Pat Conroy develops each character and brings to life each member and associate of the Wingo Family. I was disappointed with many of the characters in the film. In the novel many of the characters had a huge role in developing the personality of Tom Wingo, whereas in the film these character were either excluded or merely mentioned as a quick reference or a mere memory.

The novel focuses on the dysfunctional relationship between the members of the Wingo Family and the affects of those relationships in the adult lives of those family members. Tom Wingo takes a trip to New York City, from his home in Colleton South Carolina, to visit his sister Savannah Wingo who has attempted suicide for the second time. Also to assist her Doctor with information about her past that will possibly lead to the suppressed memories that has brought her to this point. It is during these sessions that Tom reflects with unabridged detail on his childhood from birth to present date. These recollections, in my opinion, are the most captivating part of

The second most important event that wasn't adequately discussed in the film, was the life and death of Luke Wingo and how his death affected the relationships of Tom and Savannah, with their mother Lila. Luke was a big influence on his brother and sister and their admiration and love for him was vast mainly from necessity. His death was the event that changed the adult lives of Tom and Savannah and made them alienate themselves from their mother for her role in this. Luke protested with crazed passion, the sale of the island where he lived his entire life and started his own private war against "the powers that be" that would eventually kill him. This sale was made possible by Lila Wingo's quest for financial freedom, which she achieved by marrying Reese Newbury, who for years prior, made numerous attempts to purchase the island for this purpose. This is the foundation for the present date bitterness between the Wingo children and their mother, which again was not brought to light in the film.

The film was very well directed and would have been rather enjoyable had I not read the novel first. A more accurate portrayal of the conscious and subconscious issues that plagued this family would have been more satisfying to me. The director, in a vain attempt to headline in the film, steered the focus of this story to love and marriage and took away from the psychological issues that were intriguing to me as a reader. Novels of this caliber are almost impossible to convey completely and in this case, one might suspect that Barbara Streisand should have left well enough alone.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tom Savannah, Henry Wingo, Tiger Caesar, Luke Wingo, Reese Newbury, Savannah Wingo, Tom Wingo, Wingo Family, Lila Luke, Lila Wingo, tom savannah, wingo family, lives tom savannah, lives tom, tom wingo, mother lila, prince tides pat, tides pat, lila wingo, adult lives, film novel, tom savannah mother, savannah mother lila, savannah mother,
Approximate Word count = 1134
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)