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49th out of 599 books
—
1,403 voters
The Lords of Discipline
by
Pat Conroy
A novel you will never forget...
This powerful and breathtaking novel is the story of four cadets who have become bloodbrothers. Together they will encounter the hell of hazing and the rabid, raunchy and dangerously secretive atmosphere of an arrogant and proud military institute. They will experience the violence. The passion. The rage. The friendship. The loyalty. The be...more
This powerful and breathtaking novel is the story of four cadets who have become bloodbrothers. Together they will encounter the hell of hazing and the rabid, raunchy and dangerously secretive atmosphere of an arrogant and proud military institute. They will experience the violence. The passion. The rage. The friendship. The loyalty. The be...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
February 24th 1997
by Bantam
(first published 1980)
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I'm a bit scared that I won't be able to describe how much I love this book and that I’ll screw up this review. Every time I have the same problem with Conroy. Every time when I finish reading ''him'' I have this properly deep ache. I get spoiled and I find myself measuring almost everything I’ve read so far.
I even get angry because I know it will take a long and thorough research to find book(s), author(s) that will replace me this Pat Conroy feeling. And I never do, I never did. The major pro...more
I even get angry because I know it will take a long and thorough research to find book(s), author(s) that will replace me this Pat Conroy feeling. And I never do, I never did. The major pro...more
This would be the 3rd unforgettable book I've read by Mr. Conroy in the past year, and to date. I just love reading his work. There is no other way to put it. He just simply writes, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful sentences I have ever read. He has an unflinching capacity to be so brutally honest it often hurts. But it is the greatest pain one can recieve from a great novel. The amount of passion, pain, and pure adrenaline within the pages of this book will not let the reader put this o...more
10 likes · like · see review
Feb 15, 2010
Buck
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Buck by:
Linda Griffin
Shelves:
southern-literature
I was introduced to this book at Pat Conroy by my high school algebra teacher. She was reading the book just after it came out and suggested that we all read it. I think I may have been the only one who did.
I immediately fell in love with this work. Conroy's descriptions of Charleston are priceless. Some of my favorite quotes come from this book.
I return to this work yearly to explore my old friends once more and with each reading I find a nuance that I had overlooked in the past.
From the openin...more
I immediately fell in love with this work. Conroy's descriptions of Charleston are priceless. Some of my favorite quotes come from this book.
I return to this work yearly to explore my old friends once more and with each reading I find a nuance that I had overlooked in the past.
From the openin...more
7 likes · like · see review
Feb 09, 2008
Caley Rogers
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who want a glimpse into what goes on at a military college.
Shelves:
book-report-books
Fantastic book! Pat Conroy does an excellent job conveying the life of a student at Carolina Military Institute (based on the Citadel). Conroy has a wonderful writing style that really enables the reader to visualize everything in the novel, from the atmosphere of Charleson to the vicious beating the cadets endure. The book is told from one boy's point of view and begins with his senior year, but has flashbacks to his earlier years. While you may flinch at the violence that is tolerated at such...more
A powerful, moving story written in Conroy's trademark poetic style. Some parts of it were harder for me to read than even the descriptions of mental illness in The Prince of Tides, or the Holocaust story woven through Beach Music. I found it immensely disturbing that young men could be so cruel to one another. I was impressed by the way Conroy captured and portrayed the inconsistency and confusion of the main character, Will, bearing in mind that Will was a young man between the ages of 18 and...more
I love Conroy's humor in this book, the way he uses it to diffuse some incredibly raw scenes. I cried so hard when Pig walks down the line and the men turn their back on him. And then the train. Ugh. It absolutely broke my heart. I love all of Conroy's books for their descriptions, for introducing me to the beautiful South, and for his characters. He has strong people with strong issues which makes them real. And the men are vulnerable and strong and that's not something you see in many books. T...more
6 likes · like · see review
I read this book over the course of two days in September 2000. I could not put it down. It was recommended to me by a friend who attend The Citadel. I rarely read books as fast as I read this one. I highly recommend it.
There are sections of this book I could recite from memory. Two very different passages -- the walk of shame and the big basketball game -- were regularly done as "prose" pieces in my high school drama class, and as I read them, I could hear my classmates' 15-year-old voices in my head. (Hey Larry and Chris.)
Other than those, though, I'd forgotten a lot of the specifics. And I'm so very glad.
Conroy stunned me all over again, nearly two decades after I'd gotten to know Will McLean the first time....more
Other than those, though, I'd forgotten a lot of the specifics. And I'm so very glad.
Conroy stunned me all over again, nearly two decades after I'd gotten to know Will McLean the first time....more
The title of this book makes it sound like Fabio should be posing on the cover. However, the book is absolutely riveting. It's about Will Macleans's trip through four years of The Citadel, the military college in South Carolina where Pat Conroy did in fact go. It's structured around his task of trying to assist the first black cadet to enter the citadel, but is mostly about Will's friendships and battles against the more sadistic members of his class.
This is quite simply my very favorite book of all time. Pat Conroy draws upon some of the events of his days as a cadet at The Citadel to tell the story of Will McLean, a senior who attends the fictional Carolina Military Institute in Charleston, South Carolina on a basketball scholarship. Will is charged with shepherding the Institute's first black cadet, Tom Pearce, through his freshman year at CMI. In Charleston, South Carolina, in 1967, Pearce is being welcomed through the Gates of Legrand w...more
Rare indeed is it that I, someone early to bed and late to rise, finds himself wide awake at 1:30am unable to even consider going to bed until the book being read is finished. This almost unbelievable scenario took place last night as I kept turning the pages of this book.
This is the 3rd or 4th Conroy novel I have read to date (I have my Losing Season on the shelf) and it is without doubt the best so far. The characters, the dialog, the quality of the plot, and the intensity of the writing is a...more
This is the 3rd or 4th Conroy novel I have read to date (I have my Losing Season on the shelf) and it is without doubt the best so far. The characters, the dialog, the quality of the plot, and the intensity of the writing is a...more
5 likes · like · see review
Another great book by Conroy. This book is a little different than Beach Music and Prince of Tides, it's about Will, a student at a millitary college. (not too hard to figure out it's supposed to be the Citadel) A black student is accepted to the school for the first time and the whole school is up in arms. The parts about the hazing rituals are described in such brutal detail that I'd get anxious reading them. The part about class and old money was a little goofy to me but I guess it's a real i...more
I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it for anyone who has been a cadet. Though this book was written in 1980, set in the 1960's and written by a graduate of The Citadel, I find situations that I can identify with having been a member of the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech. Some things never change with the passing of time, in this case 40+ years. I felt a strong personal connection with the main character, Will McLean. I borrowed this book from the library but I will definitely purchase...more
I got so much more from this book than I expected. I had expected to hear a story of hazing and tough military discipline. And I knew that the main character was loosely based on Conroy and his years at The Citadel because I had read about his tenuous relationship with his alma mater for years and read about the reconciliation and his returning to the college to deliver what I think was a commencement address.
I did not, however, expect to read a story of a whole and complete person, one who com...more
I did not, however, expect to read a story of a whole and complete person, one who com...more
The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy follows Will McLean and his three roommates through their life at a military college, The Institute, in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1960s. This is one of those books that I always wanted to read, but just never got around to it. Once I started, I could not put it down. This book draws on every emotion as these very different young men come together to share the joys and tragedies of their four years together. The good times are as good as they ge...more
As a person who has had a fair amount of experience with The Citadel, I can tell you that Pat Conroy's descriptions are very accurate, particularly for the time frame. How many times have you heard a soldier talk about how it was so much harder back in "the old Army"? That's because it's true across the board, even when it comes down to military schools.
One thing I love about Pat Conroy is that even though his work is fictional, he writes from experience. He did graduate from The Citadel (or, t...more
One thing I love about Pat Conroy is that even though his work is fictional, he writes from experience. He did graduate from The Citadel (or, t...more
"The Lords of Discipline" was recommended to me several years ago by a graduate of the actual establishment that the Virginia Military Institute was based on-the Citadel. I'd never seen it again until the IR list was issued, and so I thought I'd give it a try, having read the premise. This book delivers.
I am one to spoil plots. I know that it's a horrible thing to do, but I divulge the storylines of excellent books to friends. Even if I could do that here, I would not even if I was bribed and/or...more
I am one to spoil plots. I know that it's a horrible thing to do, but I divulge the storylines of excellent books to friends. Even if I could do that here, I would not even if I was bribed and/or...more
"The Lords of Discipline" by Pat Conroy is historic novel discussing the culture of a southern miltary instuitute during the 1960's. I picked this novel because I read "My Losing Season" another book by Pat Conroy and really enjoyed his style of writing. One thing that I liked about the plot of this book is that I felt as though I got a first hand, in depth look on a historic event in the history of The Citadel, which is the enrollment of the first African American cadet. One thing that I dislik...more
Another great conroy novel. He drew this one from experiences while at the Citadel in charleston,sc. A military school if you didn't know. The character is an unlikely cadet...a huge smartass. I'm a smartass so I love this shit. In most his novels he has this theme drawing from his own personality. And this character is hilarious. But no not a comedy once again several different things : love, comedy, suspense, drama, etc. story line is this: unorthodox cadet ( who is the starting point guard......more
Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy is loosely (or actually not so loosely) based on Conroy's experiences at the Citadel, a military college in Charleston, SC. As in most of his books, the location of the story becomes one of the characters of his book, in this case actually two characters--The Institute (playing the role of the Citadel) and Charleston (playing the role of Charleston). Playing the role of mother, father, and siblings are The Bear (commandant of the Institue), Abigail (Charlestonia...more
Jul 02, 2012
Patricia Kurz
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any Southern fiction fan, Conroy fans
Shelves:
fiction-novel
Only because it's Conroy is it 3* -- else 2...
I know that this book is the foundation for most of Conroy's story telling, but I have to say, that perhaps because of his immaturity in his writing career at that time, it is poorly edited and a bit self-inflated.
The descriptions of some of the initiations of the military school were so repetitive, so boring, that after a while, one did not experience the horror any longer. The plight of the African American kid could have been so much more deeply...more
I know that this book is the foundation for most of Conroy's story telling, but I have to say, that perhaps because of his immaturity in his writing career at that time, it is poorly edited and a bit self-inflated.
The descriptions of some of the initiations of the military school were so repetitive, so boring, that after a while, one did not experience the horror any longer. The plight of the African American kid could have been so much more deeply...more
My rating system is screwed up, reflecting an era of inflation. I've given three stars to books I didn't really like. More gradients needed.
This is a flawed book in its own way. It goes on a little-long and it's a little heavy-handed in places. It's written the way Gone With The Wind was filmed - very few jump cuts, no post-modernism, long internal monologues and classical language. And the main character's self-internalization as a man of physical and emotional weakness sometimes clashes with h...more
This is a flawed book in its own way. It goes on a little-long and it's a little heavy-handed in places. It's written the way Gone With The Wind was filmed - very few jump cuts, no post-modernism, long internal monologues and classical language. And the main character's self-internalization as a man of physical and emotional weakness sometimes clashes with h...more
The narrator, Will McLean, attends the fictional Carolina Military Institute in Charleston. Irish, and not rich, he is an outsider and finds life as a “knob” (first-year cadet in training) at the Institute to be brutal. But he finds solace in three boys who become his great friends: Tradd St. Croix, an “old Charlestonian” (from a very rich and respected family); and Pig and Mark, two brawny, loyal boys of Italian descent. He also respects Colonel “Bear” Barrineau, who asks McLean to look out for...more
Like all of Conroy's work, The Lords of Discipline is semi-autobiographical. This time it's about his years as a cadet at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. I think Conroy is an excellent wordsmith and I wrote the following quote down years ago when I first read the book (this is a re-read) and carried it around ever since...
"I had once read in a book that traced the natural history of blue whales that the great creatures often had to travel thousands of miles through the dark waters of the Pacific...more
"I had once read in a book that traced the natural history of blue whales that the great creatures often had to travel thousands of miles through the dark waters of the Pacific...more
In this book Pat Conroy graphically describes the conditions at a private military college in Charleston, SC between 1963 and 1967. The name of the school is the Carolina Military Institute and it sounds much like The Citadel which Pat attended during those years and which happens to be located in Charleston.
Pat describes all horrors of hazing and brutal treatment you could possibly imagine at a military college, but there is a lot more to the story than that. The ending has all the twists and t...more
Pat describes all horrors of hazing and brutal treatment you could possibly imagine at a military college, but there is a lot more to the story than that. The ending has all the twists and t...more
I adore Pat Conroy to a degree that is fanatical. He writes the most beautiful sentences about the most heartbreaking yet real human relationships I've ever read in contemporary fiction and non-fiction. This is my favorite of his novels, but I haven't read them all and that could change as I read more and as I age. Perhaps I love this book so much because all the conflict and action centers around a tight-knit group of friends, or maybe it's because the central characters are in college--as I wa...more
Pat Conroy is to words as Beethoven is to music. In Lords of Discipline, Conroy spins a tale filled with torture, degradation, lies and deception all in the venue of a US military academy whose purpose is to create men of honor. The time is 1966 in Charleston, North Carolina. The story revolves around 4 boys at the "Institute" - roommates. They have created their own cacoon and deep friendships in spite of all that is going on around them. The protagonist, Will Mclean, has suspicions of a clande...more
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A frequent Audie finalist and Earphones award winner Dan John Miller delivers a riveting narration of the book many have called an American classic. Also a film actor and songwriter Miller gives eloquent voice to protagonist Will McLean who attends the South Carolina Military Institute, which is a fictional military school and said to be inspired by Conroy's personal experiences at The Citadel.
Not only is THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE extremely well performed but a new introduction read by Pat Conroy...more
A frequent Audie finalist and Earphones award winner Dan John Miller delivers a riveting narration of the book many have called an American classic. Also a film actor and songwriter Miller gives eloquent voice to protagonist Will McLean who attends the South Carolina Military Institute, which is a fictional military school and said to be inspired by Conroy's personal experiences at The Citadel.
Not only is THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE extremely well performed but a new introduction read by Pat Conroy...more
My trust for Pat Conroy's disclaimer that this is a work of fiction born of his investigation into military education in this country is low. He went to the Citadel, the book is about a military academy in Charleston, the main character is a Southern Irish Catholic who attended the exact years he did, the dedication is to two men with Italian names, and two of the best friends of the main character are Italians...etc. Just seems a little fishy.
Nonetheless, the descriptions of Charleston, and its...more
Nonetheless, the descriptions of Charleston, and its...more
The book was very well written, with excellent description of both setting and characters. I especially liked Conroy's accuracy in explaining complex feelings. His metaphors really struck a chord with me. However, what earned this book a three was its mediocre plot. I pretty much knew what was going to happen about half way through the book. Also, the beginning dragged, and the book took a long time to get where it was going. Conroy lays some heavy foreshadowing on the reader, which is highly un...more
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| The Prince of Pro...: Just came back from Charleston | 4 | 21 | Mar 15, 2013 04:53pm |
Pat Conroy is the New York Times bestselling author of two memoirs and seven novels, including The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, and The Lords of Discipline. Born the eldest of seven children in a rigidly disciplined military household, he attended the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He briefly became a schoolteacher (which he chronicled in his memoir The Water Is Wide) befo...more
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“I wanted to become the seeker, the aroused and passionate explorer, and it was better to go at it knowing nothing at all, always choosing the unmarked bottle, always choosing your own unproven method, armed with nothing but faith and a belief in astonishment.”
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