Just the cover will draw tourists to Charleston.
Pat Conroy’s new book, South of Broad, promises to be a boon to tourism in Charleston, much like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was for Savannah. Today, even 15 years after that book’s publication, book-clutching tourists still wander the streets looking for the famous Mercer House and line up to to see the intriguing Lady Chablis.
The irony is that when Pat Conroy first went to Charleston, he didn’t have a dime to his name. But by wandering the streets, he became a silent observer and picked up themes for a book he’d write 45 years later. Now he lives on close-by Fripp Island, and unless he has the money management skills of a pro athlete, he is a very wealthy man.
I saw Pat speak last night at The Carter Center, along with his sweet, southern-accented wife and author Cassandra King. I’m a long-time fan of Pat’s writing and have often wondered two things: Read the full post »