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'Cronin's distinguished achievement....No one could have written as fine, honest, and moving a study of a young doctor as The Citadel without possessing great literary taste and skill.' --The Atlantic Monthly A groundbreaking novel of its time and a National Book Award winner. The Citadel follows the life of Andrew Manson, a young and idealistic Scottish doctor, as he naviga...more
Published November 30th 1983 by Little, Brown and Company (first published 1937)
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Emilia PacurarIt's because we usually feel sorry for ourselves and an authority in the field. Facing this, all others' passivity and routine are masked by the…moreIt's because we usually feel sorry for ourselves and an authority in the field. Facing this, all others' passivity and routine are masked by the rethoric of a fake cosmpolitan concern.(less)
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Best Books of the Decade: 1930s
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Apr 20, 2012Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition
The Citadel is the morality tale of the initially idealistic Scottish Doctor Andrew Manson who starts off working in the mining towns of the South Wales valleys (view spoiler)[ where he makes liberal use of explosives to remedy public health nuisances (hide spoiler)] before descending into the vanity fair of fashionable London doctors, who specialise in conditions which cost a lot of money to treat, where he reaches a crisis point before returning to the narrow path of virtue. In the Welsh Valley...more
Sep 27, 2008Bettie rated it it was amazing
Oh this is wonderful story - a 1937 publication concerning primarily, the life of a young doctor investigating lung disease rife amongst miners and social conditions in mid Wales. Fully recommended.
May 03, 2019Dan rated it liked it
The Citadel won the National Book Award for Novels in 1937. It was written by A.J. Cronin The dialogue in this semi-autobiographical story about a talented young Welsh doctor was quite good. The cases and threads were also convincing. The doctor, Andrew, and his wife, Christine, were both likable characters. The problem that I had with the book is that the prose is very choppy and not always a pleasure to read. The death of a major character does not garner more than three pages in the book. In t...more
This book was written in 1937. It is about an idealistic young doctor who starts off poor and has a great heart for the poor and the sick. He marries a wonderful young teacher named Christine and they are very happy, not having much materially, but rich in love and plans for the future. They begin their life in the mining town of Wales, where he begins research involving the men with breathing problems due to their exposure to the dust in the underground mines. They eventually move to London....more
Wonderful. I picked this up for $1 at a used book store. I didn't recognize the title or the author but figured, what do I have to lose, it's only a buck, right? Once I started reading, it all came back to me. I read this twenty years ago and in my mind I lumped it with Francis Brett Young's 'Dr. Bradley Remembers' which is another great book, high on the list for a re-read, and very similar in style and subject matter to 'Citadel'. You know a good book when twenty years later you still know all t...more
Instead of telling you what the story is like, I'd rather tell you what I felt like when reading it. My heart intertwined with the main character's heart in a firm grasp, Cronin made the character come alive for me - I felt each little bit of happiness, stressfulness and sadness in those droplets of ink. The main character's personality growth was astounding. I recommend this book especially to everyone considering a career as a doctor.
This is the story of a young country doctor life and how he struggled to become a successful doctor in a big city. Andrew Manson, a young Scotsman man, started his professional life in the mines of Wales where he worked in a tough condition by paying part of his salary to a senior and reputed local doctor. He dedicated part of his life studying lung diseases which was the primary disease found in most of the local miners. In order to improve his career, he moves to London with his wife - a school...more
Back in the day when I was a kid in hostel... The principal reason I treasured going back home for the holidays was to pounce on the mostly untouched private library of a crazy uncle. The books he owned, although withered with the passage of time, were absolute treasures to possess. The Citadel was one of those books. My mother is a doctor and somehow this book - and it's subsequent movie adaptation - had stayed with her all her life since she'd been first introduced to it. Therefore it came hig...more
This is the third time I have read this book and enjoy it more each time. Cronin is a master at character development and a pleasure to read. This book illustrates clearly the Thomas S. Monson quote, 'Decisions determine destiny.' Yet, the author's confidence in the basic goodness of most people leaves both the characters and the reader with hope and not despair.
This novel was simply a cornerstone in the development of my character, life, and principles. The personal conflicts a young doctor faces, described by the very interesting style of A.J.Cronin, can take your breath away and make you eager for the ending and even after that, you will be indulged for a while in the acts of a poor young doctor and if what he did was right or wrong!!!
I dont know if I can do justice to this book from my review, but I will try. The Citadel is my favourite novel without doubt. I will always love this book no matter how many brilliant books I read in the future. I treat this book with a kind of reverence which I give to no other novels and that has a lot to do with how I came across the book and the time at which I read it. I found a really old withered copy of this book in the attic of my mother's home. It was owned by a lot of her relatives as...more
Sep 04, 2018Jamie Collins rated it liked it · review of another edition
3.5 stars. This 1937 novel tells the story of a new doctor who begins his career in 1924 in a small Welsh mining village. At this time, young medical professionals were beginning to realize that the old remedies and medications were useless, if not outright harmful, and that the medical establishment was criminally stagnated. (This is covered, to some extent, in James Herriot’s novels, concerning veterinary medicine.) Dr. Manson has an earnest desire to improve his profession and to make his mark...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this involved tale of medical ethics in a different time and place. Dr. Manson’s development as a doctor exploring priorities, intertwined with his personal struggles over financial goals and the marital conflicts produced from it, make for a great story. Of course it is dated, but the humanity shines through.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Dec 07, 2016Maya rated it liked it · review of another edition
A very interesting read. The moral of the story will always be relevant – a young, poor and idealistic doctor is dragged into the world of moneymaking and, of course, there’s a high price to pay to go back to being an honest professional and a decent human being. It’s written in the 1930s but I just couldn’t get over of how the character of the wife, Christine, was treated not just by the doctor but by the author. That and the easiness with which some complex problems were resolved put me off at...more
Mar 10, 2010Don rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I never read any of the novels written by A.J Cronin before but after reading this book, I was impressed. This book teaches about moral and ethical side of medical profession. Ending was also brilliant. I highly recommend this book.
This was a lovely, old-fashioned novel. It has been in the back of my mind for years as it was one of my mother's favorites. It's the story of a young idealistic doctor, starting out in a Welsh mining town in the early part of the 20th century. The medical system is terrible, and Dr Andrew Manson is continually frustrated by it, even as he moves out to London and into private practice. Written in 1937, the story is subtle, particularly compared to most modern fiction. (view spoiler)[For example,...more
Jul 04, 2018Ângela rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This book portrait everything I like in a book. Has a good story, it has a beginning, a middle and an end, great characters that grow as timeline advances, a full- well- constructed review of english society at that time, all mixed with a few surprises and a fast paced rhythm.
Old fashioned novel about medical ethics of a young doctor ,around 1924. There is a morale dillema about treatment and profit, that still exists . But the heroe was unlicable to me, for he was unfair to his wife, captius, and overpedanting to monay.
Jul 29, 2007Laura rated it liked it
You know you're reading an old book when you read about 'gay meals' (among other outdated phrases). According to the cover, this was adapted by Masterpiece Theatre and I can see why: it's very much their sort of story, almost epical in scope. Andrew is a poor Scotsman, newly graduated from medical school. He finds a position as an assistant in the mining valleys of Wales - of course, the system is unfair, but he's a great doctor and makes friends within the community. Then he's pushed out, and mo...more
Insanely amazing!!!!
A masterpiece, especially for doctors! A must read book!
Sep 18, 2015☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ ⚡ϟ⚡ϟ⚡⛈ ✺❂❤❣ rated it it was amazing
A wonderful cautionary tale.
A solid classic. Strong, memorable characters, engaging storyline, and enriching details come together to purport the tale of a young, penniless doctor who rises out of the obscurity of backwoods coal mining towns to becoming a rich, well-respected London physician. His trading out of idealism for a comfortable life comes with great costs, yet the story just falls short of moralism. Due to the style found in the time period of publication,some of the story techniques are a bit antiquated, as in...more
Read so long ago, but do remember loving this book. Can still picture the cover..
Jun 20, 2016Theresa rated it liked it
Andrew Manson, fresh out of university, is ready to take on the world. Full of zeal and passion to change the world of medicine for the better, Dr. Manson has a desire to research and treat pulmonary disease, specifically tuberculosis, that seems to be the culprit especially among the mining population. In this novel the reader follows Andrew Manson along his path from one disappointment to another, until he finally caves in to the draw of materialism and for a while, loses his dream. Will he eve...more
Aug 12, 2009Meri rated it really liked it
Recommended to Meri by: Book club
This is a very thought provoking and engaging read about a poor young man who starts of in medicine, learning a lot by on the job training in early 1920's Wales. It is both a love story, a life story and a story about ethics and morality. The reader is steered to what is right, but the characters aren't always, which is much like life. It is also particularly interesting to see how both far we've come in medicine and health care, and yet still how much remains the same! Greed verses honesty will...more
Mar 02, 2018Deyanne rated it it was amazing
Shelves: classic
Strange that it has taken me half of a book that I am currently reading to recognize similarities and make me question, 'Have I read this author before?' I discover that I have, only it has been what now seems like maybe a life-time ago. This novel was written early in the 1930's I believe and was quickly recognized for its magnitude and magnificent storytelling. It was made into a popular movie (which I have just discovered at the library). A morality tale of sorts, it follows the life of a yo...more
Jun 20, 2015Gabriel rated it really liked it · review of another edition
The Citadel tells the tale of dr. Manson from the time when he was an assistant doctor in a poor countryside until he was a rich and successful doctor in London. This story concentrates mainly on the evolution (and fall) of this doctor. First he is characterized as intelligent, ambitious and driven to change the old and corrupt medical system around him into a more practical and modern as the medicine of that time was evolving; but after he gains fame and money, he gets caught in the system, bec...more
Almina, Lady Carnarvon, who ran a succession of nursing homes and hospitals for Society folk in London between 1927 and 1943 is the inspiration for 'Ida Sherrington' the proprietress of ' the most fashionable nursing home in London' featured on pages 200-1 of The Citadel ( 26th Impression published by Victor Gollancz.) The description of Ida being ' short, stout and extremely full blooded' with her bright red face 'so thickly covered with powder the result was a mauve complexion almost the colour...more
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Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish novelist, dramatist, and non-fiction writer who was one of the most renowned storytellers of the twentieth century. His best-known works are The Citadel and The Keys of the Kingdom, both of which were made into Oscar-nominated films. He also created the Dr. Finlay character, the hero of a series of stories that served as the basis for the long-running BBC tel...more
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“You are very attractive. And your greatest charm is that you do not realise it!” — 40 likes
A. J. Cronin The Keys Of The Kingdom
“If we go on trying to make out that everything’s wrong outside the profession and everything is right within, it means the death of scientific progress.” — 0 likes
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The Citadel
Author
A. J. Cronin
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Published
1937 Gollancz (UK) Little, Brown (US)
Media type
Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages
446 pp. (UK hardcover)
ISBN
0-450-01041-4
The Citadel is a novel by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937, which was groundbreaking in its treatment of the contentious theme of medical ethics. It has been credited with laying the foundation in Great Britain for the introduction of the NHS a decade later.[1] In the United States, it won the National Book Award for 1937 novels, voted by members of the American Booksellers Association.[2]
For his fifth book, Dr. Cronin drew on his experiences practising medicine in the coal mining communities of the South Wales Valleys, as he had for The Stars Look Down two years earlier. Specifically, he had researched and reported on the correlation between coal dust inhalation and lung disease in the town of Tredegar. He had also worked as a doctor for the Tredegar Medical Aid Society at the Cottage Hospital, which served as the model for the National Health Service.
Cronin once stated in an interview, 'I have written in The Citadel all I feel about the medical profession, its injustices, its hide-bound unscientific stubbornness, its humbug ... The horrors and inequities detailed in the story I have personally witnessed. This is not an attack against individuals, but against a system.'
Plot summary[edit]
In October 1924, Andrew Manson, an idealistic, newly qualified doctor, arrives from Scotland to work as assistant to Doctor Page in the small (fictitious) Welsh mining town of Drineffy (Blaenelly is the name given in some adaptations). He quickly realises that Page is unwell and disabled and that he has to do all the work for a meagre wage. Shocked by the unsanitary conditions he discovers, Manson works to improve matters and receives the support of Dr Philip Denny, a cynical semi-alcoholic who, Manson finds out in due course, took a post as an assistant doctor after having fallen from grace as a surgeon. Resigning, he obtains a post as assistant in a miners' medical aid scheme in 'Aberalaw', a neighbouring coal mining town in the South Wales coalfield. On the strength of this job, Manson marries Christine Barlow, a junior school teacher.
Christine helps her husband with his silicosis research. Eager to improve the lives of his patients, mainly coal miners, Manson dedicates many hours to research in his chosen field of lung disease. He studies for, and is granted, the MRCP, and when his research is published, an MD. The research gains him a post with the 'Mines Fatigue Board' in London, but he resigns after six months to set up a private practice.
Seduced by the thought of easy money from wealthy clients rather than the principles he started out with, Manson becomes involved with pampered private patients and fashionable surgeons and drifts away from his wife. A patient dies because of a surgeon's ineptitude, and the incident causes Manson to abandon his practice and return to his principles. He and his wife repair their damaged relationship, but then she is run over by a bus and killed.
Since Manson has accused the incompetent surgeon of murder, he is vindictively reported to the General Medical Council for having worked with an American tuberculosis specialist, Richard Stillman, who does not have a medical degree, even though the patient had been successfully treated at his clinic. Stillman's treatment, that of pneumothorax involved collapsing an affected lung with nitrogen, and was not universally accepted at the time.
Despite his lawyer's gloomy prognosis, Manson forcefully justifies his actions during the hearing and is not struck off the medical register.
Historical context[edit]
A.j.cronin The Citadel Download
The novel is of interest because of its portrayal of a voluntary contribution medical association which is based (not entirely uncritically) on the Tredegar Medical Aid Society for which Cronin worked for a time in the 1920s, and which in due course became the inspiration for the National Health Service as established under Aneurin Bevan.
Adaptations[edit]
The Citadel A J Cronin
The novel was made into a 1938 film with Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson and Rex Harrison, and television versions include one American (1960), two British (1960 & 1983), and two Italian (1964 & 2003) adaptations of the novel. There are also three film adaptations of the novel in Indian languages: Tere Mere Sapne (1971) in Hindi, Jiban Saikate (1972) in Bengali and Madhura Swapnam (1982) in Telugu.[3] In 2017 an adaptation for radio by Christopher Reason was featured as the BBC Radio 4 15 minute drama. [4]
A J Cronin Quotes
References[edit]
^'An expectant public: 1948–2008 60 years of the NHS'. Birth of NHS in Scotland. Scottish Government. 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
^'Booksellers Give Prize to 'Citadel': Cronin's Work About Doctors Their Favorite--'Mme. Curie' Gets Non-Fiction Award ...', The New York Times, 2 March 1938, page 14. ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851–2007). Ballots were submitted by 319 stores; there had been about 600 ABA members one year earlier. • At the Hotel Astor luncheon, presenter Clifton Fadiman said: 'Unlike the Pulitzer Prize committee, the booksellers merely vote for their favorite books. They do not say it is the best book or the one that will elevate the standard of manhood or womanhood. Twenty years from now we can decide which are the masterpieces. This year we can only decide which books we enjoyed reading the most.'
^'IN FOCUS - Dreaming of a better tomorrow'. The Times of India. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
^'15 Minute Drama, The Citadel'. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
A J Cronin The Citadel Pdf Free Ebook Download
External links[edit]
'The Citadel' on The Campbell Playhouse (January 21, 1940) with Orson Welles and Geraldine Fitzgerald
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Citadel_(novel)&oldid=902241144'
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