Pat very much enjoyed hearing from his readers and was often moved and inspired by your comments.
As you know, Pat Conroy died on March 4, 2016. This site continues to be managed by his longtime friends and literary agents. You may join in a community of his readers by sharing your comments about Pat’s books or anything else that comes to mind in this guest book. We, the family, the agents and the friends are deeply moved by the outpouring of love you, his beloved readers, wrote here… Much gratitude to you all; Thank you.
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150 entries.
I watched Conrack last night. Now I want to read every book written by Mr. Pat Conway. I feel inspired. I was saddened to read he was no longer on this earth... it is a great loss.
I met Pat at a book signing I talked to him for quite a while. I told Pat that I was one of the people involved in the Richard Nixon Billy Graham Day celebration in Charlotte NC. He used this event in his book but changed the people to be from South Carolina. Everyone that got arrested was from North Carolina.
I was arrested and the Secret Service took the film from my camera. The S.S. came to a Red Hornets meeting we figured out pretty fast he didn’t belong so we made up a bunch of fake stuff we were going to do. The only real thing was Nancy had a banner wrapped around her waist. None of us got into the Coliseum.
I had two real tickets to get in but I was arrested and taken away. When we went to trial George Daily was our Attorney. He did a good job presenting our case. But the government won. We were just hippies doing the right thing. Some times you can’t do the right thing.
I was arrested and the Secret Service took the film from my camera. The S.S. came to a Red Hornets meeting we figured out pretty fast he didn’t belong so we made up a bunch of fake stuff we were going to do. The only real thing was Nancy had a banner wrapped around her waist. None of us got into the Coliseum.
I had two real tickets to get in but I was arrested and taken away. When we went to trial George Daily was our Attorney. He did a good job presenting our case. But the government won. We were just hippies doing the right thing. Some times you can’t do the right thing.
This is not a comment but a response to Mihai Radulescu's question. My last name is Lay as in "now I lay me down to sleep".
How wonderful that you actually worked on the cookbook from Cassandra's emailed transcriptions of Pat's handwritten work. When you mentioned that you pulled up the Word file and again laughed till you cried at the pig roast story, I remembered Pat's account of taking Nathalie Dupree's class and her describing, in between laconically issuing instructions to them, how she amassed the ingredients to cook a fabulous meal for a lover which consisted of escargot and calf testicles, her screams as she came back from going for wine to find the snails all over her kitchen and her screams drawing the two gay men who were her neighbors to her rescue until they saw the gruesome organs in her sink whereupon they ran screaming, thinking she might be the serial killer of gay men that was on the loose.
I tried to read this to my husband and could not get enough breath while laughing to read it. Dupree telling such an off-the-wall tale while critiquing their culinary skills was funny enough, but Pat's colorful account of her doing it was hysteria-inducing.
How wonderful that you actually worked on the cookbook from Cassandra's emailed transcriptions of Pat's handwritten work. When you mentioned that you pulled up the Word file and again laughed till you cried at the pig roast story, I remembered Pat's account of taking Nathalie Dupree's class and her describing, in between laconically issuing instructions to them, how she amassed the ingredients to cook a fabulous meal for a lover which consisted of escargot and calf testicles, her screams as she came back from going for wine to find the snails all over her kitchen and her screams drawing the two gay men who were her neighbors to her rescue until they saw the gruesome organs in her sink whereupon they ran screaming, thinking she might be the serial killer of gay men that was on the loose.
I tried to read this to my husband and could not get enough breath while laughing to read it. Dupree telling such an off-the-wall tale while critiquing their culinary skills was funny enough, but Pat's colorful account of her doing it was hysteria-inducing.
So many of Pat's books have spoken to me since I first read Lords Of Discipline and The Water Is Wide at the suggestion of my daughter. But I recently had an even more enjoyable experience than Pat's fiction when I stumbled upon The Pat Conroy Cookbook. Not only were the recipes great, but the personal stories and anecdotes which accompanied them were wonderful. I alternately laughed and cried.
I wanted to live in Rome, I wanted to careen down a mountain road in Puglia, I wanted to sit at a patio table in Paris and see John Hemingway giving an interview at the next table. I wanted to learn to gig a flounder, to roast a whole hog in a pit in Atlanta (after seeing it stored in the bathtub of a Jewish friend because there wasn't room in the refrigerator ) and fib about being up all night to "mop and sop" it, and to plan an extraordinary wedding out of Southern Living in beautiful Beaufort, where I had once stayed in one of those Bay street mansions.
Such stories of a man living his life with so much gusto!! Took my breath away. Nemaste, Pat Conroy. You will be sorely missed.
I wanted to live in Rome, I wanted to careen down a mountain road in Puglia, I wanted to sit at a patio table in Paris and see John Hemingway giving an interview at the next table. I wanted to learn to gig a flounder, to roast a whole hog in a pit in Atlanta (after seeing it stored in the bathtub of a Jewish friend because there wasn't room in the refrigerator ) and fib about being up all night to "mop and sop" it, and to plan an extraordinary wedding out of Southern Living in beautiful Beaufort, where I had once stayed in one of those Bay street mansions.
Such stories of a man living his life with so much gusto!! Took my breath away. Nemaste, Pat Conroy. You will be sorely missed.
I have loved Mr. Conroy's books. He wrote about subject matters I love... Watching Conrack on TV reminded me of how much I love his work.
He will always be remembered by readers everywhere...
He will always be remembered by readers everywhere...
I first read Mr. Conroy's work in LIFE magazine as a kid. The article was titled CONRACK. This piece affected me tremendously. Thank you.
So after reading Beach Music for millionth time, I did some research and learned the book was originally over 1000 pages but was condensed at the insistence of his publisher. I would LOVE if the publisher would go back and release the whole uncut book. His writing is to be savored. It cannot be binged or gulped. I find the older I get, the more I understand his artistry and nostalgia.
I have read just about all of Pat's books. I have yet to find one that didn't transport me to a different place and time, with beautiful language, creative plotting, and, most of all, heart. My heartfelt thanks to him and to his English teachers.
It was from watching The Great Santini in 1986 that I finally understood that my father who was always gone and was a mean person was actually wanting love more than anything from his children and didn’t know how to reach for it. Because of that movie I understood who my father was and at this moment, March 2020, tears are flowing as I write this. After watching The Great Santini I started hugging my father every time I saw him and saying I LOVE YOU and each time the rigidity in his hug wained and after a short time he said he loved me too... something he’d never done before…
THE GREAT SANTINI IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST MOVIE FOR ANY KID WHO HAS A FATHER IN ANY SERVICE... After watching that movie I told other military brats about it and they ALL reported back that it worked.. just saying I love you and hugging their fathers... we were all shocked that it was the simplest thing that changed them from being mean and harmful to the most gentle of fathers.
Brats... you must understand the whole issue is they feel apart and they vent it thru verbal or physical abuse or mental abuse… in 1986 when I first saw the movie I never understood my father… realization came to me while watching and I was weeping watching the movie and thinking... I have you now!!! And I did the hugging and saying I LOVE YOU… JUST DECIMATED HIM… MY FATHER NEVER AFTER THAT SAID A UNKIND THING TO ME. It was just praise!
I was 25 then and now I’m 58 and as I’m saying this I am crying... but they are tears of absolute joy! Cause my father was so mean... but like I said after the movie so beautifully says BOGEY ON YOUR SIX… I LOVE YOU DAD… I SHOT HIS ASS DOWN SO HARD HE COULD NEVER EVER BE MEAN TO ME AGAIN... he just wanted to really know that his kids loved him!
I hope what worked for me will work for you and your family!
THE GREAT SANTINI IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST MOVIE FOR ANY KID WHO HAS A FATHER IN ANY SERVICE... After watching that movie I told other military brats about it and they ALL reported back that it worked.. just saying I love you and hugging their fathers... we were all shocked that it was the simplest thing that changed them from being mean and harmful to the most gentle of fathers.
Brats... you must understand the whole issue is they feel apart and they vent it thru verbal or physical abuse or mental abuse… in 1986 when I first saw the movie I never understood my father… realization came to me while watching and I was weeping watching the movie and thinking... I have you now!!! And I did the hugging and saying I LOVE YOU… JUST DECIMATED HIM… MY FATHER NEVER AFTER THAT SAID A UNKIND THING TO ME. It was just praise!
I was 25 then and now I’m 58 and as I’m saying this I am crying... but they are tears of absolute joy! Cause my father was so mean... but like I said after the movie so beautifully says BOGEY ON YOUR SIX… I LOVE YOU DAD… I SHOT HIS ASS DOWN SO HARD HE COULD NEVER EVER BE MEAN TO ME AGAIN... he just wanted to really know that his kids loved him!
I hope what worked for me will work for you and your family!
3/21/2020 - Just finished "South of Broad" for the second time - enjoyed it even more the second time around. In talking to book-lover friends about favorite books and authors, my first words are "South of Broad" and "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy--I will pass "South of Broad" onto a friend who is a graduate of Citadel. So sorry that Pat had to leave us.
I just wanted to add after reading Cassandra's and Bernie's memoirs, that I realized how much Pat revered teachers.
When the" Water is Wide" came out, I had just started teaching in the inner city in CT and I so related to that story!
( I am now retired from 35 years teaching in the inner city).
When the" Water is Wide" came out, I had just started teaching in the inner city in CT and I so related to that story!
( I am now retired from 35 years teaching in the inner city).
Well. My high school boyfriend went to the Citadel. My first husband went there too. I visited my HS boyfriend who played football for the Citadel.
I have heard many stories about it. My first husband and I attended a reunion. He was also in the class of 1967 and was in Pat's English class. He was in a different company so I don't think they were that friendly but I did have a chance to meet the famous "Boo" at that reunion after many stories about him. I was thrilled both times to visit the Citadel.
I have read every book that Pat has written and relished each one in a different way. I have seen some made into movies and I feel ( like most of his avid fans) that I know him.
I am reading Cassandra's "Tell Me A Story" and I am SO thankful to her for writing it. I know it must have been difficult.
I too married later in life and I find the story close to my own heart. I only wish her story hadn't ended so abruptly. It made me cry tears of joy as well as sadness.
The one 1967 reunion I attended with my husband, I was hoping to see Pat Conroy but that did not happen.
One of my wishes is to take a trip to Beaufort,SC
Thanks for all the great stories.
I have heard many stories about it. My first husband and I attended a reunion. He was also in the class of 1967 and was in Pat's English class. He was in a different company so I don't think they were that friendly but I did have a chance to meet the famous "Boo" at that reunion after many stories about him. I was thrilled both times to visit the Citadel.
I have read every book that Pat has written and relished each one in a different way. I have seen some made into movies and I feel ( like most of his avid fans) that I know him.
I am reading Cassandra's "Tell Me A Story" and I am SO thankful to her for writing it. I know it must have been difficult.
I too married later in life and I find the story close to my own heart. I only wish her story hadn't ended so abruptly. It made me cry tears of joy as well as sadness.
The one 1967 reunion I attended with my husband, I was hoping to see Pat Conroy but that did not happen.
One of my wishes is to take a trip to Beaufort,SC
Thanks for all the great stories.
Thanks to all who maintain/share the spirit of Pat Conroy who continues to enrich our lives into eternity.
I have so enjoyed in my now six year retirement reading much of Pat's work. I had an emotionally abusive father about whom I have written in my own published memoirs. Pat brings me humor and inner peace as I keep on forgiving my long dead father.
I too was born in 1945 and share the joys and troubles of our joint years growing up in the land of the free.
I am saddened that two years into my retirement we lost Pat but we will never lose his love for our beautiful language, the sheer poetry that was his best prose and his brilliant wit that gave perhaps most of us belly laughs.
Thank you from the depths of my healing soul Pat.
I too was born in 1945 and share the joys and troubles of our joint years growing up in the land of the free.
I am saddened that two years into my retirement we lost Pat but we will never lose his love for our beautiful language, the sheer poetry that was his best prose and his brilliant wit that gave perhaps most of us belly laughs.
Thank you from the depths of my healing soul Pat.
My current Pat Conroy audiobook is The water is Wide. I am amazed how each narrator captures the southern nature of the characters. So much fun! the last book I listened to was South of Broad and I balled... BALLED... through the last 3 hours of the book. I have never been so in love with an author as I am with this literary genius. The Prince of Tides is the book that got me hooked. I’ve fallen in love.... sorry Mrs. Conroy.
I just finished "The Great Santini". Pat Conroy's writing is stunningly perceptive, irreverent and reverent at the same time. He was a uniquely gifted in turning a phrase, painting a character, singing a soul's song and inviting us readers into his domain. I am saddened to see that he passed away in 2016. Yet, his spirit lives on; and may God continue to enjoy this child of His Creation. Thank you. D. Sarazin
I first fell in love with Pat and his writing in 1971 or 1972 while reading an excerpt in Life Magazine of "The Water is Wide", and anxiously awaited every new book. Fortunately I have first editions of all of his books with the exception of "The Boo", but I was able find an autographed copy while visiting Hilton Head Island.
I was also fortunate enough to meet Pat at a book signing in Decatur, Georgia, when his cookbook was released. I lived most of my life in Atlanta, Georgia, though I had been coming to Hilton Head since 1969 when it was being developed. Fortunately I was finally able to move to The Lowcountry in 2018 and never want to live anywhere else. I treasure all of Pat's writings and am so sorry we'll have no more.
I was also fortunate enough to meet Pat at a book signing in Decatur, Georgia, when his cookbook was released. I lived most of my life in Atlanta, Georgia, though I had been coming to Hilton Head since 1969 when it was being developed. Fortunately I was finally able to move to The Lowcountry in 2018 and never want to live anywhere else. I treasure all of Pat's writings and am so sorry we'll have no more.
I recently started reading during the last four months and the first book I found was "My Losing Season" by Pat Conroy. I want to say that the way he wrote grab my attention and desire to read all of his work.
I went to every thrift store or used book store, as well as, Facebook marketplace looking for his work. I happened upon most of his writing and even found some autographed hard copies which I absolutely treasure. The hardest book to find was "The Boo" that I received from my wife for Christmas along with five biographies about Pat Conroy.
I am digesting all of these books and have been completely moved with all of my emotions through my reading. Isn't this what good books do to the soul, of reaching inside and allowing you to experience it all. I will one day visit Pat Conroy's beloved city and smell the words that he has written about in his books. Thank you to all who keep his memory alive.
I went to every thrift store or used book store, as well as, Facebook marketplace looking for his work. I happened upon most of his writing and even found some autographed hard copies which I absolutely treasure. The hardest book to find was "The Boo" that I received from my wife for Christmas along with five biographies about Pat Conroy.
I am digesting all of these books and have been completely moved with all of my emotions through my reading. Isn't this what good books do to the soul, of reaching inside and allowing you to experience it all. I will one day visit Pat Conroy's beloved city and smell the words that he has written about in his books. Thank you to all who keep his memory alive.
I had the pleasure of knowing Pat personally as we both lived on Fripp Island. My last meeting with Pat was shortly before his death in Mangoes Island Gift Store on Fripp. I related to Pat how my daughter, Kelly, and I had driven from Fripp to Flagstaff and read his book “South of Broad” aloud on our trip. In typical Conroy fashion, he replied, “I am so sorry!!”....😄
Pat Conroy was not just a great author. He seemed to be part of South Carolina's folklore. He was a great humanitarian, a great human being, and a great South Carolinian. He will be missed.