- The Green Years
infobox Book |
name = The Green Years
author =A. J. Cronin
country = UK
language = English
genre =Novel
publisher = Gollancz UK
Little, Brown USA
release_date = 1944
media_type = Print (Hardback &Paperback )
pages = 347 pp. (UK hardback edition)
isbn = 0-450-01820-2"The Green Years" is a
1944 novel byA. J. Cronin which traces the formative years of an Irishorphan , Robert Shannon, who is sent to live with his draconian maternal grandparents inScotland . An introspective child, Robert forms an attachment to his roguish great-grandfather, who draws the youngster out of his shell with his raucous ways.ignificance of title
The title, "The Green Years", has several connotations. On one hand, this is a story about a boy's coming of age. However, the central character, Robert Shannon, also has a fascination with the natural world. Additionally, he is a Catholic growing up with his Presbyterian relatives. In the novel, he is forced for a time to wear a ridiculous green suit made for him by his Grandma, and is mercilessly teased at school because of it.
tructure of the novel
The novel consists of three sections: Book One portrays the protagonist's arrival in Scotland as a child, following the death of his parents back in Ireland; Book Two focuses on the character's adolescence and ends on a pair of tragedies (the death of his best friend and his failure to win a scholarship to study medicine at the university, due to a sudden illness); Book Three begins with the protagonist as a somewhat embittered figure, entering the adult working world with little hope for the future, which is only compounded by the fact that he has fallen in love. He yearns for a career in the sciences, but is thwarted by a lack of financial resources. However, the death of his beloved great grandfather brings him an inheritance that will enable him to pursue his dreams after all.
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