Hatter's Castle [Hardcover]

A.J. Cronin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2008

HATTER'S CASTLE By A. J CRONIN. BOOK I. THE spring of 1879 was unusually forward and open. Over the Low lands the green of early corn spread smoothly, the chestnut spears burst in April, and the hawthorn hedges flanking the white roads which laced the countryside blossomed a month before time. In the inland villages farmers exulted cautiously and children ran bare footed after watering carts; in the towns which flanked the wide river the clangour of the shipyards lost its insistence and, droning through the mild air, mounted to the foothills behind, where the hum of a precocious bee mingled with it and the exuberant bleat ing of lambs overcame it; in the city, clerks shed their coals for cool ness and lolled in offices, execrating the sultry weather, the policy of Lord Beaconsfield, the news of the Zulu War, and the high cost of beer. Thus, over the whole estuary of the Clyde, from Glasgow to Portdoran, upon Overton, Darroch, Ardfillan those towns which, lying between the Winton and Doran hills, formed the three cardinal points of the fertile triangle upon the right bank of the firth over the ancient Borough of Levenford, which stood bisecting exactly the base line of this triangle at the point where Leven entered Clyde, over all lay the radiance of a dazzling sun and, lapped in this strange benignant heat, the people worked, idled, gossiped, grumbled, cheated, prayed, loved, and lived. Over Levenford, on this early day of May, thin wisps of cloud had hung languidly in the tired air, but now in the late afternoon these gossamer filaments moved slowly on to activity. A warm breeze sprang up and puffed them across the sky, when, having propelled them out of sight, it descended upon the town, touching first the high historic rock which marked the confluence of the tributary Leven with its parent stream, and which stood, a landmark, outlined clearly against the opal sky like the inert body of a gigantic elephant. The mild wind circled the rock, then passed quickly through the hot, mean streets of the adjoining Newtown and wandered amongst the tall stocks, swinging cranes and the ribbed framework of half formed ships in the busy yards of Latta and Company along the river's mouth. Next it wafted slowly along Church Street, as befitted the passage of a thoroughfare dignified by the Borough Hall, the Borough Academy and the Parish Church, until, free of the sober street, it swirled jauntily in the advantageously open space of the Cross, moved speculatively between the rows of shops in the High Street, and entered the more elevated residential district of Knoxhill. But here it tired quickly of sporting along the weathered, red sand stone terraces and rustling the ivy on the old stone houses, and seeking the countryside beyond, passed inland once more, straying amongst the prim villas of the select quarter of Wellhall, and fanning the little round plots of crimson-faced geraniums in each front garden. Then, as it drifted carelessly along the decorous thoroughfare which led from this genteel region to the adjacent open country, suddenly it chilled as it struck the last house in the road. This was a singular dwelling. In size it was small, of such dimen sions that it could not have contained more than seven rooms; in its construction solid, with the hard stability of new grey stones; in its architecture unique. The base of the house had the shape of a narrow rectangle with the wider aspect directed towards the street, with walls which arose, not directly from the earth, but from a stone foundation a foot longer and wider than themselves, and upon which the whole structure seemed to sustain itself like an animal upon its deep-dug paws.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 612 pages
• Publisher: Cronin Press (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1443730726
• ISBN-13: 978-1443730723
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,036,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favourites!, July 16, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Vernon, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hatters Castle (Hardcover)

I STRONGLY disagree with the comment of the above person who gave this book only 2 stars. Hatter's Castle is an absolutely beautiful book - it was A.J. Cronin's first novel, and I feel it is one of his best. The characters are very strong and the plot is riveting, moving and gives many insights into the many facets of human nature. I can't say enough about this novel - I read it when I was in my early twenties and it was the first serious book I had ever read. It was the catalyst that started me on the road to becoming a lifelong, avid reader. All of A.J. Cronin's novels are excellent - they can be hard to find, but well worth the search!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's so sad it will make you laugh, August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hatters Castle (Hardcover)

I have read all of A J Cronin's books, this one stuck in my mind because it was just so depressing. A lecture on the sin of pride, it is about a businessman (a hatter) who commits the cardinal sin of trying to better himself and be "in" with some very stern Scottish upper class people. He is of course a total tyrant to his family (mad old mother, downtrodden wife, two gormless daughters, and a feckless son). But of course things cannot go well for such a proud man, who will not accept rude customers, long opening hours, etc in his shop, or allow his daughters to receive visits from boys he thinks are not good enough for him. Therein lies his downfall!

Trains containing pregnant women's husbands drop off bridges in the middle of the night, businesses go bust, people go into debt, the man becomes a drunkard,etc etc. Every time you think that things cannot get worse for this unfortunate family something even more dreadful seems to happen.

As usual the characters are extremely one dimensional, but don't let this stop you reading the book if you have a nice cosy chair to curl up in, a warm fire, a box of chocolates and it's raining outside.

Cronin learns to get his melodramatic, pedagogic tendencies under control in his later works but frankly, I enjoyed this book simply because of these attributes. Talk about ramming a point home! It's a case of someone letting their imagination run wild, but at least it keeps the attention. Go on, give it a try. You'll be amazed at the destinies he thinks up for all of his unlovely characters.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Literary Masterpiece?, October 20, 2001

By 

Kim Pilcher (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hatters Castle (Hardcover)

How anyone could not appreciate this (in my opinion) literary masterpiece is beyond me. This book is filled with description, but far beyond that the strength of characters that A J Cronin depicts along with the pervadingly dark message to me makes compulsive reading. This was the first of Cronin's novels that I have read and most definately will not be the last.