My Reading Life

By: Pat Conroy

Narrated by: Pat Conroy

Best-selling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the profound effect reading has had on his life. Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is a voracious reader. Starting as a childhood passion that bloomed into a life-long companion, reading has been Conroy’s portal to the world, both to the farthest corners of the globe and to the deepest chambers of the human soul. His interests range widely, from Milton to Tolkien, Philip Roth to Thucydides, encompassing poetry, history, philosophy, and any mesmerizing tale of his native South. He has for years kept notebooks in which he records words and expressions, over time creating a vast reservoir of playful turns of phrase, dazzling flashes of description, and snippets of delightful sound, all just for his love of language. But for Conroy reading is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity.

In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of reading through an array of wonderful and often surprising anecdotes: Sharing the pleasures of the local library’s vast cache with his mother when he was a boy, recounting his decades-long relationship with the English teacher who pointed him onto the path of letters, and describing a profoundly influential period he spent in Paris, as well as reflecting on other pivotal people, places, and experiences. His story is a moving and personal one, girded by wisdom and an undeniable honesty. Anyone who not only enjoys the pleasures of reading but also believes in the power of books to shape a life will find here the greatest defense of that credo.

Listen to An Interview with Pat Conroy.©2010 Pat Conroy (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel." ( Houston Chronicle)

Loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Conroy gives lots of information on the authors and books that he loved and that influenced him. I thought that might be a guide as to how I should spend some of my reading time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Reading Life?

I laughed when I read about Conroy's trip down the Chattooga just because he had read Deliverance, by Dickey.

Have you listened to any of Pat Conroy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. The professional narrator is better for his fiction, but he is better for talking about himself.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Some sparkles

Mr. Conroy provides some moments that sparkle; most enjoyable were his moments of humor and honesty. I found the review of Gone with the Wind too lengthly. At the end he seemed to get caught in a net of melancholy metaphors; but overall I thank him for the insights. His voice told the story best.

If you like Pat's novels this won't disappoint.

Well- read and passionately read. I loved listening to Mr. Conroy's voice. I don't think anyone else could have read this for h im.

Ideal Read for a Reader

Would you consider the audio edition of My Reading Life to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version so I don't have an opinion as to the difference. I rarely read the print version if I hear the audio version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Reading Life?

The story of the time spent with the publisher's representative was a treat. There is a brutal reality to the book business at the point where the interest of the book stores and the book authors/publishers some together. In addition, the character of the book rep was refreshingly honest.

Which character ??? as performed by Pat Conroy ??? was your favorite?

The book publisher's rep.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was moved by the recommendations for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Dostoyevsky endorsement.

Any additional comments?

I'll remember these comments about reading for a long time.

Great book

I read this book years ago when it was first published. What a treat to discover Pat Conroy reading it.

Spellbinding

Conroy’s storytelling is spellbinding; we are honored guests in the parlor of his gracious life.

What a Storyteller!

I became interested in the book after hearing Pat Conroy speak about it online somewhere. I really enjoyed this audiobook. I will never forget his story about his mom reading Gone With The Wind to him for the first time when he was 5, and how she made it come alive.

He's a dynamic person and a terrific storyteller, and I'm glad he narrated his stories himself. What a life! What passion for the books he's read and the people who have taught him! I still occasionally "flip through" this audiobook if I'm running around town and need something satisfying to listen to. Very satisfying.

A Literary Checklist for Southern Readers

If you could sum up My Reading Life in three words, what would they be?

Southen literary booklist.

What other book might you compare My Reading Life to and why?

The biography of Julia Peterkin. For its southern litlerary connection.

Which character – as performed by Pat Conroy – was your favorite?

His mother.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Pat Conroy, the Southern Consummate Student and Teacher.

Any additional comments?

Listening to the Audible edition is like a fireside chat with Conroy. I am now rereading the Southern great books he mentions. Fascinating!

Return to this book often!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book--and to be read again and again. It's a truly inspiring memoir about the drive to learn, about wide-ranging reading, about the adventures, wisdom, and solace that accumulates from the thousands of books one reads in a lifetime, that become, as the author points out, like a city of manifold treasures in the mind, with streets one can wander and revisit at any time. If you, like the author, can mention Freya Stark, Rumi, Margaret Mitchell, Manolete, and Pablo Neruda practically in one breath, you will have found a kindred spirit in Pat Conroy. There is great story-telling in this book, quite a bit of poetry masquerading as prose, and some characters you will become as fond of, as terrified by, and as inspired by as the author. Conroy's narration of his book is easy on the ear and, for this reader at least, goes straight to the heart. A book this passionate would not ring as true if it were voiced by a professional narrator. This book will convince you that you need not travel to the four corners of the earth to gobble up life. Books, Conroy irrisistably proves once again in this memoir, will take you anywhere you wish to go.

What other book might you compare My Reading Life to and why?

Education of a Wandering Man by Louis Lamour. In the 1930's, the author traveled the United States as a hobo and worldwide as a seaman and even as a prize-fighter, reading every book he could get in his hands along the way. While he labored as a tree-feller, cattle-skinner, or abandoned-mine guard, he was reading Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad, and Montaigne. All this before he sold his first short story and Hollywood discovered that his story-telling made great motion pictures, just as Conroy's did and do.

Which character – as performed by Pat Conroy – was your favorite?

There are many well-etched characters in this memoir, including an inspiring high school teacher (happy forever are those lucky to have had one!). My favorite character, though, is his mother, who sensed his love of reading very early, fed it with a continuous stream of books from the library, and added her own conversation, with a voice so memorable he literally hears it in every word he writes as he is writing it.

fabulous

I so loved Pat reading his work. follow along in your book. great story full of passion.