The Great Santini

#1 New York Times bestselling author Pat Conroy’s classic semi-autographical novel of a harsh Marine father and his son’s struggle to come into his own.

“Robust and vivid…full of feeling.” —Newsday

This is the story of Bull Meecham, the epitome of the Marine officer. Demanding, authoritarian, as tough a disciplinarian at home as at the base, Bull is a difficult man to please, and even harder to love.

This is also the story of Ben Meecham, Bull’s oldest son. A gifted athlete whose best never satisfies his father, Ben must balance his own ambition with his father’s expectations—and decide what course he will chart for himself and what kind of man he will become.

Piercing, bittersweet, and unforgettable, The Great Santini is Pat Conroy’s semi-autobiographical lens into fathers and sons, and the powerful legacy one man can leave behind.

“Stinging authenticity . . . a book that won’t quit.” - Atlanta Journal

“Conroy takes aim at our darkest emotions, lets the arrow fly and hits a bull’s-eye almost every time.”  - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A fine, funny, brawling book.” - National Observer

“Conroy has captured a different slice of America in this funny, dramatic novel.” - Richmond News-Leader

“Few novelists write as well, and none as beautifully.”  - Lexington Herald Leader