Lucy Reviews . . . . South of Broad by Pat Conroy

I don't quite know what to say here. I really wanted to like South of Broad by Pat Conroy. For the most part, I've liked everything else he has written. Although The Prince of Tides, for example, is a crappy movie, the book is a masterwork. South of Broad, though, confirms what I began to suspect with Beach Music: Pat Conroy's best days are behind him. It's sad to see a master lose his flair, but it happens. Heck, look at Sandra Boynton. Her early work is much more enriching and satisfying than her recent stuff. 1982's Moo, Baa, La La La!, for example, is vastly superior to, say, 2003's Snuggle Puppy (which starts with promise, only to end on a disappointing note). I guess this is the long way of saying that while South of Broad may not be Pat Conroy's best, it is no less interesting to read and compare with his earlier works.

I'll tell you what I told my cousin Cole when he asked me if he should buy Pat Conroy's latest (see below).

If you're a fan of Conroy's work, you should check this book out. If you're not, this is not the place to start.

So what's it about? It is vintage Conroy: a group of individuals from all walks of life come together and form a lifelong friendship in Charleston, South Carolina circa 1969. Years later, when they are all middle-aged, they again meet to deal with a crisis that affects them all. There are secrets, there are deaths, and there is melodrama. Lots of it. And then, when you think all the melodrama is over, more gets dumped on you.

So why doesn't the formula work this time? Well, the secrets aren't terribly interesting. The characters never really progress beyond archetypes. And the dialogue, frankly, is lazy and designed only to move the plot forward.

You know, I deal with enough melodrama on a day to day basis. I don't need to read about more. For example, my mommy and daddy recently have taken steps to ensure that I can't get into the cabinet below the kitchen sink. And that's where all the cool stuff is! So to deal with a horrible loss like that and then have to read about similar stuff in South of Broad is just too much for this baby to take.

Lucy, you ask, does anything about this book work? Well, yes. Conroy hasn't lost his touch when it comes to descriptions. Charleston itself is rendered beautifully, from the architecture to the food to the landscape, and is given more life than any of its actual inhabitants. These descriptions alone are almost worth the price of admission.

I award South of Broad 5 rattles out of 10. It is currently available pretty much everywhere. Thanks to Sonya (again) and Todd at Random House.

Well, it's past my bedtime, so I'm going to sign off. I have a review of The Dart League King: A Novel by Keith Lee Morris in the works, along with Malcolm Gladwell's forthcoming What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures. There's also the mailbag (which has fallen by the wayside - sorry) AND I have a very special week planned for the seven days leading up to the Notre Dame football season.