I was first drawn to Conroy's writing; it is as lush as the azalea and camellias that make Charleston such a lovely city. I loved the way the first chapter introduced all the characters and described them so perfectly that they were set in my mind for the entire book. What an improbable group of friends, but Leo was able to pull them all together. I admired his quiet compassion and wisdom; he always seemed to know the right way to handle any situation and move it toward the best outcome. The depth of the friends' caring for each other when they reunited as adults and embarked on the trip to San Francisco to save Trevor was maybe a bit unrealistic, but Conroy made me believe, and I was even inspired. In the end all the loose ends were tied up nicely. It was undoubtedly a melodrama but one that drew me in completely. ( )

For once, I'm recording my impression immediately after finishing a book. The reason is that basically the end of the book left me with a surprising amount of energy and desire for action. I'm sitting here questioning how much I should believe that, but it's hard not get caught up in Conroy's characters' feelings. Leo's triumph and nice, novelistic ending is not one that I necessarily think I can achieve, but it still manages to leave me feeling good. I'd say this is typical of the book as a whole, where an entire cast of characters appears and moves around in a way that - while not predictable exactly - lends itself to feeling like it's on rails, with just a hint too much deus ex. I don't feel that seriously harms the novel though for me; I take it with an understanding of suspension of disbelief and the enjoyment is conscious rather than consuming. ( )

I love Pat Conroy's florid prose. I love the characters he writes and the passion with which he writes. I think this may be my favorite Pat Conroy novel. ( )

Here's what I wrote in 2010 about this read: "Easy read, with a flair for the dramatic. Come on, nobody talks constantly about gay sex like Trevor Poe, or has such a consistently smart aleck tongue like "Toad" (the narrator). Still a good story to keep company in the winter . . . And great eulogy to Charleston." ( )

Conroy's prose is as beautiful as ever, but the plot is just too far fetched and the end of the novel gets way too sentimental ( )