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The Stars Look Down was A.J. Cronin's fourth novel, published in 1935, and this tale of a North country mining family was a great favourite with his readers. Robert Fenwick is a miner, and so are his three sons. His wife is proud that all her four men go down the mines. But David, the youngest, is determined that somehow he will educate himself and work to ameliorate the lives of his comrades who ruin their health to dig the nation's coal. It is, perhaps, a typical tale of the era in which it was written --there were many novels about coal mining, But Cronin, a doctor turned author, had a gift for storytelling, and in his time wrote several very popular and successful novels.
794 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1935
171 people are currently reading
2218 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Cronin
240 books482 followersArchibald 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 television and radio series entitled Dr. Finlay's Casebook.
-Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.J._Cronin
-Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.J._Cronin
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September 27, 2023
The Stars Look Down is about residents of a coal mining town in northeastern England. The fictional town is named Sleescale. It is located near Tynecastle (i.e. Newcastle upon Tyne). The story begins before the First World War and ends in the 1930s.It is a book of historical fiction. It focuses upon the urgent need for nationalization of the coal mining industry. That is the nitty-gritty of the story, but not what makes the book the wonderful story that it is!
The plight of the miners is vividly portrayed. One character, the son of a miner, strives to defend his people through political means. Another miner’s son leaves behind his kith and kin to become a wealthy businessman. He is without scruples and is self-centered. He is a big talker and a swindler. We observe also a third figure intimately—the son of the town’s wealthy mine owning family, as well as his relationship with his father.
Women related to, living with and consorting with these men are focused upon too. There are a wide cast of characters that readers come to know very well. What makes this book above the ordinary and so very, very special are its superb characterizations.
Expertly executed dialogs go a long way in recreating the different characters’ lives and the wide variety of situations that arise. We are there in a flooded mine, at a fire, talking to a man suffering from a stroke, struggling to speak. We rub shoulders with a shell-shocked soldier, a woman that is cheap, vulgar and oh so vain! Another woman becomes a surgeon. A third, totally unpretentious, is happy raising her children, living off the land and helping women in need. Each character feels so very, very real. It is through the revelation of their thoughts and the words that they speak that we come close to them. I was completely drawn into the lives of a wide cast of characters. I was there with these people, people from many different walks of life.
The audiobook is narrated by Arthur Blake. As usual I turned the speed down to 90%. I like to think about authors’ choice of words. Blake switches easily to the dialect spoken by the miners in the North. The audio production quality is rather poor. It sounds almost like there is water running in the background. You hear pages being turned. I think the narration is very good, so I have given Blake four stars, regardless of the bad production.
I am impressed by the writing skills of this author. I like how he concludes the tale; the ending is not fake or sugary sweet. The story is long and keeps you interest all the way through. The characters and their lives pulled me in. I like the contrasting personality types. What is drawn is real and believable. That purity of motive is important is a trait I highly value. Few authors focus upon this, but Cronin does! This book is worth five stars! I intend to read all that I can get by A.J. Cronin.
************************
Standalones:
*The Keys of the Kingdom 5 stars
*The Stars Look Down 5 stars
*A Thing of Beauty 4 stars
*The Citadel 4 stars
*Adventures in Two Worlds 4 srats
(autobiography)
*The Judas Tree 4 stars
*The Spanish Gardener 4 stars
*Hatter's Castle 4 stars
*Beyond This Place TBR
*Three Loves  TBR
*The Northern Light TBR
*Vigil in the NightTBR
*Grand Canary TBR
Duologies:
1,The Green Years 5 stars
2.Shannon's Way 3 stars
--------------------
1.A Song of Sixpence 5 stars
2.A Pocketful of Rye 3 stars
The plight of the miners is vividly portrayed. One character, the son of a miner, strives to defend his people through political means. Another miner’s son leaves behind his kith and kin to become a wealthy businessman. He is without scruples and is self-centered. He is a big talker and a swindler. We observe also a third figure intimately—the son of the town’s wealthy mine owning family, as well as his relationship with his father.
Women related to, living with and consorting with these men are focused upon too. There are a wide cast of characters that readers come to know very well. What makes this book above the ordinary and so very, very special are its superb characterizations.
Expertly executed dialogs go a long way in recreating the different characters’ lives and the wide variety of situations that arise. We are there in a flooded mine, at a fire, talking to a man suffering from a stroke, struggling to speak. We rub shoulders with a shell-shocked soldier, a woman that is cheap, vulgar and oh so vain! Another woman becomes a surgeon. A third, totally unpretentious, is happy raising her children, living off the land and helping women in need. Each character feels so very, very real. It is through the revelation of their thoughts and the words that they speak that we come close to them. I was completely drawn into the lives of a wide cast of characters. I was there with these people, people from many different walks of life.
The audiobook is narrated by Arthur Blake. As usual I turned the speed down to 90%. I like to think about authors’ choice of words. Blake switches easily to the dialect spoken by the miners in the North. The audio production quality is rather poor. It sounds almost like there is water running in the background. You hear pages being turned. I think the narration is very good, so I have given Blake four stars, regardless of the bad production.
I am impressed by the writing skills of this author. I like how he concludes the tale; the ending is not fake or sugary sweet. The story is long and keeps you interest all the way through. The characters and their lives pulled me in. I like the contrasting personality types. What is drawn is real and believable. That purity of motive is important is a trait I highly value. Few authors focus upon this, but Cronin does! This book is worth five stars! I intend to read all that I can get by A.J. Cronin.
************************
Standalones:
*The Keys of the Kingdom 5 stars
*The Stars Look Down 5 stars
*A Thing of Beauty 4 stars
*The Citadel 4 stars
*Adventures in Two Worlds 4 srats
(autobiography)
*The Judas Tree 4 stars
*The Spanish Gardener 4 stars
*Hatter's Castle 4 stars
*Beyond This Place TBR
*Three Loves  TBR
*The Northern Light TBR
*Vigil in the NightTBR
*Grand Canary TBR
Duologies:
1,The Green Years 5 stars
2.Shannon's Way 3 stars
--------------------
1.A Song of Sixpence 5 stars
2.A Pocketful of Rye 3 stars
August 25, 2012
Having been born and bred in a town just like the mining town in Cronin's book I can attest to the accuracy of the pit accounts. One lives with the characters in the town for the duration of the reading of the book. Quarter of a million words but you are sad that the story ends. Set in the 1903 t0 1933 period in the north of England it describes the conflict between labour and capitalism. This is a world in the capitalist machine age, socialism is a dirty word. Unfortunately, with a few changes here and there I see similar conflicts today. The same people are getting screwed and the unscrupulous , the cheats and the liars are still on top of the heap. The description of the pit rows and life down the pit is so accurate. Those miners never saw the sun for months on end. Down the pit before sunrise, up to the surface after sunset. Working in less than 4' high seams and plodging in water as they hewed the coal. The seams ran under the north sea. Read it and appreciate what you have now. Cronin told a wonderful story.
March 1, 2025
Update: В світлі останніх подій повернулась думками до цієї історії і зрозуміла, ще не книга сумна, а реальність. В плані політики автор все дуже реалістично зобразив. 5⭐️
Гарна книжка, але дуже сумна. І чим далі, тим все стає ще сумніше. Автор намагався якомога реалістичніше описати уклад життя того часу, і вийшло, як на мене аж занадто песимістично. Багато політики, і про це, як виявилось, буває навіть захопливо читати. Але чому ж мерзотники всюди перемагають?! Немає в цьому світі справедливості - головна думка автора. Цікаво почитати його біографію, зрозуміти що його надихало.
Гарна книжка, але дуже сумна. І чим далі, тим все стає ще сумніше. Автор намагався якомога реалістичніше описати уклад життя того часу, і вийшло, як на мене аж занадто песимістично. Багато політики, і про це, як виявилось, буває навіть захопливо читати. Але чому ж мерзотники всюди перемагають?! Немає в цьому світі справедливості - головна думка автора. Цікаво почитати його біографію, зрозуміти що його надихало.
April 1, 2024
Це просто емоційний пиздець. Справедливості не існує і баста.
December 18, 2015
Strano caso quello di Cronin, per quel che mi riguarda.
Ho letto E le stelle stanno a guardare praticamente tutto di un fiato. E mi è anche piaciuto parecchio. C’è ritmo, tensione, incisività espressiva, capacità descrittiva e sincero desiderio di narrare. Sotto questo profilo, il romanzo è ineccepibile.
Il problema, perché un problema c’è, risiede nel fatto che i personaggi, per quanto accattivanti siano, risultano del tutto statici. Scolpiti nella pietra, potremmo dire. Qualsiasi cosa accada, e ne accadono tante di cose, restano immutabilmente vincolati alla loro originaria posizione, a torto o a ragione che sia. Ossia, non crescono e raramente evolvono.
Questo non è un demerito in sé, a dir il vero, perché talvolta ci può anche stare. Se, ad esempio, prendiamo Marta Fenwick, moglie di Robert e madre di David, Sam e Ugo, la sua “graniticità”, unita all’amore per la famiglia, al senso del dovere e al suo non tirarsi mai indietro nell’esprimere le sue personali opinioni, non sempre supportate dai fatti, come appare evidente, la rende sicuramente il personaggio più riuscito nell’ambito in cui è inserita.
Ma lo stesso non può dirsi per il resto dell’entourage. Un Mr. Barras sempre cattivo e avido, persino oltre il colpo apoplettico che lo coglie all’improvviso, un Joe Gowlan sempre perfido sino alle midolla, anche quando potrebbe, infine, rilassarsi e soffermarsi a pensare, una Sally sempre pervicacemente tesa a conseguire futili obiettivi, nonostante gli scarsi risultati ottenuti in passato, un David sempre “buono” al limite della stupidità, sebbene abbia toccato con mano un’ampia gamma di difetti umani e un Arthur sempre debole e indeciso come una banderuola mossa dal vento, nonostante le prove subite … no, non sono credibili. Non messi tutti assieme, per lo meno.
Benché coinvolgente nell’insieme, questo “andazzo” mi ha fatto pensare, a tratti, alla struttura delle, ahinoi, sterili future telenovelas, che hanno imperversato per qualche anno sui nostri e altrui schermi. Unitamente al finale, che si approssima molto al più che rinomato happy end. Un happy end non apertamente dichiarato, ma più che sufficientemente suggerito.
Le parti migliori del romanzo sono quelle in cui Cronin narra della vita quotidiana dei minatori, delle loro abitudini e della durezza delle condizioni di lavoro. Anche se, sicuramente, tace su qualsiasi aspetto più violento e meno politically correct della questione, sia a livello pubblico, sia a livello privato. Meno efficace è la sua penna quando si occupa delle classi sociali più elevate, dove il suo narrare appare più rarefatto e “ingessato”.
In buona sostanza, in linea di massima è un universo un po’ troppo “costruito a tavolino” quel che Cronin ci propone per essere convincente. Ciascun personaggio ha il proprio specifico ruolo e da lì non lo spostano neanche le cannonate. Ma, comunque, ottimamente raccontato, non c’è dubbio. Di questo bisogna dargli atto.
*****
Ventunesimo GdL della Stamberga dei lettori
Lunedì 1 settembre 2014 - Domenica 7 settembre 2014: Libro 1 (capitoli 1-17)
Lunedì 8 settembre 2014 - Domenica 14 settembre 2014: Libro 1 (capitoli 18-24); Libro 2 (capitoli 1-8)
Lunedì 15 settembre 2014 - Domenica 21 settembre 2014: Libro 2 (capitoli 9-21); Libro 3 (capitoli 1-4)
Lunedì 22 settembre 2014 - Domenica 28 settembre 2014: Libro 3 (capitoli 5-23)
Ho letto E le stelle stanno a guardare praticamente tutto di un fiato. E mi è anche piaciuto parecchio. C’è ritmo, tensione, incisività espressiva, capacità descrittiva e sincero desiderio di narrare. Sotto questo profilo, il romanzo è ineccepibile.
Il problema, perché un problema c’è, risiede nel fatto che i personaggi, per quanto accattivanti siano, risultano del tutto statici. Scolpiti nella pietra, potremmo dire. Qualsiasi cosa accada, e ne accadono tante di cose, restano immutabilmente vincolati alla loro originaria posizione, a torto o a ragione che sia. Ossia, non crescono e raramente evolvono.
Questo non è un demerito in sé, a dir il vero, perché talvolta ci può anche stare. Se, ad esempio, prendiamo Marta Fenwick, moglie di Robert e madre di David, Sam e Ugo, la sua “graniticità”, unita all’amore per la famiglia, al senso del dovere e al suo non tirarsi mai indietro nell’esprimere le sue personali opinioni, non sempre supportate dai fatti, come appare evidente, la rende sicuramente il personaggio più riuscito nell’ambito in cui è inserita.
Ma lo stesso non può dirsi per il resto dell’entourage. Un Mr. Barras sempre cattivo e avido, persino oltre il colpo apoplettico che lo coglie all’improvviso, un Joe Gowlan sempre perfido sino alle midolla, anche quando potrebbe, infine, rilassarsi e soffermarsi a pensare, una Sally sempre pervicacemente tesa a conseguire futili obiettivi, nonostante gli scarsi risultati ottenuti in passato, un David sempre “buono” al limite della stupidità, sebbene abbia toccato con mano un’ampia gamma di difetti umani e un Arthur sempre debole e indeciso come una banderuola mossa dal vento, nonostante le prove subite … no, non sono credibili. Non messi tutti assieme, per lo meno.
Benché coinvolgente nell’insieme, questo “andazzo” mi ha fatto pensare, a tratti, alla struttura delle, ahinoi, sterili future telenovelas, che hanno imperversato per qualche anno sui nostri e altrui schermi. Unitamente al finale, che si approssima molto al più che rinomato happy end. Un happy end non apertamente dichiarato, ma più che sufficientemente suggerito.
Le parti migliori del romanzo sono quelle in cui Cronin narra della vita quotidiana dei minatori, delle loro abitudini e della durezza delle condizioni di lavoro. Anche se, sicuramente, tace su qualsiasi aspetto più violento e meno politically correct della questione, sia a livello pubblico, sia a livello privato. Meno efficace è la sua penna quando si occupa delle classi sociali più elevate, dove il suo narrare appare più rarefatto e “ingessato”.
In buona sostanza, in linea di massima è un universo un po’ troppo “costruito a tavolino” quel che Cronin ci propone per essere convincente. Ciascun personaggio ha il proprio specifico ruolo e da lì non lo spostano neanche le cannonate. Ma, comunque, ottimamente raccontato, non c’è dubbio. Di questo bisogna dargli atto.
*****
Ventunesimo GdL della Stamberga dei lettori
Lunedì 1 settembre 2014 - Domenica 7 settembre 2014: Libro 1 (capitoli 1-17)
Lunedì 8 settembre 2014 - Domenica 14 settembre 2014: Libro 1 (capitoli 18-24); Libro 2 (capitoli 1-8)
Lunedì 15 settembre 2014 - Domenica 21 settembre 2014: Libro 2 (capitoli 9-21); Libro 3 (capitoli 1-4)
Lunedì 22 settembre 2014 - Domenica 28 settembre 2014: Libro 3 (capitoli 5-23)
September 2, 2022
”Studie fețele bărbăților și femeilor care zoreau pe lângă el și i se păru că pe fiecare dintre ele citește o stranie încordare, de parcă fiecare ar fi fost absorbit numai și numai de acea viață intimă, particulară, ascunsă îndărătul fiecărui chip, și de nimic altceva.
(...) fu șocat de gândul oribil că în mijlocul acelui șuvoi uriaș de viață năvalnică și precipitată, fiecare trăia pentru propriile sale interese, pentru propria sa mulțumire, pentru binele său propriu, numai și numai pentru sine. Fiecare se gândea numai la el, iar viețile altora nu reprezentau decât un auxiliar pentru propria sa existență; ceilalți nu contau, conta doar el, el, individul însuși. Viețile tuturor celorlalți au importanță doar în măsura în care afectează fericirea ta proprie. Și omul e în stare să sacrifice fericirea și viețile altor oameni, e în stare să-i înșele și să-i escrocheze, să-i extermine și să-i anihileze, numai și numai pentru propriul său bine, pentru propriile sale interese, pentru propria lui persoană.”
(...) fu șocat de gândul oribil că în mijlocul acelui șuvoi uriaș de viață năvalnică și precipitată, fiecare trăia pentru propriile sale interese, pentru propria sa mulțumire, pentru binele său propriu, numai și numai pentru sine. Fiecare se gândea numai la el, iar viețile altora nu reprezentau decât un auxiliar pentru propria sa existență; ceilalți nu contau, conta doar el, el, individul însuși. Viețile tuturor celorlalți au importanță doar în măsura în care afectează fericirea ta proprie. Și omul e în stare să sacrifice fericirea și viețile altor oameni, e în stare să-i înșele și să-i escrocheze, să-i extermine și să-i anihileze, numai și numai pentru propriul său bine, pentru propriile sale interese, pentru propria lui persoană.”
September 16, 2014
Cronin, oltre a essere scrittore, è stato medico e la sua esperienza in questo campo o meglio di ispettore medico minerario, è stata fondamentale nella stesura di questo romanzo.
Nella lettura, sembra di vivere alcune delle ambientazioni tipiche di Dickens. Anche qui, come i Dickens, Cronin delinea personaggi che sembrano così reali e veri, talmente veri da poter incontrare nella vita di tutti i giorni.
Siamo a Sleescale, una città mineraria fittizia sullo sfondo del Galles, e proprio qui si raccontano le vicende dei molti protagonisti. I protagonisti sono o cinici, opportunisti, gente disposta a tutto per il proprio obiettivo, per il potere oppure sono personaggi come Davide, che cerca di cambiare il corso delle cose grazie alla forza dei suoi ideali, del suo senso di giustizia e rispetto, soprattutto verso i più indifesi.
Una storia dal sapore amaro, una storia di soprusi, di egoismo, ma anche di speranza e voglia di riscatto. Gli ultimi due capitoli sono la testimonianza più vera e reale di ciò. Mi piacerebbe trascriverli per farvi capire di cosa sto parlando, ma dal momento che è impossibile, quello che vi invito a fare è leggerlo e amarlo, proprio come ho fatto io.
Nella lettura, sembra di vivere alcune delle ambientazioni tipiche di Dickens. Anche qui, come i Dickens, Cronin delinea personaggi che sembrano così reali e veri, talmente veri da poter incontrare nella vita di tutti i giorni.
Siamo a Sleescale, una città mineraria fittizia sullo sfondo del Galles, e proprio qui si raccontano le vicende dei molti protagonisti. I protagonisti sono o cinici, opportunisti, gente disposta a tutto per il proprio obiettivo, per il potere oppure sono personaggi come Davide, che cerca di cambiare il corso delle cose grazie alla forza dei suoi ideali, del suo senso di giustizia e rispetto, soprattutto verso i più indifesi.
Una storia dal sapore amaro, una storia di soprusi, di egoismo, ma anche di speranza e voglia di riscatto. Gli ultimi due capitoli sono la testimonianza più vera e reale di ciò. Mi piacerebbe trascriverli per farvi capire di cosa sto parlando, ma dal momento che è impossibile, quello che vi invito a fare è leggerlo e amarlo, proprio come ho fatto io.
April 1, 2022
Un roman fabulos prin acuratețea lui Cronin. Avem de-a face, de-a lungul întregii cărți (700 de pagini frumos scrise), cu destinul a trei personaje semnificative: David, un tânăr miner care va deveni o persoană importantă, Joe, cel mai odios personaj al romanului și Arthur, ultimul vlăstar al familiei Barras, stăpâna minei Neptun.
„- În viață, dacă vrei să te distrezi trebuie să ai bani, nu glumă! Și - te întreb eu: ce, în mină poți să faci bani?”
„- În viață, dacă vrei să te distrezi trebuie să ai bani, nu glumă! Și - te întreb eu: ce, în mină poți să faci bani?”
July 24, 2016
I found it difficult to get into this book for probably the first 50, 60 pages or so, which sounds like a lot but this is a 600 plus page book, and boy am I glad that I stuck with it! If I hadn't been such a fan of A J Cronin I may have abandoned ship and I would have missed a truly amazing journey. The character development is masterful, really delving into the impact of both nature and nurture as well as the good and evil in humankind. The story revolves around a mining family in the early 1900's and the hardships that they face. The focus on the plight of poor families is a focus of many novels, but Cronin excels in artfully presenting the emotions of the characters, however depressing it might be. A magnificent read, which has left me wanting more stories from my current obsession, A J Cronin!
May 11, 2016
Some books should have a warning: Reading seriously harms you and makes you feel frustrated. However, it was breathtaking.
March 6, 2014
http://youtu.be/mHR15oml5Ls
Plot summary: Davey Fenwick leaves his mining village on a university scholarship intent on returning to better support the miners against the owners. But he falls in love with Jenny who gets him to marry her and return home as local schoolteacher before finishing his degree. Davey finds he is ill-at-ease in his role, the more so when he realises Jenny still loves her former boyfriend. When he finds that his father and the other miners are going to have to continue working on a possibly deadly coal seam he decides to act. Written by Jeremy Perkins
This is the second novel (the other was'The Keys of the Kingdom')I have noticed the town of Tynecastle and I presume Cronin is referring to the city and suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne.
5* The Citadel
5* Hatter's Castle
4* The Green Years
TR The Judas Tree
5* The Spanish Gardener
3* Adventures Of A Black Bag
3* The Keys of the Kingdom
4* The Stars Look Down
July 18, 2024
Кронін ще жодного разу не розчарував🔥 Це просто неймовірний роман про боротьбу з класовою системою та пригнобленням нижчих верств населення.
Розповідь ведеться від різних оповідачів з різним соціальним становищем та життєвими принципами. Дуже цікаво спостерігати події з багатьох сторін і мати цілісну картину того, що відбувається.
Спочатку я думала, що роман лише про робітників шахт та їх сім'ї, злидні в яких вони перебувають щодня, труднощі з якими вони стикаються. АЛЕ ОДНОЗНАЧНО ОЧІКУЙТЕ БІЛЬШЕ! (не буду розповідати, бо не хочу спойлерити)
5/5
Розповідь ведеться від різних оповідачів з різним соціальним становищем та життєвими принципами. Дуже цікаво спостерігати події з багатьох сторін і мати цілісну картину того, що відбувається.
Спочатку я думала, що роман лише про робітників шахт та їх сім'ї, злидні в яких вони перебувають щодня, труднощі з якими вони стикаються. АЛЕ ОДНОЗНАЧНО ОЧІКУЙТЕ БІЛЬШЕ! (не буду розповідати, бо не хочу спойлерити)
5/5
September 1, 2018
How can a book be so beautiful yet so devastating? As one of the other reviewers said, this book should come with a warning. If current affairs in the world are getting you down then this book will help you become even more depressed.
Set in a mining town in the North of England in the early part of the twentieth century , The Stars Look Down follows a host of characters associated with the mine. There are many characters, but I’d argue that our hero is David Fenwick, who starts in the mines as a boy, but extracts himself to study and become a teacher and politician. The co-protagonist is Arthur Barras, the son of The mine owner. He is principled and vows to make the mine safer when he is in charge.
Our baddies are Joe Gowlan, an insufferable sociopath who is only interested in appearance, money, and sex. Every time you think he has developed a conscience you are sorely disappointed. Richard Barras is Arthur’s father and owner of the mine. He is a businessman through and through.
I’ve named just four characters, but there are many more and what I found most striking about this book is Cronin’s ability to make every character feel whole. My summaries above flatten the characters. They are quite complex and when Cronin writes from the point of view of Richard or Joe, I found that I understood them. I disliked them, but I understood them.
I’ve made this book sound very male dominated, and in some ways many of the main actions are propelled by the choices of men, but there are numerous female characters including David’s stoic and traditional mom, his frivolous wife Jenny, and Arthur’s two sisters (one a surgeon and one a farmer). One is struck by the lack of choice most women had in how to lead their lives. They were wives and mothers, with little opportunity to do much else. It is only Arthur’s sister who is able to break free and follow her dream of becoming a surgeon.
Where the story is depressing, is that both Arthur and David try to do good but are seemingly conspired against by bad luck, the market forces, and the greed of others. The triumph of Joe Gowlan in the end is utterly crushing and what’s even worse is that Joe’s nebulous, empty campaign statements sound so much like those of some of today’s worst politicians. Nothing has changed. The only good that I could take away was that David was honorable and lived by his principles.
Set in a mining town in the North of England in the early part of the twentieth century , The Stars Look Down follows a host of characters associated with the mine. There are many characters, but I’d argue that our hero is David Fenwick, who starts in the mines as a boy, but extracts himself to study and become a teacher and politician. The co-protagonist is Arthur Barras, the son of The mine owner. He is principled and vows to make the mine safer when he is in charge.
Our baddies are Joe Gowlan, an insufferable sociopath who is only interested in appearance, money, and sex. Every time you think he has developed a conscience you are sorely disappointed. Richard Barras is Arthur’s father and owner of the mine. He is a businessman through and through.
I’ve named just four characters, but there are many more and what I found most striking about this book is Cronin’s ability to make every character feel whole. My summaries above flatten the characters. They are quite complex and when Cronin writes from the point of view of Richard or Joe, I found that I understood them. I disliked them, but I understood them.
I’ve made this book sound very male dominated, and in some ways many of the main actions are propelled by the choices of men, but there are numerous female characters including David’s stoic and traditional mom, his frivolous wife Jenny, and Arthur’s two sisters (one a surgeon and one a farmer). One is struck by the lack of choice most women had in how to lead their lives. They were wives and mothers, with little opportunity to do much else. It is only Arthur’s sister who is able to break free and follow her dream of becoming a surgeon.
Where the story is depressing, is that both Arthur and David try to do good but are seemingly conspired against by bad luck, the market forces, and the greed of others. The triumph of Joe Gowlan in the end is utterly crushing and what’s even worse is that Joe’s nebulous, empty campaign statements sound so much like those of some of today’s worst politicians. Nothing has changed. The only good that I could take away was that David was honorable and lived by his principles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2015
Un capolavoro da rileggere ogni 10 anni circa, per scoprire che il mondo è sempre lo stesso.
Me lo ripeto sempre, che leggere un grande classico di quando in quando fa bene allo spirito. Eppure questo romanzo, ambientato tra le miniere del Galles e Londra durante gli inizi del XX secolo, non è propriamente una lettura leggera. Ma i personaggi sono così ben delineati, la storia bilanciata e coinvolgente, la narrazione fluida, l'argomento scottante nonostante il tempo trascorso, da ridarti serenità e voglia di leggere quando qualche romanzo moderno troppo in voga te la toglie.
La sensazione piacevole per me è resa soprattutto dal sapere chiaramente cosa pensa l'autore di ogni singolo personaggio. Nulla è nascosto, gli aggettivi sono da subito appropriati per ognuno, nessuno scherzo o voltafaccia, tutto è proprio come l'autore ce lo voleva far intendere fin dall'inizio, coerentemente con la sua visione di un'umanità composta da individui che pensano inevitabilmente, inesorabilmente ognuno per sè. E se anche individualmente qualcuno cerca di opporsi a questo destino, sia partendo dal basso della scala sociale che dall'altro, il suo sforzo è destinato a fallire miseramente contro la volontà negativa dei molti che ha il sopravvento. Alla fine rassegnarsi a questa verità è il minore dei mali, perché l'umanità va avanti nonostante tutto così da sempre, vittima dell'ignoranza e dell'egoismo. Inevitabile verso la fine del racconto il paragone con la situazione politica recente, quando si narra l'ascesa politica del più abile e affabulatore dei pescecani di guerra, l'individuo squallido per eccellenza del romanzo, l'unico capace di mutare il proprio destino grazie alla capacità di sopraffare gli altri: eppure il popolino lo acclama e gli dà fiducia oltre ogni ragionevole evidenza.
Me lo ripeto sempre, che leggere un grande classico di quando in quando fa bene allo spirito. Eppure questo romanzo, ambientato tra le miniere del Galles e Londra durante gli inizi del XX secolo, non è propriamente una lettura leggera. Ma i personaggi sono così ben delineati, la storia bilanciata e coinvolgente, la narrazione fluida, l'argomento scottante nonostante il tempo trascorso, da ridarti serenità e voglia di leggere quando qualche romanzo moderno troppo in voga te la toglie.
La sensazione piacevole per me è resa soprattutto dal sapere chiaramente cosa pensa l'autore di ogni singolo personaggio. Nulla è nascosto, gli aggettivi sono da subito appropriati per ognuno, nessuno scherzo o voltafaccia, tutto è proprio come l'autore ce lo voleva far intendere fin dall'inizio, coerentemente con la sua visione di un'umanità composta da individui che pensano inevitabilmente, inesorabilmente ognuno per sè. E se anche individualmente qualcuno cerca di opporsi a questo destino, sia partendo dal basso della scala sociale che dall'altro, il suo sforzo è destinato a fallire miseramente contro la volontà negativa dei molti che ha il sopravvento. Alla fine rassegnarsi a questa verità è il minore dei mali, perché l'umanità va avanti nonostante tutto così da sempre, vittima dell'ignoranza e dell'egoismo. Inevitabile verso la fine del racconto il paragone con la situazione politica recente, quando si narra l'ascesa politica del più abile e affabulatore dei pescecani di guerra, l'individuo squallido per eccellenza del romanzo, l'unico capace di mutare il proprio destino grazie alla capacità di sopraffare gli altri: eppure il popolino lo acclama e gli dà fiducia oltre ogni ragionevole evidenza.
May 5, 2012
I could not believe how relevant this novel is! It's so much like what we see today in the political and economic arena--political corruption, the helplessness of the poor, working class, the power of those with money to make the rules and control the government, the ineffectiveness of those who lack money to make much of a difference. The novel uses the mining industry to illustrate all these sweeping concepts. The author definitely seems to be railing against capitalism and advocating socialism. The main character, a poor fellow from the working classes who has a chance of succeeding, moving from the mines to a career in teaching, finally gets into the government hoping to change the mining industry for the poor, almost-enslaved miners, but he completely fails. He is eventually soundly beaten by another fellow, a friend of his, also from a poor working class family who has lied, cheated and stolen to get to the top! In the end, the hero seems to me to have completely failed. He ends up back in the mines and has not succeeded in changing anything for the workers. The novel certainly is about the theme of capitalism and rugged individualism versus a compassionate socialism. And in this novel, those with the money or those those who step on others, crush them, to gain money and power, win out.
February 13, 2013
The good thing about Cronin is that he doesn't have to end on a happy note. After all, in this he writes about the very real and hard life of men in a deprived area in the 1930s. We are talking of the times of the Jarrow March, Where 60% of men were unemployed in some northern towns and no state assistance. Even those, who are gifted cannot always pull themselves out.
I still find the scenes in the mine and the disaster very harrowing. It is strange to think that this was essential reading and now it is out-of-print.
How time changes... Hopefully, our current economic woes, will not send us back in time to this.
Please put it back in print.
I still find the scenes in the mine and the disaster very harrowing. It is strange to think that this was essential reading and now it is out-of-print.
How time changes... Hopefully, our current economic woes, will not send us back in time to this.
Please put it back in print.
September 28, 2012
I originally got this because I was doing research on Welsh mining communities (with a small inward chuckle that I knew the title because it was referenced once in Lord Peter Wimsey).
Then I couldn't put it down. This is a compelling read. Every chapter hits hard. The conclusion is so depressingly topical that one might almost think a modern author with a political bent wrote a historical novel to make a point - except no, this was indeed published in the 1930s.
Then I couldn't put it down. This is a compelling read. Every chapter hits hard. The conclusion is so depressingly topical that one might almost think a modern author with a political bent wrote a historical novel to make a point - except no, this was indeed published in the 1930s.
October 24, 2022
Excruciatingly beautiful and sad book: on a situation that nowadays no longer exists – the mining field in England or Europe in general (but it has to be remembered that the Marcinelle disaster, sadly known (?) to Italian memory was in 1956, almost 30 years after the one here described). But the life of workers all over the world – but in Europe as well, not only India or China, mind you – is not so better as they want us to believe.
Excruciatingly sad because it looks as all that’s good is doomed to fail, and only the worst characters succeed and prosper. Still, going down in the pit, after having been in Parliament, David still hope to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I only hoped I could see it as well, from my “privileged” position…
P.S Great character Hilda, a female doctor…
I want you to let me go away and do something.”
He uncovered his eyes and measured her curiously. He repeated:
“Do something?”
“Yes, do something,” she said violently. “ Let me train for something. Get some position.”
“Some position?” The same remote tone of wonder. “ What position?”
“Any position. To be your secretary. To be a nurse. Or let me go in for medicine. I’d like that best of all.”
He studied her again, still pleasantly ironic.
“And what,” he said, “ is to happen when you marry?” - My grandfather, in 1957, when my mom wanted to study medicine, answer the same way. She persisted, and finally became a great doctor... but it has been hard, even after almost 50 years from Cronin's times
I’m not educating myself to teach. I’m not cut out for teaching—too impatient, I suppose. I’m educating myself to fight. What I honestly want to do is different, and it’s hard, terribly hard to explain. But it just amounts to this. I want to do something for my own kind, for the men who work in the pits.
Grace and Dan began to go out regularly. They went to the oddest places and they enjoyed themselves—oh, how they enjoyed themselves! They walked on the Chelsea Embankment, took the steamboat to Putney and the bus to Richmond, they found out queer little tea shops, they had macaroni and minestrone in Soho—it was all banal and beautiful, it had happened a million times before and yet it had never happened to Grace and Dan.
To begin with, Hetty was, in her own phrase, a good girl. Actually she had no morality; she was pure by design, saved from sin by the marketable value of her virginity.
Two hundred thousand pounds: the magnitude of the total, the loving neatness, the smug complacency that ran through the rows and rows of figures, maddened him. Money, money, money; money sweated and bled from the bodies of men. Men didn’t matter; it was money that mattered, money, money, money. Death, destruction, famine, war—all were as nothing so long as these sleek money bags were safe.
They had accused him of preaching Revolution. But the only Revolution he demanded was in the heart of man, an escape from meanness, cruelty and self-interest towards that devotion and nobility of which the human heart was capable. Without that, all other change was futile [...] Ever since his return to the Neptune, David felt this moment deeply. He had failed, perhaps, to lead the van in battle, but at least he was marching with the men. He had not betrayed himself or them. Their lot remained bound to his lot, their future to his future. Courage came to him from the thought. Perhaps one day he would rise again from the pit, one day, perhaps, help this plodding army towards a new freedom. Instinctively he lifted his head.
“What I want is to see this Bill amended to the form when it implements our pledge and satisfies the conscience of every man inside the party. Then take it to the House. If we’re defeated we go to the country on our Bill. Then the men know than we fought for them. We could not have a better case.”
Another cry of” Hear, hear,” from the far end of the room; but in the main a murmur of disapproval went up from around the table. Chalmers bent slowly forward.
“I’ve been put here,” he said, prodding the table with one forefinger to emphasise his words, “ and I’m going to stay put.”
“Don’t you realise,” Dudgeon resumed affably, “we’ve got to show the country our ability to govern. We’re winnin’ golden opinions for the way we’re handlin’ affairs.”
“Don’t delude yourself,” David retumed bitterly. “They’re laughing at us. Read the Tory papers! The lower class aping their betters. The tame menagerie. According to them we’re not governing, we’re performing. And if we run away from them over this Bill they’ll have nothing but contempt for us! ”
Excruciatingly sad because it looks as all that’s good is doomed to fail, and only the worst characters succeed and prosper. Still, going down in the pit, after having been in Parliament, David still hope to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I only hoped I could see it as well, from my “privileged” position…
P.S Great character Hilda, a female doctor…
I want you to let me go away and do something.”
He uncovered his eyes and measured her curiously. He repeated:
“Do something?”
“Yes, do something,” she said violently. “ Let me train for something. Get some position.”
“Some position?” The same remote tone of wonder. “ What position?”
“Any position. To be your secretary. To be a nurse. Or let me go in for medicine. I’d like that best of all.”
He studied her again, still pleasantly ironic.
“And what,” he said, “ is to happen when you marry?” - My grandfather, in 1957, when my mom wanted to study medicine, answer the same way. She persisted, and finally became a great doctor... but it has been hard, even after almost 50 years from Cronin's times
I’m not educating myself to teach. I’m not cut out for teaching—too impatient, I suppose. I’m educating myself to fight. What I honestly want to do is different, and it’s hard, terribly hard to explain. But it just amounts to this. I want to do something for my own kind, for the men who work in the pits.
Grace and Dan began to go out regularly. They went to the oddest places and they enjoyed themselves—oh, how they enjoyed themselves! They walked on the Chelsea Embankment, took the steamboat to Putney and the bus to Richmond, they found out queer little tea shops, they had macaroni and minestrone in Soho—it was all banal and beautiful, it had happened a million times before and yet it had never happened to Grace and Dan.
To begin with, Hetty was, in her own phrase, a good girl. Actually she had no morality; she was pure by design, saved from sin by the marketable value of her virginity.
Two hundred thousand pounds: the magnitude of the total, the loving neatness, the smug complacency that ran through the rows and rows of figures, maddened him. Money, money, money; money sweated and bled from the bodies of men. Men didn’t matter; it was money that mattered, money, money, money. Death, destruction, famine, war—all were as nothing so long as these sleek money bags were safe.
They had accused him of preaching Revolution. But the only Revolution he demanded was in the heart of man, an escape from meanness, cruelty and self-interest towards that devotion and nobility of which the human heart was capable. Without that, all other change was futile [...] Ever since his return to the Neptune, David felt this moment deeply. He had failed, perhaps, to lead the van in battle, but at least he was marching with the men. He had not betrayed himself or them. Their lot remained bound to his lot, their future to his future. Courage came to him from the thought. Perhaps one day he would rise again from the pit, one day, perhaps, help this plodding army towards a new freedom. Instinctively he lifted his head.
“What I want is to see this Bill amended to the form when it implements our pledge and satisfies the conscience of every man inside the party. Then take it to the House. If we’re defeated we go to the country on our Bill. Then the men know than we fought for them. We could not have a better case.”
Another cry of” Hear, hear,” from the far end of the room; but in the main a murmur of disapproval went up from around the table. Chalmers bent slowly forward.
“I’ve been put here,” he said, prodding the table with one forefinger to emphasise his words, “ and I’m going to stay put.”
“Don’t you realise,” Dudgeon resumed affably, “we’ve got to show the country our ability to govern. We’re winnin’ golden opinions for the way we’re handlin’ affairs.”
“Don’t delude yourself,” David retumed bitterly. “They’re laughing at us. Read the Tory papers! The lower class aping their betters. The tame menagerie. According to them we’re not governing, we’re performing. And if we run away from them over this Bill they’ll have nothing but contempt for us! ”
October 5, 2014
«Era ancora scuro quando Marta si svegliò, e il freddo era crudo. Il vento s'ingolfava gelido nelle crepe dei muri della casupola di due soli vani. Si udiva, lontano il rantolo delle onde. Il resto era silenzio.
Immobile, Marta si teneva il più possibile discosta da Roberto che aveva dato segni di irrequietezza, e tossito spasmodicamente, a tratti, durante la notte. Stette ancora un minuto a giacere, arcigna, armandosi per affrontare quest'altra odiosa giornata, sforzandosi a soffocare il malanimo che sentiva contro di lui. Poi, a stento, si levò.»
Su queste note si apre E le stelle stanno a guardare (The Stars Look Down): nella cittadina costiera di Sleescale, Northumberland, i minatori - guidati da Robert Fenwick - portano avanti uno sciopero senza speranza. Richard Barras, il proprietario della Neptune, li costringe a scavare in una galleria umida e infida, e a nulla valgono avvertimenti e presentimenti di tragedia. Ridotti all'osso, impegnato al Monte di Pietà tutto l'impegnabile, i minatori tirano avanti con le unghie e con i denti.
Cronin intreccia in una storia corale le voci della cittadina di Sleescale, nel Northumberland, concentrandosi prevalentemente su tre personaggi: Davey Fenwick, figlio minore di una povera e onesta famiglia di minatori; Joe Gowlan, perdigiorno di grandi speranze; Arthur Barras, rampollo del proprietario della Neptune.
Tra piccole vittorie, grandi ideali e ancor più grandi tragedie si snodano vent'anni di storia della classe operaia inglese.
Ispettore medico delle miniere in Galles, lo scrittore britannico Archibald Joseph Cronin dipinge un quadro senza speranza delle miserevoli condizioni di vita e di lavoro in cui versavano i minatori e le loro famiglie tra le due guerre, oppressi dalla povertà e dallo sfruttamento dell'avida classe padronale.
L'occhio impietoso di Cronin non risparmia ricchi né poveri: non Davey l'idealista, fuggito con l'aiuto del padre dal buio delle miniere nella speranza di un futuro da insegnante, e intrappolato in un matrimonio infelice con la frivola Jenny; non Arthur, dal carattere debole, perennemente in lotta con l'autorità paterna per la sua volontà di rendere meno misere e più sicure le condizioni di vita dei minatori. Aleggia su di loro l'ombra dell'insuccesso, politico e personale, ineluttabile dal momento in cui hanno preso la decisione di infrangere codici inespressi e di mutare dinamiche immutabili.
I conflitti dilaniano ogni gradino della piramide sociale: si va da un'Inghilterra spaccata tra laburisti e conservatori a una Sleescale dominata da un consiglio comunale di profittatori; le famiglie stesse sono rose da contrasti: moglie contro marito, suocera contro nuora, figlio contro padre. Cronin dipinge una galleria di amari ritratti - alcuni realistici, altri decisamente monodimensionali - condannati con ben poche eccezioni al fallimento. Tra tutti, a vincere sarà l'arrampicatore sociale Joe, grazie alla sua inestinguibile avidità: andato via da Sleescale con grandi ambizioni, saprà speculare sulla povertà, sull'ingenuità, sulla malattia, sulla guerra.
E le stelle stanno a guardare è una monumentale opera dal sapore dickensiano che denuncia la corruzione a ogni livello. E, non ultima, denuncia l'idiozia delle classi povere, che si scagliano su chi compie sforzi immani per risollevarle e acclamano invece chi, con un sorriso, si arricchisce sulla loro pelle: la storia del nostro Paese, la storia di molti Paesi, ancora attuale come non mai.
Recensione pubblicata anche su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
[Ventunesimo GdL della Stamberga:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Lunedì 1 - Domenica 7: Libro 1 (capitoli 1-17)
Lunedì 8 - Domenica 14: Libro 1 (capitoli 18-24); Libro 2 (capitoli 1-8)
Lunedì 15 - Domenica 21: Libro 2 (capitoli 9-21); Libro 3 (capitoli 1-4)
Lunedì 22 - Domenica 27: Libro 3 (capitoli 5-23)]
Immobile, Marta si teneva il più possibile discosta da Roberto che aveva dato segni di irrequietezza, e tossito spasmodicamente, a tratti, durante la notte. Stette ancora un minuto a giacere, arcigna, armandosi per affrontare quest'altra odiosa giornata, sforzandosi a soffocare il malanimo che sentiva contro di lui. Poi, a stento, si levò.»
Su queste note si apre E le stelle stanno a guardare (The Stars Look Down): nella cittadina costiera di Sleescale, Northumberland, i minatori - guidati da Robert Fenwick - portano avanti uno sciopero senza speranza. Richard Barras, il proprietario della Neptune, li costringe a scavare in una galleria umida e infida, e a nulla valgono avvertimenti e presentimenti di tragedia. Ridotti all'osso, impegnato al Monte di Pietà tutto l'impegnabile, i minatori tirano avanti con le unghie e con i denti.
Cronin intreccia in una storia corale le voci della cittadina di Sleescale, nel Northumberland, concentrandosi prevalentemente su tre personaggi: Davey Fenwick, figlio minore di una povera e onesta famiglia di minatori; Joe Gowlan, perdigiorno di grandi speranze; Arthur Barras, rampollo del proprietario della Neptune.
Tra piccole vittorie, grandi ideali e ancor più grandi tragedie si snodano vent'anni di storia della classe operaia inglese.
Ispettore medico delle miniere in Galles, lo scrittore britannico Archibald Joseph Cronin dipinge un quadro senza speranza delle miserevoli condizioni di vita e di lavoro in cui versavano i minatori e le loro famiglie tra le due guerre, oppressi dalla povertà e dallo sfruttamento dell'avida classe padronale.
L'occhio impietoso di Cronin non risparmia ricchi né poveri: non Davey l'idealista, fuggito con l'aiuto del padre dal buio delle miniere nella speranza di un futuro da insegnante, e intrappolato in un matrimonio infelice con la frivola Jenny; non Arthur, dal carattere debole, perennemente in lotta con l'autorità paterna per la sua volontà di rendere meno misere e più sicure le condizioni di vita dei minatori. Aleggia su di loro l'ombra dell'insuccesso, politico e personale, ineluttabile dal momento in cui hanno preso la decisione di infrangere codici inespressi e di mutare dinamiche immutabili.
I conflitti dilaniano ogni gradino della piramide sociale: si va da un'Inghilterra spaccata tra laburisti e conservatori a una Sleescale dominata da un consiglio comunale di profittatori; le famiglie stesse sono rose da contrasti: moglie contro marito, suocera contro nuora, figlio contro padre. Cronin dipinge una galleria di amari ritratti - alcuni realistici, altri decisamente monodimensionali - condannati con ben poche eccezioni al fallimento. Tra tutti, a vincere sarà l'arrampicatore sociale Joe, grazie alla sua inestinguibile avidità: andato via da Sleescale con grandi ambizioni, saprà speculare sulla povertà, sull'ingenuità, sulla malattia, sulla guerra.
E le stelle stanno a guardare è una monumentale opera dal sapore dickensiano che denuncia la corruzione a ogni livello. E, non ultima, denuncia l'idiozia delle classi povere, che si scagliano su chi compie sforzi immani per risollevarle e acclamano invece chi, con un sorriso, si arricchisce sulla loro pelle: la storia del nostro Paese, la storia di molti Paesi, ancora attuale come non mai.
Recensione pubblicata anche su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
[Ventunesimo GdL della Stamberga:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Lunedì 1 - Domenica 7: Libro 1 (capitoli 1-17)
Lunedì 8 - Domenica 14: Libro 1 (capitoli 18-24); Libro 2 (capitoli 1-8)
Lunedì 15 - Domenica 21: Libro 2 (capitoli 9-21); Libro 3 (capitoli 1-4)
Lunedì 22 - Domenica 27: Libro 3 (capitoli 5-23)]
January 6, 2025
This is the story about several residents of a Northern England mining community called ‘Sleescale.' Sleescale is a fictional mining town on the coast of Northumberland. Some of the book’s characters also live or operate in the area’s larger town of 'Tynecastle' based on the real-life Newcastle upon Tyne.
The story’s initial focus is on the Fenwick family, with father Bob and sons Sammy, Hugh and David all working as miners in the Neptune mines owned by Richard Barras. Youngest son David emerges as the story’s primary protagonist.
But this is not a simple tale of a North country mining family. Cronin has written a sprawling epic saga with sufficient storylines worthy of its 700-page length. The story begins before World War I and extends into the 1930s. Appropriately for such an epic, Cronin follows the style of many 19th Century novels and divides it into 3 relatively equivalent volumes of 21 to 24 chapters each, with climactic events occurring near the end of each volume.
And, in order to sustain this large amount of story, Cronin has added some other protagonists to the sole protagonist he generally uses. Here, in addition to the primary protagonist of David Fenwick and his quest to defend the miners, we get storylines of 2 other characters that have been part of David's life: the charming and amoral childhood friend Joe Gowlan, and the conscious-stricken Arthur Barras, the young son and heir to the coalmine owner. So, as Wikipedia summarizes, the story follows the different careers of
1. a miner's son who aspires to defend his people politically,
2. a miner who becomes a businessman, and
3. a mine owner's son in conflict with his domineering father.
The Gowlan storyline adds the tale of the young man on the rise, whose willing to do anything to climb up the work and social ladder. It allows a look at various classes as Gowlan goes to work at Tynecastle’s Millington foundry in Tynecastle and gets involved with both the owner’s family and one of the foundry workers’ families, the Sundry family, whose daughter Jenny Sundry plays a key role. The Arthur Barras storyline not only allows a look inside the family of upper-class owners but adds a lively father/son dynamic to the story.
Chapters switch between the protagonists’ storylines, with some chapters focusing on the various women characters, coming from both the working class and upper class, which get emotionally or romantically involved with the male protagonists. The women are clearly side characters, but their presence does allow Cronin to add some fairly erotic scenes which Cronin manages fairly well.
Cronin is an expert storyteller and, early on, establishes identifiable characters, lays the proper foundation for developing these characters and vividly portrays the setting these characters will develop and operate in. He does this with prose that is clear, descriptive and unpretentious. I thought this was clearly a 5-star book for the first half of the novel. But somewhere after that, I found myself finding some of the plot and character developments less satisfying than I had previously. I think that some of the political aspects got a bit tedious, some of the ‘potboiler’ aspects started making me wince a little, and the plethora of characters left some of their stories incomplete. As a result, I found myself feeling that this very good epic story did not feel quite worthy of 5 stars.
However, this really is an epic novel with a much wider and diverse story than I had imagined. I rate it as 4+ stars for now and will reexamine it during my end of the year review and see if, after reflection, I think it should be 5 stars.
EDIT: Its my end of the year review and I recall the positive aspects of this epic the most. I find it deserving of 5 stars.
The story’s initial focus is on the Fenwick family, with father Bob and sons Sammy, Hugh and David all working as miners in the Neptune mines owned by Richard Barras. Youngest son David emerges as the story’s primary protagonist.
But this is not a simple tale of a North country mining family. Cronin has written a sprawling epic saga with sufficient storylines worthy of its 700-page length. The story begins before World War I and extends into the 1930s. Appropriately for such an epic, Cronin follows the style of many 19th Century novels and divides it into 3 relatively equivalent volumes of 21 to 24 chapters each, with climactic events occurring near the end of each volume.
And, in order to sustain this large amount of story, Cronin has added some other protagonists to the sole protagonist he generally uses. Here, in addition to the primary protagonist of David Fenwick and his quest to defend the miners, we get storylines of 2 other characters that have been part of David's life: the charming and amoral childhood friend Joe Gowlan, and the conscious-stricken Arthur Barras, the young son and heir to the coalmine owner. So, as Wikipedia summarizes, the story follows the different careers of
1. a miner's son who aspires to defend his people politically,
2. a miner who becomes a businessman, and
3. a mine owner's son in conflict with his domineering father.
The Gowlan storyline adds the tale of the young man on the rise, whose willing to do anything to climb up the work and social ladder. It allows a look at various classes as Gowlan goes to work at Tynecastle’s Millington foundry in Tynecastle and gets involved with both the owner’s family and one of the foundry workers’ families, the Sundry family, whose daughter Jenny Sundry plays a key role. The Arthur Barras storyline not only allows a look inside the family of upper-class owners but adds a lively father/son dynamic to the story.
Chapters switch between the protagonists’ storylines, with some chapters focusing on the various women characters, coming from both the working class and upper class, which get emotionally or romantically involved with the male protagonists. The women are clearly side characters, but their presence does allow Cronin to add some fairly erotic scenes which Cronin manages fairly well.
Cronin is an expert storyteller and, early on, establishes identifiable characters, lays the proper foundation for developing these characters and vividly portrays the setting these characters will develop and operate in. He does this with prose that is clear, descriptive and unpretentious. I thought this was clearly a 5-star book for the first half of the novel. But somewhere after that, I found myself finding some of the plot and character developments less satisfying than I had previously. I think that some of the political aspects got a bit tedious, some of the ‘potboiler’ aspects started making me wince a little, and the plethora of characters left some of their stories incomplete. As a result, I found myself feeling that this very good epic story did not feel quite worthy of 5 stars.
However, this really is an epic novel with a much wider and diverse story than I had imagined. I rate it as 4+ stars for now and will reexamine it during my end of the year review and see if, after reflection, I think it should be 5 stars.
EDIT: Its my end of the year review and I recall the positive aspects of this epic the most. I find it deserving of 5 stars.
December 12, 2023
Чи знаєте Ви яка ціна кам'яного вугілля?
За кожен мільйон тонн видобутого вугілля доводиться платити життями двох шахтарів.
Книга про непросте життя шахтарів та їх сімей, що живуть у невеличкому англійському шахтарському містечку в 20-х роках минулого століття.
Каторжна праця, порушення техніки безпеки, постійна загроза обвалів, затоплення, небезпека вибуху метану, затримки із витратами зарплати, страйки шахтарів...
Читаєш - і розумієш, що нічого не змінилося у цьому світі, життя людини так і не стало цінуватися, така ж безвідповідальність за смертельні випадки з боку керівництва. Що було тоді, залишається й тепер: передусім "тонни на гора".
Арчибальд Кронін працював медичним інспектором на шахтах, він бачив рівень небезпеки, він бачив професійні хвороби шахтарів, він бачив байдужість власників шахт. Автор знав про що пише.
Кронін торкнувся багатьох проблем, підняв не одну тонну вугілля "на гора", щоб розкрити проблему, але головна сюжетна лінія побудована навколо глобального та одвічного питання - соціальної нерівності.
Цей роман глибоко розкриває життя, долі, вчинки героїв. Перша світова війна на фоні, вона для всіх як лакмусовий папірець: хтось наживається, а хтось воює. Війна, ще більше розкриває характери героїв.
Книга дуже реалістична, вона
справжня, про життя, мораль та совість.
Тут і людські взаємовідносини і материнські почуття,
і самовідданість і служіння високим ідеалам, безкорислива любов і вірність, жадібність, і прагнення всілякими способами розбагатіти, взаємовиручка та непохитні сімейні цінності, дріб'язковість, зрада та марнославство, досягнення мрій та втрачені надії.
Там нагорі... Зорі дивляться вниз. Вони провісники світла і тепла. Такого ж світла і тепла, що йде від кожного камінчика видобутого кам'яного вугілля, ціна якого - життя. Життя звичайного шахтаря.
За кожен мільйон тонн видобутого вугілля доводиться платити життями двох шахтарів.
Книга про непросте життя шахтарів та їх сімей, що живуть у невеличкому англійському шахтарському містечку в 20-х роках минулого століття.
Каторжна праця, порушення техніки безпеки, постійна загроза обвалів, затоплення, небезпека вибуху метану, затримки із витратами зарплати, страйки шахтарів...
Читаєш - і розумієш, що нічого не змінилося у цьому світі, життя людини так і не стало цінуватися, така ж безвідповідальність за смертельні випадки з боку керівництва. Що було тоді, залишається й тепер: передусім "тонни на гора".
Арчибальд Кронін працював медичним інспектором на шахтах, він бачив рівень небезпеки, він бачив професійні хвороби шахтарів, він бачив байдужість власників шахт. Автор знав про що пише.
Кронін торкнувся багатьох проблем, підняв не одну тонну вугілля "на гора", щоб розкрити проблему, але головна сюжетна лінія побудована навколо глобального та одвічного питання - соціальної нерівності.
Цей роман глибоко розкриває життя, долі, вчинки героїв. Перша світова війна на фоні, вона для всіх як лакмусовий папірець: хтось наживається, а хтось воює. Війна, ще більше розкриває характери героїв.
Книга дуже реалістична, вона
справжня, про життя, мораль та совість.
Тут і людські взаємовідносини і материнські почуття,
і самовідданість і служіння високим ідеалам, безкорислива любов і вірність, жадібність, і прагнення всілякими способами розбагатіти, взаємовиручка та непохитні сімейні цінності, дріб'язковість, зрада та марнославство, досягнення мрій та втрачені надії.
Там нагорі... Зорі дивляться вниз. Вони провісники світла і тепла. Такого ж світла і тепла, що йде від кожного камінчика видобутого кам'яного вугілля, ціна якого - життя. Життя звичайного шахтаря.
October 18, 2014
Romanzo di denuncia scritto da A.J. Cronin, ispettore medico delle miniere in Galles, che quindi ebbe modo di osservare da vicino le miserevoli condizioni in cui versavano le famiglie dei minatori. E le stelle stanno a guardare è incentrato sulle vite degli abitanti di Sleescale, cittadina costiera che vive - per l'appunto - del duro lavoro pericoloso e sottopagato nella miniera di Richard Barras.
Tre sono le voci principali del romanzo: Davey Fenwick, giovane figlio di minatori, che parte per proseguire gli studi; Joe Gowlan, perdigiorno di grandi speranze, che lascia Sleescale alla ricerca di facili guadagni; Arthur Barras, rampollo di Richard, che spera di offrire ai minatori migliori condizioni di vita non appena avrà ereditato l'impresa dal padre.
Cronin offre uno sguardo impietoso su storia pubblica e privata, sulle politiche del Regno Unito a cavallo tra le due guerre, sulle classi povere e ricche, raccontando la vita e la morte di chi rimane vittima del sistema.
La recensione di Sakura, più approfondita e completa, la trovate sul blog:
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
Tre sono le voci principali del romanzo: Davey Fenwick, giovane figlio di minatori, che parte per proseguire gli studi; Joe Gowlan, perdigiorno di grandi speranze, che lascia Sleescale alla ricerca di facili guadagni; Arthur Barras, rampollo di Richard, che spera di offrire ai minatori migliori condizioni di vita non appena avrà ereditato l'impresa dal padre.
Cronin offre uno sguardo impietoso su storia pubblica e privata, sulle politiche del Regno Unito a cavallo tra le due guerre, sulle classi povere e ricche, raccontando la vita e la morte di chi rimane vittima del sistema.
La recensione di Sakura, più approfondita e completa, la trovate sul blog:
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
January 14, 2024
A.J. Cronin's story of an English mining village in the early 20th Century, told with all of his usual brutal honesty. British people learn the history of the coal industry in school, I believe, but we Yanks know nothing about the strikes, the push to nationalize, the disasters. Nor do we understand the British electoral system. I can recommend "The Stars Look Down" as an informative historic novel.
June 9, 2019
Impossible to put down
I thought I had read all of Cronin’s books. He was my senior literature project in high school.But somehow I missed this one. It was excellent, The author manages beautiful development of character as well as plot . I’m now on a hunt for other missed work.wish me luck.
I thought I had read all of Cronin’s books. He was my senior literature project in high school.But somehow I missed this one. It was excellent, The author manages beautiful development of character as well as plot . I’m now on a hunt for other missed work.wish me luck.
August 17, 2012
Another novel I loved when I was fifteen - I remember saving up my pocket money to buy it from Woolworths. I think this novel inspired me to write more than any other, great story telling....I re-read it recently, didn't love it as much, but it's still interesting and moving.
May 1, 2024
É stato un lungo e a volte difficile viaggio, ho incontrato numerosi personaggi alcuni simpatici altri meno. La scrittura e gli eventi riportati ti vengono sbattuti in faccia con crudeltà e durezza, ma nel complesso è un percorso che rifarei altre mille volte perché ti rimane dentro per sempre.
May 18, 2018
Bu kitabı bu kadar beğeneceğimi gerçekten hiç beklemiyordum. Şu bir kaç aydır Cronin'in kitaplarını okudum ve tarzına artık az çok hakimim fakat bu kitabı hepsinden çok beğendim. Arka kapağındaki tanıtım yazısıyla beni kendine hemen çekti aslında.
Kitap, İngiltere'de bir kasabada geçiyor. Büyük bir madende çalışan insanların yaşamlarını anlatıyor. Bu insanların ortak noktası bu maden, fakat zamanla bazıları başka maceralar peşine düşüyor,bazıları kariyer sahibi oluyor, bazıları rezillik içinde ölüyor. Bunların yanı sıra bir de savaş patlak veriyor. Ayrıca karakterlerin bazılarının şiddetli gönül ilişkileri de kitabı oldukça yoğunlaştırmıştı. Karakter bakımından çok zengin bir kitaptı.
Cronin, diğer kitaplarında olduğu gibi dili yönünden bu kitapta da beni tatmin etti. Kitabın kurgusu ve işleyişleri çok güzeldi, sadece sonlara doğru biraz gereksiz uzamış gibiydi kitap. Bana kalsa bir otuz sayfa falan önce bitebilirdi. Bazı yerlerde de olaylar çok hızlı gelişiyordu. Bölüm sonunda olmaya yakın bir olay öbür bölümün başında olup bitmişti mesela.
Bu ufak detaylar benim gözümde eksi puan değillerdi, bu yüzden kitaba diyeceğim bir negatif durum yok. Gerçekten çok beğendiğim bir Cronin kitabını daha bitirmiş bulunuyorum.
Kitap, İngiltere'de bir kasabada geçiyor. Büyük bir madende çalışan insanların yaşamlarını anlatıyor. Bu insanların ortak noktası bu maden, fakat zamanla bazıları başka maceralar peşine düşüyor,bazıları kariyer sahibi oluyor, bazıları rezillik içinde ölüyor. Bunların yanı sıra bir de savaş patlak veriyor. Ayrıca karakterlerin bazılarının şiddetli gönül ilişkileri de kitabı oldukça yoğunlaştırmıştı. Karakter bakımından çok zengin bir kitaptı.
Cronin, diğer kitaplarında olduğu gibi dili yönünden bu kitapta da beni tatmin etti. Kitabın kurgusu ve işleyişleri çok güzeldi, sadece sonlara doğru biraz gereksiz uzamış gibiydi kitap. Bana kalsa bir otuz sayfa falan önce bitebilirdi. Bazı yerlerde de olaylar çok hızlı gelişiyordu. Bölüm sonunda olmaya yakın bir olay öbür bölümün başında olup bitmişti mesela.
Bu ufak detaylar benim gözümde eksi puan değillerdi, bu yüzden kitaba diyeceğim bir negatif durum yok. Gerçekten çok beğendiğim bir Cronin kitabını daha bitirmiş bulunuyorum.
May 28, 2020
I will be frank. First 50 - 100 pages my attention was wandering a bit. Typical habit 6 books on the go tends to dampen the old mental clarity.
I came from the wordy, prosey worlds of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Dickens. This didnt have that tangy flair of song like sentences. It was harder. Not difficult but the turns of phrase, the descriptive work was straight and solid. Not in any text-book yawn inducing sense but in the sense that a fine carpenter or sculptor had whittled these great phrases out of the air around him. When i stopped looking for the beautiful phrases they introduced themselves to me without me even noticing. Bloody seamless.
This was fucking beautiful. it was serene, dark in places euphoric in others. This is so loud it whispers. Bursting with sympathy for the plight of the common man, shimmering with poignancy this is definitely a book that has had a profound influence on my tastes. The stoicism of this is absolutely humbling.
If someone asked me the difference between a book and a novel , i would chuck this on desk to show the difference.
Recommend this with a pint of stout and the rain hammering the window.
I came from the wordy, prosey worlds of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Dickens. This didnt have that tangy flair of song like sentences. It was harder. Not difficult but the turns of phrase, the descriptive work was straight and solid. Not in any text-book yawn inducing sense but in the sense that a fine carpenter or sculptor had whittled these great phrases out of the air around him. When i stopped looking for the beautiful phrases they introduced themselves to me without me even noticing. Bloody seamless.
This was fucking beautiful. it was serene, dark in places euphoric in others. This is so loud it whispers. Bursting with sympathy for the plight of the common man, shimmering with poignancy this is definitely a book that has had a profound influence on my tastes. The stoicism of this is absolutely humbling.
If someone asked me the difference between a book and a novel , i would chuck this on desk to show the difference.
Recommend this with a pint of stout and the rain hammering the window.
August 25, 2020
I loved this so much, it is just such an impressive, well written book. It took me a very long time to get through because I was in a reading slump while reading it and doing my best to push through it anyway, just for this book.
I loved seeing the period and the life of the working class in Britain at the time, looking for parallels in what I know of Serbian history, thinking about workers' rights and how capitalism has been hurting the vulnerable since the start and how it's really high time for a revolution and-
Anyway, I'll definitely be on the lookout for more Cronin in the future.
I loved seeing the period and the life of the working class in Britain at the time, looking for parallels in what I know of Serbian history, thinking about workers' rights and how capitalism has been hurting the vulnerable since the start and how it's really high time for a revolution and-
Anyway, I'll definitely be on the lookout for more Cronin in the future.
July 27, 2018
Moram da priznam da nisam ni čuo za Kronina dok mi devojka nije rekla: "On je klasik svetske književnosti". Dala mi je da pročitam knjigu i - takoreći, ostao sam bez reči. Kronin je bio i lekar i uveren sam da je bio izuzetan lekar koliko je izuzetan pisac. U romanu "Zvezde gledaju s neba", on hirurški precizno slika ljude: od njhovog fizičkog izgleda do najtananijih osobina njihovih karaktera i sudbina. Prepoznao sam ceo svet u njegovom pisanju - sve moguće i nemoguće jednostavnosti i složenosti sveta i ljudi. Naprosto rečeno - pisac otkriva istinu u svim njenim oblicima. Humor, strah, ludilo, nežnost, sažaljenje, tuga, bezobrazluk, licemerje, uzvišenost, kukavičluk, dobrota, užas, bolest, sve se nalazi na stranicama. Roman je praktično esej. Esej od sedam stotina pedeset stranica koje ni u jednom trenutku nisu zamorne ili dosadne - naprotiv: neodoljivo su dinamične. Surovo britko i čitko štivo koje me je donekle porazilo... ali takav je i život. Nemam nijednu zamerku. Ovo je umetnička književnost u njenom najboljem i najvišem obliku. Ima previše toga što mi je ostalo živo u sećanju, ali dve užasne rečenice ponajviše - "Imao je novac. Novac, novac, novac... i robove novca." Sve pohvale.
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