Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

This is the story of three kids, Luke, Tom and Savanaah Wingo, being raised in South Carolina in a dysfunctional abusive family.  It is told through the eyes of Tom Wingo, with his wit and sarcasm and heavily infused with his belief that South Carolina is one of the most beautiful and nurturing places on earth.

This book is told in combination of present day with the kids as adults and flashbacks to their childhood which is captured as both idyllic and extremely dysfunctional.  It is awe inspiring in the images that it paints of both their shrimping life in the Carolinas as well as that of New York City.  It goes from these beautiful images to capturing some horrid scenes of carnage – all in vivid detail. At times it felt like a soap opera/theatrical with some superfluous parts. The audio version really enhanced this book. It was romantic and made us want to visit South Carolina.  

Club rating:  4.2