Beach Music cover art

Beach Music

A Novel

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Beach Music

By: Pat Conroy
Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
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About this listen

 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 Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Witty Heartfelt

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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)
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A story that has everything from the beauty of Rome, Venice & South Carolina. Characters who struggle with their own fragility & strength. The unbreakanle bonds of childhood friends, the Vietnam war & holocaust. Romance & suicide. It’s also very good value for money, over 23 hours of fantastic story telling. I wasn’t keen on the narrator but managed to get past it and start enjoying the book after a few chapters.

Beautifully written as with all Pat Conroys books

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This is such a treat, over 20 hours of Southern love, loyalty and friendship interwoven with harrowing descriptions of the Holocaust and mental illness. The descriptions are seamless and you can imagine yourself walking through the decades with the brothers as they grow. Please listen to this one, it's great!

You won't want it to end

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a beautiful story that intertwines the lives of a large family, the in laws, their experiences of the holocaust and death. although that may sound depressing, its beautifully narrated and fully of hope.

deeper than you imagined

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Beautifully written with transporting descriptive prose, just lovely.
Pat Conroy warmly captures beauty and atmosphere with every sentence written.

Southern Charming Storytelling

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I have read and listened to this book a number of times over many years.
Each time, I learn something new about the human condition. This last time, I sobbed, again

Outstanding

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This was a long listen and at times, it felt like I was on a meandering river. However, by the end of the story, I was pleased I stuck with it as the story came together brilliantly.

There’s so much to say about this story but difficult to do so without spoilers. This is one of those books that you appreciate more once you have finished it and reflect on it over time. It was the perfect book to keep me company during my daily winter dog walks.

A life story

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This is a beautiful heart felt book, still my favourite of all time, loved it.

Beach Music

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One of the most beautiful and moving stories I’ve heard/ read. I loved every second of it.

Beyond beautiful

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I really didn’t enjoy the narrator I found his voice harsh and grating. I like the story but couldn’t finish this book . I have purchased the other version.

Bad narration

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A narrator who appears to reading from a shopping list doesn't help. The writing is dated in style and like B movie script. I ploughed on for a few hours before realising I didn't care anymore.

Awful narration

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