Story of a selfish man who proceeds through life making choices that impact on others while deluding himself that his decisions are justified, even when they hurt people. The final outcome can hardly raise sympathy for him. ( )

a story of a weak, self-centered man who destroys those who love him. too much immorality and self to be a pleasure to read. LOUSY! I expected better of Cronin.

*2013 Edit*
I now know that Cronin wrote that character to show how base he was. I understand that main characters aren't always the hero". How sad." ( )

bookshelves: one-penny-wonder, autumn-2013, paper-read, published-1961, bedside, art-forms, switzerland, britain-scotland, medical-eew, betrayal, seven-seas, india, suicide
Recommended to ☯Bettie☯ by: Karen
Recommended for: Laura, Wanda, TA, Susanna, weak men
Read from September 14 to November 07, 2013


Opening: The autumn morning was so brilliant that Moray, judiciously consulting the rheostat thermometer outside his window, decided to breakfast on the balcony of his bedroom.

This story opens up in a beautiful and remote canton in Switzerland and we have Moray who is wealthy, free and easy, and a collector of fine art. Then at a party he overhears a voice from the past. We follow him back to his young adulthood and witness him fall in love and qualify as a doctor.

cercis siliquastrum: Judas Tree

maria callas one fine day (madam butterfly)

5* The Citadel
5* Hatter's Castle
4* The Green Years
4* The Judas Tree
5* The Spanish Gardener
3* Adventures Of A Black Bag
3* The Keys of the Kingdom ( )

4633. The Judas Tree, by A. J. Cronin (read 23 Oct 2009) This is the sixth novel by Cronin I have read--and the first I have read since 1946. It reminded me of his sere and stark first novel, Hatter's Castle. The central character is a Scottish doctor, as of course was Cronin, but David Moray is not an admirable person though all who come to know him like him. The story is laid in Scotland and Switzerland. (Cronin was born in Scotland and died in Switzerland.) The book is very readable and pretty predictable but still it is interesting to see how the story--which is soap opera-like--works out. Though it is non-profound I was quite caught up by the book ( )