Rating: 
Summary: Bringing him back to Blaenelly Standrds
Review: Set in the 20's and 30's of Britain, this fascinating novel
recounts the evolution of a young Scottish doctor embarking upon his career. We follow his struggles from the mines of Wales to posh London and beyond. Committed to helping mankind, hard working though of modest means, Andrew Manson arrives fresh out of medical school--with all the enthusiasm and idealism of youth. Eager to dedicate himself to improving the lives of his rustic patients, Andrew dedicates many hours to private study in his chosen field of lung disease.
But young Andrew is buffeted by fate for many years; although lucky in his choice of a life partner (school teacher Christine Barlow), he encounters opposition at every turn--from his employers, institutions, quacks and busybodies. Each move promises to be an upgrade, but he is rarely permitted to enjoy the change for long. He does meet a few decent young men in his travels, but he gradually chafes under the system which perpetuates greed and ignorance-the medical establishment in general, to which Cronin refers as the Citadel. Only a fool-hardy person would seek to attack such a mighty establishment, for the GMC can always strike a doctor off for misconduct-real or perceived.
Cronin's style is highly readable, with much dialogue and interesting plotting. In fact he offers teaser sentences of woe as unexpected foreshadowing in the last paragraph of chapters which seem to end well. We witness the erosion of Andrew's ideals as he falls victim to the wealthy lifestyle of London's West End milieu. But the more he gains in the eyes of the world, the less he cherishes his faithful, patient wife. Chris struggles in her own private torment, desperately seeking to ally him with old and true friends, who might bring him back to the standards of their early marriage, when they were poor but very happy. Which path will the would-be medical reformer ultimately choose? Will the Citadel shut him out or crush his humanity at the end? A wonderful, timeless classic.
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Summary: Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
Review: "Be careful what you wish for because you just might getit" could express the moral of Cronin's THE CITADEL. I first read THE CITADEL in December of 1984. Then I read some of Cronin's other books.... They are all well written stories with deep moral purpose. They would be worth reading if you like THE CITADEL. But THE CITADEL is a special book. Its 5 star ranking is deserved. You don't have to be an aspiring physician to be attracted to its story or to recognize its universal theme. It's one of those quiet books that should be required reading.... END
Rating:
Summary: Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
Review: "Be careful what you wish for because you just might getit" could express the moral of Cronin's THE CITADEL. I first read THE CITADEL in December of 1984. Then I read some of Cronin's other books.... They are all well written stories with deep moral purpose. They would be worth reading if you like THE CITADEL. But THE CITADEL is a special book. Its 5 star ranking is deserved. You don't have to be an aspiring physician to be attracted to its story or to recognize its universal theme. It's one of those quiet books that should be required reading.... END
Rating:
Summary: Warm, uplifting and heartwrenching
Review: A beautifully written novel. Warm yet heartwrenching, uplifting and tearjerking it propels the reader to a deeply satisfying conclusion: The doctor is ready to battle on for the good of us all. Dr. Manson is a man of deep convictions. His honesty and guts in the end allow him to defeat the temptations of greed and an undemanding, lush lifestyle. If you don't understand the mindset and heart of a "liberal" thinker, read and understand Dr. Andrew Manson. I loved this book. I'd love to see both the Masterpiece theater presentation and the movie by the same title.
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Summary: Wonderful book about a young, ambitious doctor.
Review: A. J. Cronin, a doctor himself, wrote THE CITADEL, an excellent, well written book about a doctor just beginning his medical career. Follow him as he sees his first patient, braves the coal mines to save a young boy, finds his wife, and in the end, finds himself.
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Summary: Outstanding! Makes you think about HMO's.
Review: A.J. Cronin writes such a clear view on ethics and its impact on our lives. He shows us that we can get so involved in our jobs that we forget the important things in our life. Our true friends and our families. Is money the most important thing in your life? Read this book, it will change your out look.
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Summary: An old fashioned good story with a moral
Review: A.J. Cronin's recently reprinted 1937 novel The Citadel is an old fashioned good story with a moral about falling into and being redeeming from the sin of avarice. Andrew Manson is a young doctor who starts this novel as an assistant to a disabled physician in a Welsh mining town. Although his boss -- really his boss' domineering and greedy wife -- make sure that he earns next to nothing despite doing all of the work of the practice, Andrew learns the joy of healing and discovers the challenges of scientific medicine. While there, he also meets his wife, Christine, who in many ways is his better self. Andrew's idealism -- or bullheadedness -- causes him to move from this position to the next, at the same time acquiring impressive credentials, including a MD degree for his thesis studying the effects of silica dust on miners. Then he becomes seduced by money and prestige, buying a down-and-out London practice, becoming a "pill-pusher" to pay the rent, acquiring a few "society" patients, and at last practicing in the manner best suit to maximize income, rather than care for patients. The crisis, when it comes, involves the tubercular daughter of a good friend, whom Andrew refers to a non-physician for experimental (and successful) treatment. Andrew very nearly loses his license to practice, but in the process rediscovers what excites him about medicine. I will not spoil the ending by recounting here what happens to Andrew and Chris; suffice to say that this is both a good and noble read, worthy of many reprintings and readings at the century's end.
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Summary: Superb!
Review: An excellent read. I couldn't put down this book about the life of a young Scottish doctor right out of medical school. The book is punctuated by lots of heartwarming moments, but the author also gives us some thoughts on the ethics behind the medical profession. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Idealism vs. materialism in a beautiful and emotional story
Review: Beautiful biographical fiction of a young doctor's struggle and his journey towards professional opportunity, social acceptance, and moral regression, culminating in dreadful loss and the promise of redemption. I was completely taken in by the fast-paced narrative, and spent the last 100 pages in a wild daze - alternately pleased, frustrated, happy, and angry. I felt like a complete wreck when Cronin finished his somber but faintly uplifting last chapter, findingly suddenly that there was nothing more to read about Andrew and his Christine. The book with its protagonist struggling with few crazy friends against professional mediocrity and ethical failures, closely resembles Sinclair Lewis' Arrowsmith. Connections can also be made to Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, though there was one major distinction between Cronin's struggling doctor and Rand's struggling architect, which is that the doctor was fallible and human while the architect was Ayn Rand's portrait of the ideal man. I kept hoping that Christine would pick up the gauntlet when Andrew's high ethical standards began to slide, but she didn't. Even so, her spirit haunts the book even when she is absent from the narrative, like the strange ghost of a person who is horribly missed. Andrew gives the book its promised idealism, Christine gives it emotion.
Rating:
Summary: Universally Applicable!
Review: His great loss at the end of the book begs the question of personal responsibility. Andrew knew what was right, and how to live in a manner that complimented goodness and morality. He was a diverse thinker, saving an apparent stillborn, changing a woman's diet to eliminate a severe rash rather than apply worthless creams, and he knew the meaning and the worth of being a good medical practitioner. The issue is that when he knew what he should do, and took another path, his punishment would be severe. It would be more severe than if, like those around him, he was not aware of the correct path and went about in ignorance and with avarice, there would be no such punishment. Punishment is based on doing wrong when you know you are doing wrong. This is a wonderful story with a strong treatment of morality, with descriptions of life in Britain, saying something about the bureaucracy, which deals with professional competence, incompetence and jealousy. It is a universal story despite the archaic terms and language that are used.
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