Tri ljubavi

Three Loves (1932) is a poignant and multi-layered psychological novel by A. J. Cronin that explores the dark side of excessive, possessive, and uncompromising love through the life story of its protagonist, Lucy Moore. The narrative is divided into three parts, each depicting a major, all-consuming passion to which Lucy devotes herself entirely, convinced she is acting rightly and nobly.

The first love is dedicated to her husband, Frank. Lucy’s desire for total control and the creation of a "perfect home" exerts unbearable pressure, driving Frank to make rash decisions that ultimately lead to a tragic outcome. Following her husband's death, Lucy channels all her passion and vital energy into a second love—her son, Peter. She sacrifices everything to secure his education and social advancement, yet her suffocating maternal love and inability to let him live his own life lead to inevitable conflict and final estrangement.

Disillusioned with human relationships and broken by loneliness, Lucy seeks refuge in the third part of the novel in a third love: God and religion. She enters a convent, but even there, her fanatical, uncompromising approach to faith and her lack of humility lead to further disappointments and an internal breakdown. Through the character of Lucy Moore, Cronin masterfully portrays the tragedy of a person whose powerful, blind love—instead of offering salvation—becomes a destructive force that ruins everything around her and ultimately leaves the protagonist utterly alone.