In The Keys of the Kingdom Cronin is concerned with two main themes, one of which is a constant concern throughout his life and work, while the other was never to appear again with such fervor. The first is Cronin's concern for children who are ill-treated or neglected. As is often the case in Cronin's novels, children also have great potential intellectually and socially. His protagonist, Francis Chisolm, is such a child, an orphan, and when he is removed from adverse conditions in which he is being raised, the reader sees Chisolm bloom into a bright youth who is full of...
Source: Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction, ©2001 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
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