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The Prince of Tides (平装)
by The Prince of Tides
| Category:
Fiction |
| Market price: ¥ 108.00
MSL price:
¥ 98.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Conroy’s writing takes you places with beautiful prose, and his depth of character only makes you feel empathy in times of sorrow, and joy in the good times. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 11 items |
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Detroit Free Press (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
A masterpiece than can compare with Steinbeck's East Of Eden... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince of Tides is a rarity: It does all three. |
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San Francisco Chronicle (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
A big sprawling saga of a novel, the kind Steinbeck used to write, the kind John Irving keeps writing, the kind you can hole up with and spend some days with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell. |
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Chicago Tribune (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
A brilliant novel that ultimately affirms life, hope and the belief that one's future need not be contaminated by a monstrous past. |
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Publishers Weekly (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
A seductive narrative, told with bravado, flourishes, portentous foreshadowing, sardonic humor and eloquent turns of phrase... For sheer storytelling finesse, Conroy will have few rivals. |
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Burke Churchill (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
I'm a huge Pat Conroy fan. In fact I've read nearly all of his novels more than once. My two favorites are, in order, Lords of Discipline and The Great Santini. What fantastic evocative books. And with none of the whining and politicization of the current novel. Make no mistake, this book is beautifully written and the story is captivating. But Conroy is so intent on establishing his bonafides as a liberal white southern male and proselytizing to that end that he sometimes looses focus and neglects the essential elements of his story telling. I suppose I might not be so distracted if I agreed with his polemics.
This is a novel about the Wingos of Colleton, South Carolina. Our protagonist, Tom Wingo is the son of an abusive father and emotionally neglectful mother. His twin sister Savannah is troubled her entire life by bouts of psychosis, depression and suicide attempts. The novel begins with Tom traveling to New York City in order to help his sister after yet another suicide attempt. Before he goes his wife Sallie informs him that she is having an affair with another doctor on the medical staff. Our rather hapless, by his own admission, emasculated hero grudgingly accepts his role as cuckold and blames himself for his wife transgressions. But Tom is not without sin, as we find out, he himself has had an extramarital dalliance.
After arriving in NYC Tom meets Savannah's psychiatrist, Susan Lowenstein. The two immediately clash, he playing the role of the southern redneck who hates NYC and she embodying the traits of the city he finds so objectionable. At Lowenstein's request, Tom retells the story of his childhood in an attempt to help her better understand Savannah's background.
This book is essentially the story of that broken childhood and the deeply flawed characters that evolved from the chaotic Wingo household. It is a story extremely well told, but, as I alluded to above, Conroy is considerably more preachy in this book than my other favorites of his. His preachiness, in my mind, distracted from the power of his story. For instance, Tom's brother Luke volunteered to go to Vietnam. Nothing wrong with that, but Conroy could not resist shamelessly promoting his politics in this portion of the book.
Also, while Tom Wingo is a flawed and damaged male, Conroy buys into the psychobabble therapeutic culture BS in explaining his maladjustment to marriage and life in general. It is very evident that Conroy has been in therapy for years and that perspective oozes out of this book. Conroy seems all too willing to accept the pre-packaged bromides of the therapeutic culture in order to explain Tom Wingo's shortcomings and it is here Conroy fails to deliver his unique insights but yields instead to the experts.
This is my third reading of this book. And with each reading I've found Conroy's therapeutic perspective more and more annoying. Despite this, I loved this book and the characters. They do resemble very closely, characters in The Great Santini and Lords of Discipline, but the story is unique and fresh just the same.
I would highly recommend this book - it is a phenomenol read. |
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Jamie Lee (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
When I first read this magnificent book, I couldn't put it down because it always kept me yearning for more. I loved the story from the very beginning to the very end and the way that Pat Conroy wrote with so many different emotions, it really made me feel like I was there experiencing and observing everything that was happening on Melrose Island, South Carolina. This fascinating novel of love, abuse, humor, rape, and the ultimate struggle through life is about the very dysfunctional Wingo family and their experiences throughout life. Tom Wingo, the protagonist and narrator of the story, retold his life in the South with so much feeling and depth that I could not resist but to have empathy for his character. With his father, Henry Wingo, physically and mentally abusing the family, his grandmother, Lila and the amusing part in the story when she was pretending to be dead in the coffin, the most powerful scene in the novel which is a big part of the reason why Savannah is mentally ill, and Tom's constant effort to find peace with his past all showcase that this book is a must read for anyone and everyone who desires the beauty of life's lessons. Despite the length of the book, The Prince of Tides is definitely one that you can't put down after you have picked it up because it will captivate your every emotion and keep you guessing how the story will conclude. I ultimately recommend this book to everyone who enjoys being able to relate to what he or she reads and at the end learning from these experiences and knowing that even though we all go through hardships, life goes on. Please pick up a copy because I guarantee you will not be unsatisfied! |
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Cynthia Robertson (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
In Pat Conroy's masterpiece, The Prince of Tides, not much is going right in Tom Wingo's life. He drinks too much, has lost his teaching/coaching job, and his marriage is on the rocks. He grew up with an abusive father whose violent behavior left physical and emotional scars on all the Wingo children. His mother was more supportive, but was powerless to protect her children from her husband's wrath. She also put her social ambitions before anything else in her life. The only that has gone right in Tom's life is that he lived his entire life in the low country of Charleston, SC - one of the most beautiful and nurturing places on this earth.
Things come to a head when Tom learns that his beautiful and talented twin, Savannah, has tried to commit suicide again. As she lays comatose in a New York City mental hospital, Savannah's psychiatrist, Susan Lowenstein, urges Tom to travel to New York. Doctor Lowenstein realizes that the only thing that can help save Savannah is to unlock the secrets of her terrible childhood (something that all the Wingo children have long suppressed and refuse to talk about). Tom flies to New York reluctantly, and at first, presents Dr. Lowenstein with a facade made up of humor, sarcasm and even rudeness. But Dr. Lowenstein eventually is able to break down Tom's protective shell to discover the horrors that took place during the Wingo's childhood. She also realizes that in trying to save Savannah, that this might also be Tom's last chance to save himself. But it turns out that Lowenstein has erected her own protective mask to hide her own unhappiness. With a remote husband and a spoiled son, Tom is able to turn the tables and help the good doctor in promoting a little self-healing as well.
The Prince of Tides is my favorite of all fiction books, and one of the most moving and emotional novels I have read. I think Conroy is one of our best living authors, and his words seem more like music than the written word. For those that know Conroy's background (including his own abusive father), it is disturbing to realize that much of this story is autobiographical in nature. I watched the movie after reading the book, and while the movie was quite good (especially the actors including Barbra Streisand, Nick Nolte and Blythe Danner), the movie can't hold a candle to the novel. Major storylines had to be left out and the plot greatly simplified.
If you can only read one Conroy, make The Prince of Tides your choice. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
Pat Conroy gives a whole new meaning to "dysfunctional family" in The Prince of Tides, but his lyrical writing moves the reader along in a sea of awe and sympathy for his characters. Set on coastal South Carolina, and spanning forty years, this shrimper's family fights and claws itself toward destruction and redemption. The tangled relationships between them could seem unbelievable, but through Mr Conroy's magic the reader bonds with even the meanest characters. What a read (and re-read)! Do not start this book if you need to get up early the next morning. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
I usually watch the movie versions of books, but when I watched it after reading the book, I realized that I was so impressed by the book that I was extremely disappointed with the movie. Conroy's writing was so amazing that his description and unusual organization in telling the story always drew me back to the book for more. This book was an assignment, and I have to admit that I would never have Prince of Tides under normal circumstances because it appeared to be a mushy, sappy love story that described some guy's southern life in the process. I liked the story once I got into it, but I found it difficult to like any of the characters because Conroy's opinion of each was often negative and pessimistic throughout the story. He seldom had a good word to say about anyone in the book, and each character was introduced in a negative light. This made it difficult for me to identify with any of the immediatlely flawed characters, but the people fit with this depressing story. Conroy often lightened the story with humor, such as the dog food story, but there even sadness behind his comic relief. I liked the book and would recomend it, but be prepared for an emotionally schitzophrenic tale. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
I read this wonderful book over 10 years ago and, for some reason, recently decided to read it again. What a difference 10 years makes in one's perspective!! It was always on my top ten list, but after the second read, I now place it in my top 3. I loved this book, and especially loved the writing. It is written with deep emotion, wonderful characters, and a great sense of humor!! The story is about the Wingo family from the low-country of South Carolina and their troubled journey through childhood into an even more troubled journey into adulthood. I love Tom Wingo, the principal character; he has become real to me. Pat Conroy brought this character to life as no author has ever done for me before. Tom Wingo wonderfully depicts the attitude and character of the southern male. He is flawed, yet so lovable. Tom is trying to save his troubled sister, Savannah, who has been placed in a mental institution. In doing so, he must re-live many, many traumatic and repressed childhood memories, but in the end, it's all about love and forgiveness. Chapter 9 tells of Tom's mother (a great character in this book) and how as a child he loved the way she wore gardenias in her hair only to throw them in the trash when she overhears the "women of the upper crust society" making fun of her. It is the shortest, sweetest, most well-written chapter I think I've ever read. This book has you wrecked with emotion in one chapter and laughing hysterically in the next (Tolitha picks out her coffin springs to mind as an example). The writing is so beautiful, I was just sobbing at the end (it's been a long, long time since a book stirred my emotions as much as this one did). I would love to see the book re-surface for the present generation's enjoyment!! Pat Convoy deserves tremendous praise for the wonderful writing in this book, as well as Beach Music (another wonderful read). There were no Oprah's around when this wonderful book was written; it sure does deserve the attention and praise any of her selections have received!! I urge anyone who has not read this book to please pick it up; you will not be sorry!! This book is a classic and one that I hope will be on everyone's bookshelf. Please don't skip the book and opt to see the movie. The movie is good, but in no way does it do the book justice. |
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1 2 | Total 2 pages 11 items |
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