I've read this piece of "flawed, outrageous humanity" no less than a hundred times, and have yet to find anything more truly gorgeous, more terrible, more moving, or more hilarious. Pat Conroy chooses the most beautiful words of the English language and strings them together like jewels; the story crafts the lovely as well as the hideous. Mr. Conroy tells a story that is so engaging that it is nearly impossible to stop reading. Somehow this book is especially appealing to those people whose families and backgrounds are less than perfect-yet even these people are able to find something to identify with in this book. I would recommend this to anyone over 18, due to some mature subjects.

If you like short stories, you'll love this book--it's a compilation of them. If you like novels, I've never read anything so accessible yet so challenging. If you think your life was hard, read this book. If you love beauty, poetry, nature, words, literature, or the south, read this. Mr. Conroy's other books are also several notches above excellent.

PS-skip the movie. I've only ever seen one movie that was as good as the book, and this wasn't it.

Pat Conroy's novel, which is a long read if you've seen the book or if you've read it, is a rich and romantic story telling of the lives of Tom Wingo, a Southern man with a dark past, and his love affair with New York psychiatrist Susan Lowenstein. But then novel is much more than that. It looks at the world of children, innocent in play and fancy in imagination, their trauma with an abusive father, issues of morality and of parental love. The novel is very narrative, Tom Wingo is a character whose mind can fill an entire palace of memories. There are many elements of the story that people nowaday can relate to. Look at the characters of Tom's mother, his sister Savannah and the charming urbane Dr. Lowenstein and her father-deprived son and you will see how closely connected to reality this novel can be. It is a romance, and in fact, in its depiction of an affair almost close to Bridges of Madison County. This novel will make you cry, will make you think and will warm your heart. So pick up a copy and read it before bed, perhaps listening to the music of Bach, who is the favored composer of Dr. Lowenstein's son. You will fall in love with Conroy's imagery and romanticism. A five star read.

I first read this book in the winter of 1988 -- along with a majority of my friends. At that time I proclaimed it to be my favorite book of all time and hurried to read all of Pat Conroy's other works.

I just finished The Prince for the 3rd time a few weeks ago. While Tom Wingo's images stayed with me for ten years (Tolitha laughing with her legs in the air, sibling love and devotion), I found myself getting more out of this book than I ever had before. I like Conroy's writing a lot, and am able to overlook his five-dollar words to get to the heart of the story.

Pat Conroy writes a beautiful story about a boy's love for his brother and sister and his strange relationship with his parents. This book touches upon all our raw emotions -- love, hate, friendship and lust. You will dive into this book and feel what Tom Wingo feels, cry when Tom Wingo cries and laugh uproariously at the foolishness of some characters.

As I say to all my friends, read The Prince of ! ! Tides, then let's talk.