In the middle of the night I got a text from my S who had just heard the news. His text shared this quote: “I never left the court in my life after basketball practice without making my last shot” - and he said, “Here’s hoping that Pat Conroy is up in heaven practicing his jump shot!”
This morning on FB it showed up on my feed that S’s high school teacher who knew he adored the book wrote on his wall to share the news of Pat’s passing. This is a bond this teacher and my son had - they both adored the book and the author. This teacher… <3
Aww. Brought this mom to tears. Thanks Pat for telling your stories - none perfect or without struggle - you have and will leave lasting impressions on many.
^^^Can you explain that further? Not sure how to take your words…
Have you read his books? Domineering, abusive father, passive, emotionally distant mother. We always tell our kids we ruined their chances of becoming writers by giving them a stable childhood.
The power of his story-telling was in the rawness and the vulnerability. We all have it somewhere.
Yes, his books do not display a recipe for a happy, healthy family/parenting. Tough to write about that without experiencing that. Even tougher though, to have to have experienced that.
I would hope that perhaps your children would have other things they have experienced in life that can be put to pen and paper in the form of a story! And a stable childhood is certainly something to be thankful for.
He is my favorite author and I’m very sad. I loved the mix of complete dysfunction and some of the funniest passages I have ever read.
South of Broad is one of my all time favorites. Sad. No more Conroy. : (
Sad, sad, sad at our home today as we are all Pat Conroy fans. He was one of the few authors we all read and enjoyed and I am grateful for the discussions his books prompted in our house. The Low Country of SC is one of my favorite places to be and I am sad he will not share any more stories about it.
Sad news but I had heard that the end was likely near a few weeks ago when we were in Beaufort. He was a sweet man, in addition to his talent. A writer friend of mine got to know him well many years ago when both lived in San Francisco. Pat had moved there, in part, to be near an old friend who was dying of AIDS. He had great compassion and empathy, in spite of his challenging childhood.
Go back and read what Conroy wrote/said about his father later in life. He learned that his father was considerably better at parenting than he believed when he wrote ‘Santini’
Loved his stories. 'The Water is Wide (Conrack) is my favorite but really like ‘The Great Santini’ too. Was glad to see that he and the Citadel, his alma mater, reconciled a few years ago.
Torveaux, I read “The Death of Santini” about a year ago and I didn’t interpret anything in the book as re-evaluating his dad in terms of being a better parent than he had portrayed in “The Great Santini.” Rather, I thought Conroy had developed more context in terms of why his dad was such an abusive spouse and father and they had made their peace.
He was also a supporter of teachers and good public education for all kids. His prose was sometimes overwrought, but I loved to immerse myself in it. "Beach Music"was my favorite, but just reading the first few lines of “The Prince of Tides” draws me in every time… He seemed like a man trying his best to be a good man after an unspeakable childhood, using his pain to create beauty.