The Minstrel Boy (novel)

1975 novel by A. J. Cronin

This article is about the novel by A. J. Cronin. For the song, see The Minstrel Boy.

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The Minstrel Boy (also published under the title Desmonde) is a 1975 novel by A. J. Cronin.

The Minstrel Boy

First UK edition

Author| A. J. Cronin
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English
Publisher| Gollancz (UK)
Little, Brown (US)

Publication date

| 1975
Media type| Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages| 285 pp. (UK hardback edition)
ISBN| 0-575-01972-7

## Plot[edit]

The story concerns the life of a young priest called Desmonde Fitzgerald. In his seminary he is noted for his magnificent singing voice, his practical jokes and his good looks which make him inordinately attractive to women. In his first clerical posting in Ireland, the lady of the manor falls in love with him, but he is seduced by her niece, whom he later marries. He becomes a musician and lives in poverty in Dublin, where his wife deserts him and later dies in Switzerland. After a period in Spain he is given a second chance and becomes a missionary to India, where he again risks becoming involved with a rich local woman but this time escapes. The book contains the classic Cronin features of human weakness and failure with ultimate redemption.

## Autobiographical references[edit]

The story's narration is by a character "Alec Shannon" who bears a close resemblance to Cronin himself. In the novel, reference is clearly made to his own alma mater, St Aloysius' College, as the description of the fictional school, St Ignatius', is clearly a description of the buildings and environs of the school Cronin attended. Reference is also made to his footballing exploits as Cronin was reputedly an excellent footballer and played in the College First XI . Cronin never specifically mentioned his own school in his books but does refer to another Jesuit school, Stonyhurst and a combination of Stonyhurst and Ampleforth called "Amplehurst". He also never refers directly to Glasgow, but to the fictional locale of "Winton", which often stands in for Glasgow in Cronin's novels.

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Works by A. J. Cronin

Novels|

* Hatter's Castle
* Three Loves
* Grand Canary
* Woman of the Earth
* Country Doctor
* The Stars Look Down
* The Citadel
* Vigil in the Night
* Enchanted Snow
* The Valorous Years
* The Keys of the Kingdom
* The Green Years
* Shannon's Way
* The Spanish Gardener
* Beyond This Place
* Escape from Fear
* A Thing of Beauty/Crusader's Tomb
* The Northern Light
* The Native Doctor/An Apple in Eden
* The Judas Tree
* A Song of Sixpence
* A Pocketful of Rye
* The Minstrel Boy/Desmonde
* Lady with Carnations
* Gracie Lindsay

Short stories|

* "Kaleidoscope in "K""
* "The Innkeeper's Wife"

Play|

* Jupiter Laughs

Autobiography|

* Adventures in Two Worlds

Film adaptations|

* Once to Every Woman
* Grand Canary
* The Citadel
* Vigil in the Night
* The Stars Look Down
* Shining Victory
* Hatter's Castle
* The Keys of the Kingdom
* The Green Years
* The Spanish Gardener
* Web of Evidence

Television adaptations|

* Escape From Fear
* Beyond This Place
* Nicholas
* The Citadel (1960 American)
* The Citadel (1960 British)
* Dr. Finlay's Casebook
* The Ordeal of Dr. Shannon
* Memorandum van een dokter
* La Cittadella (1964)
* Novi asistent
* O Jardineiro Espanhol
* E le stelle stanno a guardare
* The Stars Look Down
* Les Années d'illusion
* The Citadel (1983)
* Doctor Finlay
* La Cittadella (2003)

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