The Prince of TidesIn his most brilliant and powerful novel, Pat Conroy tells the story of Tom Wingo, his twin sister, Savannah, and the dark and violent past of the family into which they were born. Set in New York City and the lowcountry of South Carolina, the novel opens when Tom, a high school football coach whose marriage and career are crumbling, flies from South Carolina to New York after learning of his twin sister's suicide attempt. Savannah is one of the most gifted poets of her generation, and both the cadenced beauty of her art and the jumbled cries of her illness are clues to the too-long-hidden story of her wounded family. In the paneled offices and luxurious restaurants of New York City, Tom and Susan Lowenstein, Savannah's psychiatrist, unravel a history of violence, abandonment, commitment, and love. And Tom realizes that trying to save his sister is perhaps his last chance to save himself. With passion and a rare gift of language, the author moves from present to past, tracing the amazing history of the Wingos from World War II through the final days of the war in Vietnam and into the 1980s, drawing a rich range of characters: the lovable, crazy Mr. Fruit, who for decades has wordlessly directed traffic at the same intersection in the southern town of Colleton; Reese Newbury, the ruthless, patrician land speculator who threatens the Wingos' only secure worldly possession, Melrose Island; Herbert Woodruff, Susan Lowenstein's husband, a world-famous violinist; Tolitha Wingo, Savannah's mentor and eccentric grandmother, the first real feminist in the Wingo family. Pat Conroy reveals the lives of his characters with surpassing depth and power, capturing the vanishing beauty of the South Carolina lowcountry and a lost way of life. His lyric gifts, abundant good humor, and compelling storytelling are well known to readers of The Great Santini and The Lords of Discipline. The Prince of Tides continues that tradition yet displays a new, mature voice of Pat Conroy, signaling this work as his greatest accomplishment. |
Contents
Section 1 | 1 |
Section 2 | 9 |
Section 3 | 27 |
Section 4 | 45 |
Section 5 | 64 |
Section 6 | 84 |
Section 7 | 117 |
Section 8 | 135 |
Section 17 | 297 |
Section 18 | 319 |
Section 19 | 328 |
Section 20 | 346 |
Section 21 | 372 |
Section 22 | 392 |
Section 23 | 398 |
Section 24 | 421 |
Section 9 | 174 |
Section 10 | 187 |
Section 11 | 206 |
Section 12 | 214 |
Section 13 | 235 |
Section 14 | 242 |
Section 15 | 266 |
Section 16 | 284 |
Section 25 | 446 |
Section 26 | 466 |
Section 27 | 494 |
Section 28 | 516 |
Section 29 | 554 |
Section 30 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Amberjack Amos answered arms asked beautiful began beneath Benji Bernard brother Caesar Callanwolde Charleston childhood coach Colleton Colleton County dark Doctor door eyes face father feel felt football fucking girl goddamn going grandfather grandmother Grandpa hands hate head hear heard Hen Island Herbert hurt island kids kill kissed knew laughed Lila listened living looked lowcountry Luke Luke's Mama marsh mother moved never Newbury nigger night North Charleston Papa John Pat Conroy poems porpoise priest Prince of Tides quarterback Randy Thompson remember Renata river rose Sallie Savannah screamed shit shrimp boat shrimper sister smell smiling Smitty sorry South Carolina southern story Susan Lowenstein talk tell There's thing thought tide tiger Todd told Tolitha took town trying turned voice walked watched whispered Wingo woman word York