The Great Santini

Product Description Step into the powerhouse life of Bull Meecham.  He's all Marine --- fighter pilot, king of the  clouds, and absolute ruler of his family. Lillian is his  wife -- beautiful, southern-bred, with a core of  velvet steel. Without her cool head, her kids would  be in real trouble. Ben is the oldest, a born  athlete whose best never satisfies the big man. Ben's  got to stand up, even fight back, against a father  who doesn't give in -- not to his men, not to his  wife, and certainly not to his son. Bull Meecham  is undoubtedly Pat Conroy's most explosive  character -- a man you should hate, but a man you will love. Review "Robust and vivid... full of feeling." --- Newsday "Stinging authenticity... a book that won't quit." -- Atlanta Journal "A tender, raucous and often hilarious book." -- Booklist "Conroy has captured a different slice of America in this funny, dramatic novel." -- Richmond News -Leader About the Author PAT CONROY is the best-selling author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, and My Losing Season. A graduate of the Citadel, he lives on Fripp Island, South Carolina. From the Back Cover “Reading PAT CONROY is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel.” — Houston Chronicle “Robust and vivid . . . full of feeling.” — Newsday “Tender, raucous, often hilarious.” — Booklist “A fine, funny, brawling book.” — The National Observer From the Inside Flap Step into the powerhouse life of Bull Meecham.  He's all Marine --- fighter pilot, king of the  clouds, and absolute ruler of his family. Lillian is his  wife -- beautiful, southern-bred, with a core of  velvet steel. Without her cool head, her kids would  be in real trouble. Ben is the oldest, a born  athlete whose best never satisfies the big man. Ben's  got to stand up, even fight back, against a father  who doesn't give in -- not to his men, not to his  wife, and certainly not to his son. Bull Meecham  is undoubtedly Pat Conroy's most explosive  character -- a man you should hate, but a man you will love. From AudioFile Military discipline reigns in the home of The Great Santini, nickname of Marine Corps fighter pilot Colonel Bull Meecham. Bull's wife and four children suffer his cold, rigid behavior, which sometimes spills over to abuse, and each reacts differently to the resulting love/hate bonds. Hilder has a beguiling voice for this novel, which is set in coastal South Carolina. While his pitch is whiny and annoying, his ability to differentiate voices is remarkable. Among the dozens of characters, mostly Southerners, the listener never wonders who is speaking. He embellishes an engrossing story. D.W.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine From the Publisher "Robust and vivid... full of feeling." --- Newsday "Stinging authenticity... a book that won't quit." -- Atlanta Journal "A tender, raucous and often hilarious book." -- Booklist "Conroy has captured a different slice of America in this funny, dramatic novel." -- Richmond News -Leader Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One In the Cordova Hotel, near the docks of Barcelona, fourteen Marine Corps fighter pilots from the aircraft carrier Forrestal were throwing an obstreperously spirited going away party for Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meecham, the executive officer of their carrier based squadron. The pilots had been drinking most of the day and the party was taking a swift descent toward mayhem. It was a sign to Bull Meecham that he was about to have a fine and memorable turbulent time. The commanding officer of the squadron, Ty Mullinax, had passed out in the early part of the afternoon and was resting in a beatific position on the table in the center of the room, his hands folded across his chest and a bouquet of lilies carefully placed in his zipper, rising out of his groin. The noise from the party had risen in geometrically spiraling quantities in irregular