I listened to this audiobook, read by Frank Muller, and I'm not sure what to say. I again enjoyed Muller's voice and rendition (I listened to his performance of Prince of Tides).
There were many parts I quite enjoyed of Beach Music, especially the descriptions of Rome. Overall I liked the characters and how well they were fleshed out, though I thought they came across as unrealistic in their quick banter and wit.
I took my time with this book, so maybe I missed something by going slowly, but looking back I feel there are many plot points that I don't understand. What was the purpose of Jack's being shot in the airport? And of John Harden's making all the brothers jump in the river (other than show his state of mind)? I felt like the majority of the book was flashbacks, which I don't in general have a problem with. However for this novel there were multiple times when a story was being told that I was understanding and enjoying but that I could not point to either its relevance or how the narrative came to the telling of that plot. And while some of these anecdotes had obvious symbolism or became relevant later, there were a fair number that I found unnecessary.
Also, I thought the plotline of writing the movie was not very fleshed out--it was more of an excuse to push good characters together and force the action to result in the conflict.
I do think Conroy's writing is poetic and beautiful, gems of wisdom and gorgeous turns of phrase, just that most of these were in the rambling extraneous segments of the book. Perhaps some of the message of this book went over my head, because I felt that Shyla's death was still not resolved (the 'why'), and that the letter she had written Jack that he allows his new wife to read did not sit well with me and I thought did not fit with Jack's ultimate feelings in the epilogue.