Books with author A J Cronin

A book which inspired the creation of the NHS, The Citadel is a moving story of tragedy, triumph and redemption. With a foreword by Adam Kay, the bestselling author of This is Going to Hurt.When newly qualified doctor Andrew Manson takes up his first post in a Welsh mining community, the young Scot brings with him a bagful of idealism and enthusiasm. Both are soon strained to the limit as Andrew discovers the reality of performing operations on a kitchen table and washing in a scullery, of unspeakable sanitation, of common infantile cholera and systemic corruption. There are no X-rays, no ambulances – nothing to combat the disease and poverty.It isn’t long before Andrew’s outspoken manner wins him both friends and enemies, but he risks losing his idealism when the fashionable, greedy world of London medicine claims him, with its private clinics, wealthy, spoilt patients and huge rewards.A classic saga by A. J. Cronin, one of the great masters of the genre.

It is so WONDERFUL that this great book - and other books by A. J. Cronin - are now available to read on all my devices! I read "Keys of the Kingdom" many hears ago and have searched for a digital copy of it for YEARS, but it was not available. Thanks, Amazon, for digitizing and selling the older but really greater books of superb literature. This is a great example of an author who actually knew how to handle language and writing! J-4

Henry Page, owner of The Northern Light, the oldest and most respected newspaper in Tynecastle, is offered a vast sum to turn over control to a mass-circulation group based in London. He refuses – despite entreaties by his wife to accept – and so begins his fight with the Chronicle, an almost defunct newspaper in the same area which is given new life by London-thinking and London men. Against Henry Page, a journalist who believes in honest presentation of news without bringing in sensationalism, the Chronicle pulls every dirty trick in the trade. And Henry, brought eventually almost to his knees, stoically holds on to his principles and The Northern Light. It is only when he has won the battle that tragedy robs him of the most important thing in his life. In the magnificent narrative tradition of The Citadel, The Stars Look Down and Cronin’s other classic novels, The Northern Light is a great book by a much-loved author.

AJ Cronin’s inspiring novel of a controversial Scottish priest on a mission in China, where he learns the true meaning of humanity—and of faith. Francis Chisholm—a kindhearted and straightforward Scottish priest—walks a path of his own, making him unpopular with other members of the clergy. Ostracized by the clerical community and looked down on by his superiors, Chisholm takes a position in China where he supervises a mission beset by poverty, civil war, and plague. He encounters fierce resistance from the local Chinese who distrust his motives, especially as they do not understand or condone his faith. Despite enormous obstacles and temptations, Father Chisholm continues to live in accordance with what he holds as the ultimate truth—serving humanity is the one true religion of the world. The Keys of the Kingdom was adapted into the 1944 film starring Gregory Peck as Fr. Francis Chisholm, a role for which he earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. Hailed as “a magnificent story of the great adventure of individual goodness” by the New York Times Book Review and “full of life and people and color” by Harper’s Magazine, The Keys of the Kingdom is considered by many to be AJ Cronin’s finest work.

A groundbreaking novel of its time and a National Book Award winner: “[A] fine, honest, and moving a study of a young doctor” (The Atlantic Monthly). The Citadel follows the life of Andrew Manson, a young and idealistic Scottish doctor, as he navigates the challenges of practicing medicine across interwar Wales and England. Based on A.J. Cronin’s own experiences as a physician, this book boldly confronts traditional medical ethics, and has been noted as one of the inspirations for the formation of the National Health Service. This story has been adapted into several successful film, radio, and television productions around the world, including the Oscar-nominated 1938 film starring Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson, and Rex Harrison. “One of the most popular authors in the English-speaking world.” —The New York Times

Hippocrates conquers hypocrisy in this story of an idealistic, young Scottish doctor, Andrew Manson, fresh out of medical school and embarking upon his career. Committed to helping mankind and hardworking though of modest means, he arrives in Wales, where his first job is working for an older doctor in the small town of 'Drineffy'. Shocked by the conditions there, he works to improve matters before marrying Christine, a school teacher. They subsequently move to 'Aberalaw', a coal mining town in the South Wales coalfield, where she helps her husband with his silicosis research. Eager to improve the lives of his rustic patients, Manson dedicates many hours to private study in his chosen field of lung disease. The couple later moves to London, where the doctor works for a government department before going into private practice. Seduced by the thought of easy money from wealthy clients rather than the good works that he originally set out to, Manson becomes involved with pampered private patients and fashionable surgeons and grows further and further from his wife, until a patient dies because of a surgeon's ineptitude. The incident causes Manson to abandon his practice and return to his former, idealistic ways. He and his wife repair their damaged relationship, but Christine is killed in a traffic accident shortly afterward. Meanwhile, since Manson had accused the incompetent surgeon of murder, he is vindictively reported to the General Medical Council for having worked with an American tuberculosis specialist (who does not have a medical degree), even though the patient had been successfully treated. Manson manages to justify his actions satisfactorily during the hearing and is not struck off the medical register. He finally decides to join two friends in opening an integrated, multispecialty practice in a country town.