My Exaggerated Life

Pat Conroy

By: Katherine Clark

Narrated by: Joe Barrett, Wendy Tremont King

Pat Conroy's memoirs and autobiographical novels contain a great deal about his life, but there is much he hasn't revealed to readers and listeners - until now. My Exaggerated Life is the product of a special collaboration between this great American author and oral biographer Katherine Clark, who recorded two hundred hours of conversations with Conroy before he passed away in 2016. In the spring and summer of 2014, the two spoke for an hour or more on the phone every day. No subject was off limits, including aspects of his tumultuous life he had never before revealed.

This oral biography presents Conroy the man, as if speaking in person, in the colloquial voice familiar to family and friends. This voice is quite different from the authorial style found in his books, which are famous for their lyricism and poetic descriptions. Here Conroy is blunt, plainspoken, and uncommonly candid. While his novels are known for their tragic elements, this volume is suffused with Conroy's sense of humor, which he credits with saving his life on several occasions.

As Conroy recounts his time in Atlanta, Rome, and San Francisco, along with his many years in Beaufort, South Carolina, he portrays a journey full of struggles and suffering that culminated ultimately in redemption and triumph.

©2018 Katherine Clark (P)2019 Tantor

The Real Life of Pat Conroy

A must read for any Conroy fan. This is Conroy in his own words, talking about his life. It’s a fascinating look at the stories behind his stories. He highlights his journey as a writer, husband, and father. 

We miss you Pat

Have enjoyed all of Pat Conroy’s books, and have eagerly anticipated each next one as I finished the latest one. It was interesting to get a closer look at his personality through this biography. He’s always been a friend I had never had the good fortune to meet. He’s sorely missed.

Pat Conroy was on my list of people to meet.

My favorite book that he wrote is “My Losing Season”. I always imagined that someday, when life was not so busy, that I’d go to Beaufort & that I would maybe run into Pat Conroy. Failing that, I thought that I would surely be able to purchase at a local bookstore a book that was autographed by him. Listening to this story of his life made me wish that I’d acted on that fantasy. I’ve always admired his writing but now I also admire the man. Thank you.

Fantastic voice

I really laughed out loud at some of these stories. It was great to hear the connections of his life back to his books. I am a fairly new reader of Conroy, I was enthralled by Prince of Tides, which ended up in my reading library & I have no recollection of purchasing it. But I listen to books all day at work & it kept me entertained for many days. The audiobook was wonderful. Thank you for putting this together!

Never read a book by Pat Conroy

What an amazing book! I’ve never read one of his books, but after listening to this one on Audible, I want to read them all. Great job, Katherine on the oral biography.