Beach MusicBeach Music
Score Modern
What it's about
Jack McCall has fled to Rome with his young daughter after his wife's suicide, cutting himself off from his family in South Carolina. When his mother is dying, he goes home, and old friendships, betrayals and family secrets come back, from the Vietnam War protests of his youth to the Holocaust story of his wife's parents.
Why it's worth reading
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Conroy writes lush, emotional sagas about Southern families, and his fans love this one deeply.
You'll love it if you liked
Lonesome Dove
East of Eden
The Great BelieversGood to know
It's very long and sprawling, with suicide, Holocaust atrocities and family violence.
By the numbers
- Readers79 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller46 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #463 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #894 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
More by Pat Conroy
If you like this, read next
The Book Thief
Americanah
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
The Help
Pachinko
Shuggie BainExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Beach Music worth reading?
Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. It ranks #894 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Beach Music about?
Jack McCall has fled to Rome with his young daughter after his wife's suicide, cutting himself off from his family in South Carolina. When his mother is dying, he goes home, and old friendships, betrayals and family secrets come back, from the Vietnam War protests of his youth to the Holocaust story of his wife's parents.
How long does it take to read Beach Music?
About 20 hours (818 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Beach Music?
If you liked it, try Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, East of Eden by John Steinbeck or The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.