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A review by pxr014
The Citadel by A.J. Cronin
4.0
More of a 3.5 star book. I opted to give it 4 stars because it did resonate with me, especially towards the beginning.
I was recommended this book by one of my PSUCOM interviewers almost 2 years ago. We bonded over being readers, but quickly realized that we had very different taste in books (not a bad thing!). She recommended several books to me, but this was the one that stuck out to me and that I got from the library a week after my interviews. It has sat on my bookshelf ever since, until recently, when I decided to give it a go.
Apparently, this book is something of a classic when it comes to medical novels. I am amazed at the impact it had in the UK at the time (1930s and 40s), highlighting many of the issues of the healthcare system. In fact, this book was an inspiration for the introduction of the NHS, the way Upton Sinclair's [b:The Jungle|41681|The Jungle|Upton Sinclair|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1332140681s/41681.jpg|1253187] prompted the federal government to investigate the meatpacking industry and thus inspired the eventual creation of the FDA (never say a book can't have large impacts on society! Although unfortunately Sinclair's goal with his novel was very different from what the federal government ended up instating; but that's a different story for a different review).
As with most compelling stories, this one is still very relatable, especially in the US. It's been close to 100 years since this book was written, but Cronin's criticism of the healthcare system of the UK in the 1930s, in which doctors are sometimes incompetent or uncaring, in which money often comes before the health of patients, in which the poor and uneducated are not given the care they deserve, still holds true in 21st century America. As someone who will be starting my own journey into physicianship soon, the book has given me a lot to think about. I anticipate I'll probably re-read this book, although perhaps in the more distant future.
But I'm not just a budding doctor; I'm also a reader, and boy, do I have some issues with this book when it comes to the writing. There's a reason why this book, despite the very real impact it had when it was written and the pressing matters it discusses, has largely become forgotten.
The book starts out in a very promising way. I loved all of the characters, who were pretty well fleshed out. At one point, the main character and his friend decide that the only way they're going to get a leaking sewer replaced and thus save the town from the enteric fever that has been spreading is to blow it up. Having 2 doctors sneak over to a sewer in the dead of night and drop some dynamite in it to save their patients--within the first 50 pages--is a pretty promising start. However, as the book progressed, the characters became flatter and the plot more repetitive. Andrew would face some injustice, he would get angry, he would do something against the status quo, he'd get in trouble, but then because he was so good at his job/did the right thing, he'd somehow land a higher position, then at the new position, the cycle would start over. This was broken by Andrew's descent into depravity in the last quarter or so of the book. I understand that Cronin was trying to highlight the faults of the system, but his plot (which was lovely at first) became so mundane after about 200 pages in. The last half of the book was such a slog. The newer characters became one-dimensional, Andrew became annoying, and the plot slowed down. The biggest injustice Cronin committed, however, was towards Christine, who started out as one of my favorite characters and ended the book as a trope. She went from fiery, smart-as-a-whip schoolmarm to the devoted but neglected wife whose constancy serves as a moral anchor for the wandering husband. She deserved better.
That being said, Cronin was really good with scene, and even in the lowest points of the story, moments would shine through that reminded me why I enjoyed the book so much in the first place (like when Andrew takes Christine to the Plaza for a disastrous meal). The ending wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, it was a bit preachy in places (again, more so toward the end), culminating in Andrew's page and a half long monologue on the state of the healthcare system.
Not a bad book. It made me think. I liked the characters. It had so much potential to be a really outstanding book, but it didn't quite get there.
I was recommended this book by one of my PSUCOM interviewers almost 2 years ago. We bonded over being readers, but quickly realized that we had very different taste in books (not a bad thing!). She recommended several books to me, but this was the one that stuck out to me and that I got from the library a week after my interviews. It has sat on my bookshelf ever since, until recently, when I decided to give it a go.
Apparently, this book is something of a classic when it comes to medical novels. I am amazed at the impact it had in the UK at the time (1930s and 40s), highlighting many of the issues of the healthcare system. In fact, this book was an inspiration for the introduction of the NHS, the way Upton Sinclair's [b:The Jungle|41681|The Jungle|Upton Sinclair|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1332140681s/41681.jpg|1253187] prompted the federal government to investigate the meatpacking industry and thus inspired the eventual creation of the FDA (never say a book can't have large impacts on society! Although unfortunately Sinclair's goal with his novel was very different from what the federal government ended up instating; but that's a different story for a different review).
As with most compelling stories, this one is still very relatable, especially in the US. It's been close to 100 years since this book was written, but Cronin's criticism of the healthcare system of the UK in the 1930s, in which doctors are sometimes incompetent or uncaring, in which money often comes before the health of patients, in which the poor and uneducated are not given the care they deserve, still holds true in 21st century America. As someone who will be starting my own journey into physicianship soon, the book has given me a lot to think about. I anticipate I'll probably re-read this book, although perhaps in the more distant future.
But I'm not just a budding doctor; I'm also a reader, and boy, do I have some issues with this book when it comes to the writing. There's a reason why this book, despite the very real impact it had when it was written and the pressing matters it discusses, has largely become forgotten.
The book starts out in a very promising way. I loved all of the characters, who were pretty well fleshed out. At one point, the main character and his friend decide that the only way they're going to get a leaking sewer replaced and thus save the town from the enteric fever that has been spreading is to blow it up. Having 2 doctors sneak over to a sewer in the dead of night and drop some dynamite in it to save their patients--within the first 50 pages--is a pretty promising start. However, as the book progressed, the characters became flatter and the plot more repetitive. Andrew would face some injustice, he would get angry, he would do something against the status quo, he'd get in trouble, but then because he was so good at his job/did the right thing, he'd somehow land a higher position, then at the new position, the cycle would start over. This was broken by Andrew's descent into depravity in the last quarter or so of the book. I understand that Cronin was trying to highlight the faults of the system, but his plot (which was lovely at first) became so mundane after about 200 pages in. The last half of the book was such a slog. The newer characters became one-dimensional, Andrew became annoying, and the plot slowed down. The biggest injustice Cronin committed, however, was towards Christine, who started out as one of my favorite characters and ended the book as a trope. She went from fiery, smart-as-a-whip schoolmarm to the devoted but neglected wife whose constancy serves as a moral anchor for the wandering husband. She deserved better.
That being said, Cronin was really good with scene, and even in the lowest points of the story, moments would shine through that reminded me why I enjoyed the book so much in the first place (like when Andrew takes Christine to the Plaza for a disastrous meal). The ending wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, it was a bit preachy in places (again, more so toward the end), culminating in Andrew's page and a half long monologue on the state of the healthcare system.
Not a bad book. It made me think. I liked the characters. It had so much potential to be a really outstanding book, but it didn't quite get there.