South of Broad by Pat Conroy

"South of Broad is a conspiracy of platelets, son: blood and breeding are all that matter there. No, that's not true: there's got to be a truck full of money somewhere near the blood bank."
                    -Jasper King from the novel

South of Broad was chosen specifically to enhance a spring trip to Charleston, SC, the setting of the novel. I checked out not only a print copy but also the audio version on CDs. My husband and I began the story together, listening in the car en route to Charleston, and enjoying it immensely. I don't believe I've read Pat Conroy before but I will add him to a list of preferred authors.

In the prologue we find that main character, Leo King, has been emotionally damaged by a family tragedy when he is very young. With therapy he is much stronger as a senior in high school on "Bloomsday," 1969, Part One. (You must read it yourself to find the significance of Bloomsday!) On that fateful day, he becomes involved with helping several students new to his school to transition. These are to become his closest friends.

The plot moves ahead 20 years to a reunion of sorts, where they demonstrate what friends are for. Then in a flashback to high school, the reader begins to discover how Leo, affectionately nicknamed "Toad," was the glue holding the nine of them together. The group of friends and some other characters are quite unique---some quirky but lovable, a few hard to like and a couple who are mysterious and downright evil. Along with the characters, we loved the author's use of both pathos and humor.

While on our arranged tour in Charleston, it was amusing to find actual places which figured into the novel. We visited the gorgeous chapel at the Citadel, where some of the friends were married, Middleton Place Plantation where a wedding reception was held and a mansion on East Battery, where we could imagine the home of the Rutledges. We passed by the Yacht Club, the scene of a luncheon on Bloomsday, and visited the beautiful St. Michael's church, the scene of another wedding. It was even fun discovering the familiar street names in the Historic District, where Leo delivered newspapers in his youth. We heard the blueblood South Carolina family names referred to many times while seeing them on the pages and learned the meaning of the title, hinted at by Leo's father in the quote above. I even had my first she-crab soup---absolutely delicious!---which was a specialty Leo made for his friends in the novel.

When we mentioned the book to one of our group leaders, she really had nothing positive to say. She cited historical and geographical discrepancies and, surprisingly, even gave away some of the plot. We found this annoying and it certainly lessened our fondness for her. But she IS a historian; I suppose she never learned to "suspend her disbelief" to enjoy fiction. Her loss!

You can probably tell I REALLY liked South of Broad. I give it a 5 and will read another Conroy soon.