I have to admit I am not a fan of Pat Conroy's books. I am just not prone to reading about dysfunctional families and abuse and bullying. So the only book of his that I have read is his non-fiction collection of essays, My Reading Life. In it he writes about things dear to my heart: books and bookshops, writers and writing, Paris and the South.
When I read there was a new collection of Mr. Conroy's non-fiction published after his death in March of this year, I thought I would give it a try. The book contains blog posts, letters, interviews, addresses, and other short pieces gathered together in A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life. Lowcountry refers to the region along South Carolina's coast and is the location of Beaufort where he lived. It is a charming town. I have visited there and can attest to its many attractions.
The first entries in this collection include twenty-five posts from the blog that he kept from 2011-2015. Some are quite intriguing, especially the ones detailing books that he is reading or wants to read and authors that he has met. Others feel a bit self-conscious and contain stories about meeting old friends at book signings or tales of classmates from his days at The Citadel. You can actually read all his posts here.
There are a couple of tributes to Mr. Conroy including an introduction by his widow Cassandra King, his editor Nan Talese, and his oldest friend and fellow author Bernie Schein. The one I am looking forward to reading (and am saving for last) is written by Rick Bragg and was published in Southern Living. The text of the eulogy given at Mr. Conroy's funeral is also here.
I suppose if you are a fan you will be eager to have all these words of Mr. Conroy's to hold close to your heart. I am pretty neutral about the content and can't help feeling this book was published to fill the coffers of his estate. (Does that sound too mean?)
Even though most of the pieces from this collection can be found online or in other publications, if you already love Mr. Conroy you will probably want this for your bookshelf. If you are not already a fan, this book will most likely not change your mind.
But do give My Reading Life a try. It is quite readable and I highly recommend it.
How about you? Are you a fan of Pat Conroy's books? It's OK if you are. We can still be friends.
I think we can be friends because I've only ever read Prince of Tides. That was back in 1992 and I never felt compelled to read more of his books. I don't even remember what I thought about that one.
ReplyDeleteGlad we are still friends, Joan! I watched part of the movie 'Prince of Tides' and realized quite quickly that it wasn't my cup of tea. I admit I have based my avoidance of Mr. Conroy's books on that experience. Shallow, perhaps, but there you have it.
DeleteAs for 'Lowcountry Heart', I am skipping on from the blog posts so I can get to Rick Bragg's tribute!
I've never read his books because, for some reason, I thought they were Romance. Glad you warned me. I don't like dysfunctional families either. We get enough of that in real life. But - now I'm curious about the man. I didn't know he died. I thought he was a younger man. Headed for Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteOh, Patsy, that is too funny. No, I certainly wouldn't categorize Mr. Conroy as a romance writer! You would probably enjoy 'My Reading Life'. It is a romance of sorts...about books.
DeleteI've never read Conroy, either, though I do have My Reading Life already on my TBR list. (Always nosy about what other people are reading.) From what I can tell, he seems to be rather well loved in the general writing/reading community, so I felt sort of bad about not reading his work. Not going to worry about it now, though, since like you I dislike stories about dysfunctional, bullying, abusive families!
ReplyDeleteHi, Kathy. I am glad that you have My Reading Life on your list. It is a great read. Much better than anything in Lowcountry Heart. I am too old to read anything that is going to make my stomach hurt. I will stay with my crime capers and Mr. Wodehouse.
DeleteBelle, I have the same problem with Conroy: too dysfunctional. I did read Prince of Tides, and thought it very well-written but definitely for a best-seller audience that didn't include me. Non-fiction is a whole different ball game, though, and I will look for A Reading Life.
ReplyDeleteAnd, by the way, Merry Christmas! I love your blog, but sometimes my computer is unable to load the comments page. No idea why.
Merry Christmas to you, Kat. I think you would like Conroy's 'A Reading Life'. A book about books! Doesn't get much better than that.
DeleteThat is strange about the comments page.Technological Black Hole, no doubt. I am always happy to hear from you though. Thanks for your persistence in leaving a note.
Hope all your Christmas wishes come true!