The Stars Look Down is a 1935 novel by A. J. Cronin which chronicles various injustices in an English coal mining community. A film version was produced in 1939, and television adaptations include both Italian (1971) and British (1975) versions.
The novel is set in 'Sleescale,' a mining town on the coast of Northumberland, as well as in 'Tynecastle' (Newcastle upon Tyne). While 'Sleescale' is a fictional locale, it is based on an excellent knowledge of similar places and people. Cronin, a Scot, served as Medical Inspector of Mines in the South Wales Valleys during the 1920s.
Beginning before World War I and extending into the 1930s, the story shows the different careers of several individuals: principally, a miner's son who aspires to defend his people via politics, a miner who becomes a businessman, and the mine owner's son in conflict with his domineering father.
Read more about The Stars Look Down: Plot Summary, Memorable Quotes, Adaptations, References in Other Works
Famous quotes containing the word stars:
“All stars stand close in summer air
And tremble, and look mild as amber;
When wicks are lighted in the chamber
You might say stars were settling there.”
—Léonie Adams (1899–1988)