South of Broad

Not sure why I resisted for so long ... maybe because I heard Conroy himself talking about the fact that this one is not like his other novels, and I really love his other novels. But I'm reading it now. And it's breathtaking. I've barely started, but I know I'll buy this one so I can keep a copy here to re-read every once in awhile.

Nobody - absolutely nobody - tells a story as lyrically and immediately as Pat Conroy. When I read the first bit, I thought I was reading something about Conroy, not about the narrator of the novel! I've lost count of how many times I've read Beach Music, but now it looks like South of Broad will be next to it on the shelf, and I'll be deciding, when I'm in a Conroy mood, Beach Music, or South of Broad ... Beach Music, or South of Broad ...