Conroy takes aim at our darkest emotions, lets the arrow fly and hits a bulls-eye almost every time.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel This is the story of Bull Meecham, the epitome of the Marine officer. Demanding, authoritarian, as tough a disciplinarian at home as at the base, Bull is a difficult man to please, and even harder to love. This is also the story of Ben Meecham, Bulls oldest son. A gifted athlete whose best never satisfies his father, Ben must balance his own ambition with his fathers expectations and decide what course he will chart for himself and what kind of man he will become. Piercing, bittersweet, and unforgettable, The Great Santini is Pat Conroys semi-autobiographical lens into fathers and sons, and the powerful legacy one man can leave behind.Robust and vividfull of feeling. Newsday Few novelists write as well, and none as beautifully. Lexington Herald Leader