THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE

No matter what his narrative gifts, when it comes to overwrought writing, Pat Conroy need not bow to any contemporary novelist. His excesses, though, are a reader’s opportunities, and Stechschulte rises to the occasion. Conroy gives Stechschulte plenty of room for dramatic flourish, for soaring soliloquy, for indulgent melodrama. But that’s not the end of Stechschulte’s bag of acting tricks. He creates an astonishing array of distinctive characterizations, from aristocratic Southern belles to poor New York City ethnics to crusty, unyielding military officers. Between Conroy and Stechschulte, we are treated to a charged, involving saga about a young man’s coming of age as he confronts corruption and brutality at a Southern military school. M.O. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR/APR 98]