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The Citadel
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The Citadel, Buddy Read Part 2 & 3
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Hana, Hana is In Absentia
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Apr 02, 2020 02:38PM
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Yes, with a house! I was thinking about the no furniture problem, and I was wondering if thrift (or charity) shops were not a thing back then. The town must have been a decent size to support doctors and the hospital, so it seems odd that they couldn't find a shop with second hand furniture and household items. Even our little tiny villages almost all do have thrift stores!
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Hana wrote: "I'm struck with how complex Andrew is as a character. He's a fighter for scientific medicine and his care for his patients is exemplary. But he's so full of class insecurities and his treatment of ..."I, of course, identify with Christine, and I often wonder how she keeps from smacking him up side the head. She's not, by any means, a doormat; she just somehow sees him clearly and loves him very dearly. I noticed that Cronin dedicated the book to his wife, and I think she must have a lot of Christine in her. I'm not saying this is his apology to her for his own behavior, but I'm guessing there's more than a kernel of truth here.
That Christmas Day! I was sobbing out loud (seriously, I had tears running down my cheeks) with Tom Evans, and then, bam! the car! I couldn't stop laughing!
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I see from the Wikipedia entry that Cronin did do research on coal dust and respiratory disease in miners. Fascinating that a group of specialists in the UK wanted The Citadel banned!
I keep being reminded of James Herriott's stories. Although The Citadel starts earlier in the century, there's a feeling, a realization, in both stories that a lot of what they're doing is completely futile. The doctors who knew that fact and effected change were really bucking the systems.
I had read that Cronin put a lot of himself into all of his stories. I guess the trick is being able to discern which!
Very interesting. I was unaware that there were physician's wanting this book banned but I can certainly understand it. As a retired nurse, I was surprised as I was reading that even while doing research Andrew was not suggesting masks of some kind in the mines or that some were not already being used. I am assuming that none were being used at that time. The relationship between Andrew and Christine is certain an interesting aspect of the novel and also Andrew's relationships with his employers and other physicians. I look forward to moving to his next career move.
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Yes, Hana. All the doctors and nurses were lighting up for many years, probably even now but of course they can't in hospitals any longer so we don't know which do and which don't. I grew up when everyone smoked and I remember that nurses smoked in our chart rooms in hospitals so I am sure I inhaled a lot of second hand smoke. I was so glad when that was stopped.
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