Τα ώριμα χρόνια

Robert Shannon #2

by A.J. Cronin, Κοσμάς Πολίτης (Translator)

Ο γνωστός μας από "Τα άγουρα χρόνια" Ρόμπερτ Σάννον διανύει εδώ την πιο κρίσιμη και βασανιστική φάση της επιστημονικής του σταδιοδρομίας. Η εργαστηριακή του έρευνα να ανακαλύψει το βάκιλο στον οποίο οφείλεται μια νέα μολυσματική νόσος του ανθρώπου, αποδεικνύεται μια εξαντλητική προσπάθεια ενός ανεξάρτητου ατομικού αγώνα, που καταρρέει ξαφνικά πάνω στη δικαίωση της, από μια τραγική συγκυρία.
Ο Κρόνιν αναδεικνύεται στα "Ώριμα χρόνια" ο συγγραφέας μιας συγκλονιστικής αφήγησης, όπου μέσα από τις ανταγωνιστικές ανθρώπινες σχέσεις θεοποιείται ο ατομικισμός μέχρι την κατάρρευση του, για να προβάλει και να κυριαρχήσει η αγάπη ως η μόνη ανθρώπινη αξία που οδηγεί στο φως.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Medical, Scotland, Adult Fiction

317 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1948

About the author

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 television and radio series entitled Dr. Finlay's Casebook.
-Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.J._Cronin

Reviews

[Dorcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon's Way is the sequel to "The Green Years" and I think it is best reading them back to back, although you could easily read them as stand alones if you can only get a hold of one or the other.

So Shannon has finally got his medical licence with all the extras that are important to a man wishing to go into medical research. He lands several good jobs but manages to lose them one after another due to personality conflicts and conflicts of interest among superiors.

 Shannon's driving passion is to isolate the baccilli which is causing a flu epidemic among both people and cattle, and to develop a vaccine to stop it's spread. But there are obstacles both monetary and organizationally that must be overcome and it's a race against time...

And adding as a distraction to his career, (and hers) is the Iove of a good woman from another religion who can never be his...

I really enjoyed this. A J Cronin paints very realistic characters. They speak and move like real, flawed, people who make good decisions and bad. Sometimes, you will hate the main character. But at the same time, you'll root for him because you know where he's been and why he's acting like he does. And you'll see the good deep down inside.

The ending was very good and yet I still wonder if it was for the best... I wish there was a third book. But it made me cry (inside) and that shows you how involved I got with the characters. That's a good thing.

CONTENT: 
SEX: fade to black or off screen
VIOLENCE: None
PROFANITY: None

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shannon's Way, the second of a duology by A.J. Cronin, is good but not nearly as wonderful as the first of the duology, The Green Years. The first I gave five stars, the second three!

In the first we follow Shannon from eight to eighteen years of age. Here, the relationship with his great-grandfather is a central theme. Now in the second, we follow Shannon’s path in becoming a doctor, not a practicing physician but rather a doctor of medical research. He is carrying out studies to identify the cause of an illness found in sheep, pigs, cows and sometimes people. After eighteen months of rigorous analysis and testing, Brucellosis is identified as the cause, and yet difficulties do not stop! Be ready for a punch in the gut. Religion is a central theme in both volumes. In the second, take a guess…. Shannon also falls in love.

Here follows my review of the first volume: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The second volume did not work as well for me because the shift away from Shannon’s great-grandfather, whose personality is so very special, to the search for a love mate makes the plot rather ordinary and typical. This aspect of the story has been told before in zillions of other books. It is not a story that is unique. The great-grandfather was special. The girlfriend is not.

Shannon’s path in medical research takes twists and turns. Obstacles are put in his way! In that we meet a succession of employers and acquaintances, the number of characters multiplies. The result is more characters but less depth for each. We do see in Shannon traits inherited from his great-grandfather, but he doesn’t have the same sparkle.

In Cronin’s books, bad things happen. Young people die. As stated in the earlier review, this keeps the reader in suspense. Events are realistically drawn. You never quite know what will happen. However, in this book, I did guess at the start Shannon would end up happily married to Jean, and I was right! Such guesses shouldn’t be possible!

What I like in this book is the focus upon the difficulties associated with a career in medical research. I like that life is shown to be tough. This is realistic. A person must struggle to survive. When “shit hits the fan” and characters manage to pick themselves up and go on, I’m happy for them. Their success encourages me. “If they can survive, so can I!” is what runs through my head. I am not one for happy but fake stories. The ending is, for this reason too, bad. It’s both fake and predictable!

Tore Bengtsson reads the audiobook. I read a Swedish translation. Nothing else was available to me. His reading is clear and easy to follow. Four stars for the narration. I think it is essential to separate the book from the audio narration.

In comparison to the author’s other books, this is a disappointment. I will nevertheless continue to read all of Cronin’s books.

*********************


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

[John Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in high school. At the time, my reading list was 96% non-fiction, as I fancied myself a "serious" young man with little time for frivolous fiction. This book hit me very personally. I was an orphan, and later lost both my adopted parents at 14. It even inspired me to write a song, an interminable but melodic dirge called "Shannon's Home".

[Tittirossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cronin sta idealmente nello stesso scaffale di Simenon, cioè di quegli autori che mi ristorano quando non ho voglia di leggere robe complicate o lungherrime, ma mi serve un bel romanzo per distrarmi con quel tanto di scavo psicologico (una cosa che fatta bene - cioè senza che scortichi gli occhi e l'anima del lettore per noia mortale e/o incapacità manifesta degli autori - ormai si trova solo nei romanzi della prima metà del '900), intreccio narrativo e capacità autoriale di avere uno stile (qualsiasi cosa significhi, ma ai miei occhi significa scrivere in modo originale ma non cervellotico, e soprattutto che io lettore non percepisca le tue celluline di scrittore che lavorano per mettere giù una scrittura acchiappona).

Anche questa volta Cronin ha fatto il suo onesto mestiere :-), con un bonus. Essendo una vecchia edizione Bompiani del 1963 in fondo c'era l'elenco dei libri pubblicati nella collana, e mi ha consentito di andarmi a cercare un po' di autori dimenticati, tipo la Rawling (no, non è quella di HarryPotter scritta male, ma l'autrice premio Pulitzer de Il cucciolo)

[Sevim Tezel Aydın · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shannon's Way is the sequel to The Green Years, which I read with pleasure many years ago. Shanon, whose childhood and youth we witnessed in the first book, is now a medical doctor. He is devoted to research and avoids general practice and surgery. While he concentrates on his studies meticulously, he also experiences difficulties with his relationships. In the process, he makes more enemies than friends. Unexpectedly, he falls in love with a medical student; this relationship has its torments: Shannon's complicated personality and different religious beliefs...

I think that Cronin wrote a good story with realistic characters. They have their merits and flaws simultaneously, just like us. Although Shannon doesn't have a likeable personality, Cronin presents an excellent inner portrait to reason his decisions. I like his focus on making decisions and dilemmas...

[Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I've finished reading this book,I was left with the feeling like I've had another copy of his other work, The Citadel. Unfortunately, that opinion hasn't changed for me to this day. We have a protagonist who,while struggling to survive and researching,has a love interest,who also loves him,but,being raised by strict parents,cannot defy their will to marry her to a man of their faith. While they continue to live their lives, the thought of each other grows more and more with every day. That's the most interesting part for me,because it opens questions should there be a boundary between the two people and what kind (religion,beliefs,ideals,profits,education,fame,good name), when they are in love. It's,also, the greatest difference between this book and The Citadel. Which one you should read first,that's all about your tastes and choice. If you prefer progressive love development and with simpler pace, than I would recommend this one. If your interest lays in following the protagonist's life through marriage, then The Citadel is the better option. Of course,both are worth checking,but maybe you should wait a long span (4-6 months) between the end of the one and the beginning of the other book. That leaves me only one work from Cronin to review and it will probably be tomorrow. I wish you all a pleasant day and a successful week

[Coleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.J. Cronin is a very well known and popular author but I saw little about his having written this book - which was published in 1948. It's a great story about Dr. Shannon who had become a Medical Doctor during the great war, and that being over, he seemed almost obsessed about finding the cause of the 'Spanish Flu' and a vaccine for it.

Of course, this fascination jumped out at me because of the 'pandemic' that the world might currently be experiencing. Dr. Shannon is a likeable guy despite the fact that he does not always do things as one might like - including losing his temper, not telling the truth to a superior even when it should be obvious to him and everyone else that he is going to be caught, as well as fabricating his entire family and life history to associates who are bound to learn the truth. Nevertheless, I really liked him.

His findings about the cause and his vaccine I also found quite intriguing. And the best part is that I really liked the ending, which was somewhat of a surprise to me, and might cause me to look for other books by A.J. Cronin.

[Pat Camalliere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shannon is a young doctor who is driven to build a career in medical research. He falls for a medical student, but there are complications due to religion and family plans that jeopardize the relationship. He can’t get the right break to complete his breakthrough research into a newly-identified disease, moving from lab to lab as each door shuts. Shannon is often rude and not always kind to his friends and associates, so he is not a completely likeable character. Cronin’s writing is flawless but I was not enthralled. I can see, however, why he would have been a popular writer of his time and I likely would have been one of his fans. A good, but not brilliant, novel.

[Vesela Velichkova · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming and overwhelming story for winter afternoons and a cup of hot tea. Dynamic narrative, yet detail attentive, deep and highly emotional. I was glad to come up to the happy turns - sometimes one needs some verifications of life's miracles.

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though as well written and immersing as other Cronin's novels, the main character is not a very agreeable man. He is a young medical researcher embarked on finding the real cause of the 1918 flu pandemic, but being opposed by almost everyone he can turn for help. His pride and temper bring some of this opposition and other blows upon himself.

ESPAÑOL: Esta novela está bien escrita y atrapa, pero el protagonista no se hace muy simpático a pesar de todas las dificultades que afronta, varias de ellas culpa suya. Es un joven médico investigando la causa de la pandemia de gripe de 1918, a pesar de reveses continuos y la oposición de casi todas las personas que le podrían ayudar, que a menudo se gana él mismo con su mal genio y arrogancia.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author. He really knows how to break your heart.

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encontrar este libro fue magnífico, no lo pillaba por ningún lado hasta que por fin pude leerlo y reencontrarme con la historia fue algo demasiado emocionante, disfrute de esta novela principio a fin, quizá es porque soy muy fanático de la historia de Robert desde los verdes años pero es algo que no puedo evitar, estoy contento de haber podido leer una novela como esta, me ha traído muchos lindos recuerdos

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Поредна доза Кронин - по-скучен вариант на "Цитаделата" и "Пътешествие в два свята".

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shannon's Way is the sequel to The Green Years and is best read as such, though it could be read alone. Robert Shannon has grown up and gotten his medical degree. His heart is still for research, though. Breaking into the realm of research is a painful journey for Robert. Some times the circumstances are at fault, but often, by his own admission, he is the one who has made things difficult for himself. Having spent months in tedious research, he has made a huge and significant medical discovery. In the process his love story follows the same painful journey as his research.

Again, Cronin wrote an excellent story, revealing human nature and how a wrong decision, or a right one, can change the course of where we are headed.

[Jann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in the Lothian area of Scotland in the 1920s. Shannon, a young doctor is not having much success in his life. He seems to go from one disaster to another and I felt that, to some extent, his attitude was to blame for some of them. His heart is set on research rather than a career as a community doctor but he finds that it isn't easy to get the funding or facilities for research. He is lucky enough to have a few people in his life who encourage and support him in spite of his brusque manner. He also finds his affection for a young lady medical student is thwarted by their different religious beliefs. As the saying goes, the darkest night is just before dawn, and so it is for Shannon. When he is ready to give up his dreams an opportunity to succeed in his aspirations is offered.

[Jozef Syndicate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Experimental pathologist Dr Robert Shannon is the perfect depiction of an isolated scientist on the brink of a new discovery. Focused and ornery, Shannon goes deeper into his one-room living quarters and hidden laboratory on what should be referred to as an asylum. His research entrails only him and that pursuit creates a more disagreeable, bitter soul who continues to lose in scientific pursuit and in relationships. "I had always followed stubbornly my own solitary path, that tortuously winding path which had brought me back to where I begun," he says as the book's overall thesis. With all the disappointments Shannon faces through the 1948 novel, it is a surprise to find that happily-ever-after ending perfect for the likes of a scientist who isn't totally beaten down. 3-stars for the slow pace, but the research jargon and plot demanded it.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by A. J. Cronin. His descriptive writing style really drew me in to every aspect of the story. A.J. Cronin wrote these books in the early 1900's. When I started the first (The Keys to the Kingdom)I wondered if I would become as entwined in the story as I do with more recently written novels I have read. No worries! I absolutely loved them. Some of the paragraphs were so beautiful, I would read them again just to enjoy the pictures they would paint. Highly recommend!

[J V Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and enjoy.

When A J Cronin writes about the medical profession, having been a doctor, you can guarantee It will be a good story. Dr Robert Shannon is his own worst enemy. Nothing goes right for him but he
never gives up. It would be wrong to record the ending so read and enjoy. If you haven't read The Citadel it is even better than Shannon's Way.

[Shannon Markuschewsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is beautiful. It makes you realize how a lot of authors today write in much simpler English. Although it is the second in a series, I did not have access to the first novel. It was enjoyable on its own. I would recommend this book. Give your brain a workout!

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to "The Green Years."

[J.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty bad book, but I still enjoyed it

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ţinând strâns mâna Mamei, ieşii de sub arcadele întunecoase ale gării în străzile luminoase ale oraşului străin. Eram dispus să mă-ncred în Mama, pe care, până în ziua aceea, n-o mai văzusem niciodată şi a cărei faţă obosită şi îngrijorată, cu ochii ei de un albastru stins, nu semăna întru nimic cu chipul maică-mi. Dar în ciuda batonului de ciocolată pe care mi-l luase de la automat, ea nu izbutise să-mi inspire dragoste. În tot timpul călătoriei cu trenul personal de la Winton până aci, Mama, şezând în faţa mea în compartimentul de clasa a treia, îmbrăcată cu un costum uzat de culoare cenuşie, pe care era prinsă o broşă galbenă de cuarţ, şi purtând un guleraş de blană în jurul gâtului, iar pe cap o pălărie cu boruri negre care-i cădea pe urechi, se uitase, cu capul într-o parte, pe fereastra vagonului. Mişcând din buze, întreţinea o conversaţie mută, dar plină de emoţie, cu ea însăşi, ducându-şi din când în când batista la ochi, ca pentru a goni o muscă.

Acum însă, când coborâsem din tren, se sili să-şi stăpânească tristeţea; mă privi cu un zâmbet şi-mi strânse mai tare mâna.

― Îmi pare bine că nu mai plângi. Crezi că poţi să mergi pe jos? Nu e mult până acasă.

Dorind să-i fiu pe plac, îi răspunsei că pot foarte bine să umblu, şi astfel renunţarăm să luăm trăsura care aştepta singuratică în faţa arcadelor, pornind pe jos de-a lungul Străzii Mari. Mama încerca să-mi stârnească interesul pentru locurile mai însemnate pe lângă care treceam.

Aveam impresia că trotuarul urcă şi coboară întruna, căci eram încă ameţit de valurile agitate ale Mării Irlandei şi puţin asurzit de bătăile elicei „Viperei“. În faţa unei clădiri arătoase, cu pilaştrii de granit lustruit, retrasă de la stradă şi având în faţă două tunuri şi un stâlp pentru drapel, o auzii însă pe Mama spunând cu calmă mândrie:

― Asta e primăria oraşului, Robert. Domnul Leckie… Tata… lucrează aici, e şeful serviciului sanitar.

„Tata ― îmi zisei în zăpăceala mea ― trebuie să fie bărbatul Mamei… tatăl maică-mi.“

Genunchii începeau să mi se moaie, şi Mama se uita la mine plină de grijă.

― Ce păcat că tramvaiele nu circulă astăzi, zise ea.

Eram mult mai obosit decât crezusem şi oarecum speriat. Scăldat în lumina crudă a după-amiezii de septembrie, oraşul mă întâmpina plin de pietre de pavaj şi de zgomote mult mai puţin liniştitoare decât murmurul constant şi familiar al circulaţiei de sub fereastra locuinţei mele de pe Phoenix Terrace. Un puternic huruit de ciocane venea dinspre şantierul naval, iar deasupra fabricii de cazane, arătată de Mama cu un deget pe care mănuşa era ruptă, se ridicau înfricoşătoare izbucniri de văpaie şi abur. Pe stradă se schimbau şinele de tramvai. La colţurile străzilor, mici rafale de vânt îmi suflau praful în ochii umflaţi şi îmi stârneau tusea.

[Georgina N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Γλυκόπικρη ανάγνωσμα

Είναι από τις φορές που ολοκληρώνω την ανάγνωση ενός βιβλίου και δεν μπορώ να αποκωδικοποιήσω τι "επίγευση" μου αφήνει . Ο Robert Shannon ,ο πρωταγωνιστής, είναι από τους πιο ανώριμους χαρακτήρες που έχω συναντήσει σε βιβλίο ,που όμως στη συνέχεια εξελίσσεται .Μου αρέσει που έχει σκιαγραφηθεί από το συγγραφέα ως ένα "κακομαθημένο" παιδί ,που ,αν και ενήλικας ,που εξακολουθεί να φέρεται επιπόλαια, η ζωή τον βάζει στη θέση του. πχ με την παραίτηση που του ζητήθηκε από το νοσοκομείο στο Νταλναιρ

Όμως , παρά το ότι τα πράγματα παίρνουν την τροπή τους, ένιωσα ότι κουράστηκα .Ίσως η κούραση να οφείλεται στο ότι πρόκειται και για ένα αρκετά παλιό έργο όμως ειλικρινά υπήρχαν στιγμές που έφευγε η προσοχή μου και γυρνούσα τις σελίδες προς τα πίσω για να ανακτήσω το νόημα .Επιπλέον , η ροή προς το τέλος είναι υπερβολικά γρήγορη αφήνοντας την αίσθηση διεκπεραίωσης.

Δε μπορώ όμως με τίποτα να παραβλέψω ότι θίγονται ενδιαφέροντα θέματα από το συγγραφέα και γι' αυτά και μόνο αξίζει κανείς να διαβάσει "τα ώριμα χρόνια" όπως η εκπλήρωση των στόχων , τα ειρωνικά παιχνίδια της ζωής και ότι ίσως ο καθένας από εμάς να έχει όνειρα .Κανένα όνειρο όμως δεν υπερτερεί της αγάπης .

[ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated and old fashioned (written in 1948) but that is also part of its charm. One must deal with some "backward" attitudes about women and people, as well.
And, the main character, a research doctor, is quite a mess actually. Kind of miserable, naive and self sabotaging. Here is a good summary quote about him, by him! "It was like me to think the worst of everyone....That was my special quality, getting on the wrong side of people, acting against convention and the grain of decency, standing against the universe, belonging to no place, and to no one, but myself."
But it is a story that holds your interest. Will he redeem himself and deal with his demons? Will he be the one to discover a cure for a highly dangerous virus? Will the woman he loves desert him forever or not? And, so on. The author writes with quite a few twists and turns which hold the reader's interest.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story that kept me interested, kept me reading. And I was relieved to find it did NOT have a depressing ending. In fact the ending felt like a set-up for a sequel, but I don’t think there is one. I read “The Green Years” first (the story of Shannon’s young life, pre-university), because of a recommendation in a review here to read them in order. But there is very little overlap, very little mention of history from his young life in this book; I think this works fine without having read the first one first.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 1920s Scotland Shannon's Way is a rather charming glimpse into medicine in a time past.

Experimental bacteriologist Dr Robert Shannon is investigating a strange disease effecting people, and also questioning why it seems to follow cows being sick. However he's doing it on his work time, at the expense of work he's meant to be doing which results in him being fired from his fellowship at the university.

Undeterred he seeks employment which will enable him to continue said research on his own time, whilst also drawing the attention of some young ladies.

A quaint and interesting read.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 2 out of 5]

In stilted, melodramatic prose, we follow Dr. Shannon as he careens from one overwrought experience to another. Pursuing the woman he loves and his research like binary stars, his self-absorption is constantly his undoing.
Without the boyhood trials that tempered The Green Years, this novel is a hard read. It does bring Shannon's story to an end, though.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read on lots of levels, medicine before antibiotics & NHS, prewar life in Scotland, obsession, mental health etc. The book is a sequel but was quite readable without having read first one. And now I know who was behind the radio/tv series Dr Finlay's casebook.

[Vassiliadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μου αρέσουν οι ήρωες του Κρονιν γιατί διαπνέονται από ιδανικά κι αξίες. Επειδή έχουν το ψυχικό σθένος να υπερνικουν τις δυσκολίες και τα εμπόδια της ζωής. Στο τέλος δικαιώνονται και βγαίνουν νικητές. Χαίρομαι που ανακάλυψα αυτό το διαμαντάκι.

[Roslyn Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like his style. The story was good. A little bit Nevil Shute ish. So a bit old fashioned story telling. This book was given to my mother and father for Christmas 1951.