I will never forget the moment I pulled The Prince of Tides off of my sister's bookshelf. It felt like an enormous book at the time, a thick mass-market paperback, with Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte on the cover. I'll never know what drew me to it, but I took the book, crawled into my bed, and read those first lines: "My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call. I grew up slowly beside the tides and marshes of Colleton..."
I was hooked. I had read lots of great books up until that point, but I don't remember ever before thinking about writing stylistically - until I started reading Conroy's books, one after the other.
His writing style is/was descriptive, evocative, and lyrical, and it allows you to vividly imagine the landscapes, characters, and emotions he is depicting. He had a talent for capturing the beauty and complexity of the southern United States, and his descriptions of its people, culture, and history were both nuanced and powerful. His gorgeous descriptions of Charleston and Beaufort inspired me to make those stops on my first ever solo trip, and I'll forever be drunk on the memories of walking along the marshes on hot summer nights, the Spanish moss draping over the tree branches, just as he described.
He also had a gift for storytelling, and wove intricate plots into his books that are both engaging and emotionally resonant. He often tackled difficult topics like family dysfunction, mental illness, and racism with deep empathy and insight. His stories are all imbued with a deep sense of humanity, and his characters are flawed and yet ultimately sympathetic.
Above all things, his writing is deeply personal and autobiographical, and he drew on his own experiences (especially those related to his fractious relationship with his father) and emotions. He often used his own life as a basis for his fiction, which gives his work a compelling rawness and honesty. Overall, Pat Conroy was a good writer because he had a talent for crafting powerful stories that were emotionally resonant, deeply personal, and beautifully written.
I am saving a few books of his to read, because as he died in 2016, there won't be any new books, and the idea of that is very sad indeed. But if you're in the mood to try something new, here are the Conroy books I have read, in order of adoration:
The Prince of Tides
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WJEn9f
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780063321830
The Lords of Discipline
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oGXRid
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780553381566
The Great Santini
My Reading Life
Amazon: https://amzn.to/45KgpP1
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780385533577
The Water is Wide
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CaaYLL
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780553381573
South of Broad
Amazon: https://amzn.to/43zxmK8
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780385344074
The Boo
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oSgcc1
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qsQknO
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780553381559
Beach Music
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3N7SWjA
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780553381535
The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qnA4nR
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/89876/9780385532716