Another reviewer put it best - Pat Conroy at 10% of his best is better than most writers' 99%. It is difficult not to be moved by how this man uses language, and the oft-repeated idea that this book is a "love letter to Charleston, SC" is accurate. I enjoyed the book and loved the characters, but I admit to having the sensation of things being a little off in terms of the dialogue and the plot's more implausible moments. But it's fiction, right?

My moments of greatest pleasure were in Conroy's most descriptive passages - the opening newspaper delivery, Leo and the Twins as they find their "perfect moment" while tubing and (from someone who remembers the dark days of HIV) when he describes "...that starved, haunted look" of men with AIDS in San Francisco of the 1980s. The latter gave me chills because it put into words a look I remember too well. Once I gave into e-readers, I discovered how much I like being able to highlight passages that move me; my copy of "South of Broad" is well highlighted.

I read "Prince of Tides" just out of high school - more than 30 years ago and it remains one of my memorable reads. "South of Broad" may not be of quite the same quality, but it's a beautiful, at times moving read - flaws and all. Recommended.