A. J. Cronin
Personal Information
Description
Archibald Joseph Cronin (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981), known as A. J. Cronin, was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is The Citadel (1937), about a Scottish doctor who serves in a Welsh mining village before achieving success in London, where he becomes disillusioned about the venality and incompetence of some doctors. Cronin knew both areas, as a medical inspector of mines and as a doctor in Harley Street. The book exposed unfairness and malpractice in British medicine and helped to inspire the National Health Service. The Stars Look Down, set in the North East of England, is another of his best-selling novels inspired by his work among miners. Both novels have been filmed, as have Hatter's Castle, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years. His 1935 novella Country Doctor inspired a long-running BBC radio and TV series, Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962–1971), set in the 1920s. There was a follow-up series in 1993–1996.
Books
The Northern Light
Captain Craig Saybolt was a dangerous man He'd spent a year in jail for a crime he didn't commit. But someone had run his Alaskan oil tanker aground. Now heaven help that someone when Craig caught up to him. Marie Vicenza was in it for the money If she could prove Craig's innocence, the Pacific Insurance Group would pay her a huge bonus. But when she saw how Craig had been hurt, her heart went out to him. Maybe they could work together. Maybe they could even fall in love--if only Craig could learn to trust her....
The Spanish gardener
Young Spanish gardener attempts to help 9-year-old Nicholas back to health and to offset the negative influence of a doting father.
The green years
This is a precursor of Shannon's Way , detailing the struggles of the orphaned Robert Shannon to obtain education with the ultimate aim of becoming a medical researcher. A little long for a rather slight plot
Reader's digest condensed books--Spring 1952 Selections
Shannon's way
Story of Robert Shannon's experiences as a medical research worker and his love affair with a girl of different religious faith.
Three loves
Clare, Lee, Sally, inseparable companions through their school days, had made a vow at fifteen to meet up with each other in ten years time. Now at twenty-five, and as young women, they remember their younger selves. Clare has blossomed into an attractive and independent woman. By nature calm, placid, outwardly cool. It takes a good deal to shake her poise. But somewhere deep within her, Clare feels the warning note telling her that when one day she falls in love, everything would be different. Lee, just beginning to make a name for herself in the artistic world. Entirely self-supporting since the death of her parents a few years previously, Lee had thrown herself heart and soul into her work. Sally is vivacious but also headstrong and selfish, and is now engaged to Mark Bainbury. The three friends reunite for Sally's engagement party, but complications arise when Clare suddenly finds herself in love with her schoolfriend's fiancé...
The Judas tree
This is yet another semi-autobiographical work about a medical man who achieves success and worldy wealth in a non-medical field but remains unsatisfied with his life. It is a rather bitter book , with the protagonist being very self-centred , and it makes reference , as do a number of Cronin's works , to a fixation with suicide. Nonetheless, it is a good and interesting read
The citadel and the keys of the kingdom
Citadel is the story of a conscientious, brilliant young doctor. Keys of the kingdom is the story of a Scots priest in a remote Chinese village.
The Keys of the Kingdom
A young Catholic Priest is sent to China as a missionary and has many adventures there and this is ccontrasted with the easy and worldly life of an old friend who rises through the Catholic hierachy back in Scotland. A very thought provoking book and possibly Cronin's best work.
Beyond this place
Pages 266 & 267 are missing in both the pdf as well as the epub version!!
A thing of beauty
A painter's search for beauty leads him to give up everything for art - family, friends, social position, career, and ultimately his life.