''Shannon's Way'' is a 1948 novel by
Scots author,
A. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981), known as A. J. Cronin, was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is ''The Citadel'' (1937), about a Scottish doctor who serves in a Welsh mining village before achievi ...
. It continues the story of Robert Shannon from Cronin's previous novel, ''
The Green Years
''The Green Years'' is a 1944 novel by A. J. Cronin which traces the formative years of an Irish orphan, Robert Shannon, who is sent to live with his draconian maternal grandparents in Scotland. An introspective child, Robert forms an attachme ...
'' (1944).
Plot summary
Robert trains to be a doctor at the fictional Levenford Infirmary (Levenford is loosely based on
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
), and falls in love with Jean Law, a young medical student belonging to the
Plymouth Brethren who rejects him when she discovers that he has deceived her about his history and religion (he is a Roman Catholic). He develops an interest in a disease contracted from infected cows' milk, and devotes his spare time to researching it: it turns out to be
brucellosis
Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever.
The ...
. Dr. Shannon contracts a nervous breakdown when he completes the project only to find that someone else has anticipated his results, and is nursed by and marries Jean.
External links
Text of ''Shannon's Way''
1948 British novels
Novels by A. J. Cronin
Medical novels
Medical romance novels
Scottish romance novels
Novels set in Scotland
Dumbarton
Victor Gollancz Ltd books
Little, Brown and Company books
British novels adapted into television shows
Ryerson Press books
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