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#TheMinstrelBoy-novel

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

by A. J. Cronin

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Review# tag	TheMinstrelBoy-novel
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Hash title	The Minstrel Boy (novel)
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Description	The Minstrel Boy (also published under the title Desmonde) is a 1975 novel by A. J. Cronin.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. The story's narration is by a character who bears a close resemblance to Cronin himself and he refers to the character as Cronin. 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." The book contains the classic Cronin features of human weakness and failure with ultimate redemption.
Description	The Minstrel Boy (also published under the title Desmonde) is a 1975 novel by A. J. Cronin.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. The story's narration is by a character who bears a close resemblance to Cronin himself and he refers to the character as Cronin. 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." The book contains the classic Cronin features of human weakness and failure with ultimate redemption.

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Name	The Minstrel Boy
Name
Authors	A. J. Cronin
Authors
Translator
Translator
Genre
Genre
Series
Series
Number in series
Number in series
Language	English
Language
Country	United Kingdom
Country

PUBLISH

Story timeline
Story timeline
Pages	285 pp. (UK hardback edition)
Pages
Media_type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Media_type
Isbn	0-575-01972-7
Isbn
Oclc
Oclc
Publisher	Gollancz (UK) Little, Brown (US)
Publisher