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The Lockwood Concern
The citizens of Swedish Haven, Pennsylvania wonder why on earth George Lockwood is building an eight-foot brick wall around thirty acres of land.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
14 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
John O'Hara
227 books297 followersAmerican writer John Henry O'Hara contributed short stories to the New Yorker and wrote novels, such as
BUtterfield 8
(1935) and
Ten North Frederick
(1955).
Best-selling works of John Henry O'Hara include Appointment in Samarra . People particularly knew him for an uncannily accurate ear for dialogue. O'Hara, a keen observer of social status and class differences, wrote frequently about the socially ambitious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O&#...
Best-selling works of John Henry O'Hara include Appointment in Samarra . People particularly knew him for an uncannily accurate ear for dialogue. O'Hara, a keen observer of social status and class differences, wrote frequently about the socially ambitious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O&#...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 16, 2011
The "concern" of the Lockwood Concern is the formation of a family dynasty. O'Hara chronicles four generations of Lockwoods, starting with Moses Lockwood who killed two men in the mid-1800's as he came to settle in Swedish Haven (based on Schuykill Haven, Pa). His son, Abraham, developed The Concern, and made it his life's work.
Spanning over 100 years, O'Hara recreates late 19th century/early 20th century NEPA and Philadelphia with an omniscient but impartial narrator, every detail accurate, every conversation true. Like a friend with a magnetic personality but questionable character, this book grabs your attention and is hard to ignore. The characters are not likeable, moral, nor sympathetic, but they are real. The weakness of the book is when O'Hara feels the need to wrap up the story, imposing an unimaginative "plot mountain" onto a story whose strength was its realism. It reminded me of how Steinbeck conveniently ended East of Eden with a suicide and two deaths what seemed like the last 10 pages.
Some reviewers question the relevancy of "the Lockwood Concern", and even O'Hara himself with his constant examination of social hierarchies and power. In our world, with a president named Bush for 12 of the past 21 years, with our wealthiest families growing increasingly wealthy in money and influence, these questions are more relevant than ever. I hope O'Hara is rediscovered.
Quotes:
"'....but I never for a minute thought he could be leading a double life.'
'Nobody leads a double life. One life is all anyone leads, good, bad or indifferent.'"
"'My grandfather killed two men. He was tried for manslaughter for the one.'
'Now I never knew that.'
'I know you didn't. But I'm not what you think I am.'
'Not the true gentry?'
'No.'
'That explains a few things.'
'What things, for instance?'
'Well--certain hesitancies.'
'Like what?'
'I'd be hard put to give you examples, but since you told me this, I'll confess that I noticed you're not always as sure of yourself as you ought to be. Most of the time, yes. But not always. Much as I dislike Harbord, he's always sure what he is doing is the right thing. If you have a son, he'll probably be as sure of himself as Harbord is. You're more sure of yourself than your father is, aren't you'
'Oh, yes. Much more.'
'What about your grandfather, the killer?'
'Very sure of himself, I think.'
'Yes. No doubt he didn't care.'
'Not a bit.'
'Virile stock, and you're used to having money. Your son will be an aristocrat. Then you ought to have him marry an Italian or a Spaniard before the inbreeding starts.'"
Spanning over 100 years, O'Hara recreates late 19th century/early 20th century NEPA and Philadelphia with an omniscient but impartial narrator, every detail accurate, every conversation true. Like a friend with a magnetic personality but questionable character, this book grabs your attention and is hard to ignore. The characters are not likeable, moral, nor sympathetic, but they are real. The weakness of the book is when O'Hara feels the need to wrap up the story, imposing an unimaginative "plot mountain" onto a story whose strength was its realism. It reminded me of how Steinbeck conveniently ended East of Eden with a suicide and two deaths what seemed like the last 10 pages.
Some reviewers question the relevancy of "the Lockwood Concern", and even O'Hara himself with his constant examination of social hierarchies and power. In our world, with a president named Bush for 12 of the past 21 years, with our wealthiest families growing increasingly wealthy in money and influence, these questions are more relevant than ever. I hope O'Hara is rediscovered.
Quotes:
"'....but I never for a minute thought he could be leading a double life.'
'Nobody leads a double life. One life is all anyone leads, good, bad or indifferent.'"
"'My grandfather killed two men. He was tried for manslaughter for the one.'
'Now I never knew that.'
'I know you didn't. But I'm not what you think I am.'
'Not the true gentry?'
'No.'
'That explains a few things.'
'What things, for instance?'
'Well--certain hesitancies.'
'Like what?'
'I'd be hard put to give you examples, but since you told me this, I'll confess that I noticed you're not always as sure of yourself as you ought to be. Most of the time, yes. But not always. Much as I dislike Harbord, he's always sure what he is doing is the right thing. If you have a son, he'll probably be as sure of himself as Harbord is. You're more sure of yourself than your father is, aren't you'
'Oh, yes. Much more.'
'What about your grandfather, the killer?'
'Very sure of himself, I think.'
'Yes. No doubt he didn't care.'
'Not a bit.'
'Virile stock, and you're used to having money. Your son will be an aristocrat. Then you ought to have him marry an Italian or a Spaniard before the inbreeding starts.'"
Want to read
May 4, 2013This is one of those old books that my parents had lying around. I started reading it when I was in my early twenties, got up to page 344 and never finished it! Now you’re probably wondering how I know what page I was on. It’s because I still have the damn book mark sitting in it.
Now I’m like %#@&*! Why didn’t I finish this? Hell, I was almost done. Yes it sort of bored me, but that’s beside the point. I mean come on…I was almost finished! Good grief! Consequently I’ve been carting this book around with me for years thinking someday I’ll pick it up again. Of course, now it’s been so long, I’d probably have to read the whole damn thing to know what’s going on. But I don’t want to read it again. After all, it didn’t thrill me that much the first time.
Yet I’m still stewing over it. Does anyone know how this book ends?
This is one of the reasons I hate not finishing books. To think this book would still irk me after all these years is crazy. grrrr
Now I’m like %#@&*! Why didn’t I finish this? Hell, I was almost done. Yes it sort of bored me, but that’s beside the point. I mean come on…I was almost finished! Good grief! Consequently I’ve been carting this book around with me for years thinking someday I’ll pick it up again. Of course, now it’s been so long, I’d probably have to read the whole damn thing to know what’s going on. But I don’t want to read it again. After all, it didn’t thrill me that much the first time.
Yet I’m still stewing over it. Does anyone know how this book ends?
This is one of the reasons I hate not finishing books. To think this book would still irk me after all these years is crazy. grrrr
January 14, 2017
And there's something very self-destructive about the business of falling in love. I don't know exactly what it is, but men and women feel compelled to talk too much. I'm afraid the reason is that they want to test the other person's love, and they do it in a way that's cruel to the other person and self-destructive to themselves.
March 31, 2024
Un romanzo a cui manca qualcosa per essere davvero apprezzabile e valido!
May 8, 2012
I read this book in the late '60s when I was a teen and was thrilled to have found such debauchery in our small town high school library! It was just as much fun this time around, but more as a reminder that everyone's family has sickos and secrets and that none of us gets out of here alive.
October 18, 2025
The Lockwood Concern by John O’Hara
An astonishing book
Eureka!
Finally, after another five or six misfires, I got my hands on a book that has enchanted me!
I have been through some of the lists of best books- The Guardian, TIME, Modern Library and even Le Monde, albeit the latter much less extensively.
It has come to the point where I am struggling with a few volumes left on these compilations, but if there is hope in a few cases- The Essays of Montaigne, for instance- in others it would be a hard landing, if at all.
The Beckett trilogy will be a struggle and Ulysses will never be finished.
So I have resorted to other recommendations.
I have looked at the Anthony Burgess list of 99 favorite books.
The first few were regrettably left unfinished.
But then there came the Lockwood Concern.
I was familiar with the author, because I have read Appointment in Samarra and was equally exited.
The Lockwood made me happy not just because I loved reading it, but for another reason as well.
It seems to me that it is a book that is not totally conservative.
I have been worried that I can only get involved with classic, maybe even old fashioned novels.
And the Lockwood Concern is certainly a story that has a few generations, murders, suicides, betrayal and all the ingredients of a "classic" tale.
But there are aspects that I think may belong to the modern perspective and that gives me hope that I am not altogether passé in my tastes and I better forget about contemporary literature.
Still, I am firmly in favor of the older style and cannot really keep pace with the likes of Trainspotting, albeit I intend to give it a try.
But I looked at A Brief History of Seven Killings and it is too "modern or contemporary, perhaps both " for this reader.
The Lockwood Concern was page turner, with great narration, fascinating characters.
What appeared modern?
There is a bisexual personage and not only a father accepted that orientation at a time when this was extremely rare, but he encouraged his sibling to marry the person.
There was one thing that puzzled me from one point on...what would I change from there to the end?
For this is a magnificent chef d'oeuvre, but still belongs to that group of books where I would intervene and take a different course to the plot.
This is sacrilege and an act of lese majeste, but I am just talking of envisaging, fabulating ...
A fabulous novel
An astonishing book
Eureka!
Finally, after another five or six misfires, I got my hands on a book that has enchanted me!
I have been through some of the lists of best books- The Guardian, TIME, Modern Library and even Le Monde, albeit the latter much less extensively.
It has come to the point where I am struggling with a few volumes left on these compilations, but if there is hope in a few cases- The Essays of Montaigne, for instance- in others it would be a hard landing, if at all.
The Beckett trilogy will be a struggle and Ulysses will never be finished.
So I have resorted to other recommendations.
I have looked at the Anthony Burgess list of 99 favorite books.
The first few were regrettably left unfinished.
But then there came the Lockwood Concern.
I was familiar with the author, because I have read Appointment in Samarra and was equally exited.
The Lockwood made me happy not just because I loved reading it, but for another reason as well.
It seems to me that it is a book that is not totally conservative.
I have been worried that I can only get involved with classic, maybe even old fashioned novels.
And the Lockwood Concern is certainly a story that has a few generations, murders, suicides, betrayal and all the ingredients of a "classic" tale.
But there are aspects that I think may belong to the modern perspective and that gives me hope that I am not altogether passé in my tastes and I better forget about contemporary literature.
Still, I am firmly in favor of the older style and cannot really keep pace with the likes of Trainspotting, albeit I intend to give it a try.
But I looked at A Brief History of Seven Killings and it is too "modern or contemporary, perhaps both " for this reader.
The Lockwood Concern was page turner, with great narration, fascinating characters.
What appeared modern?
There is a bisexual personage and not only a father accepted that orientation at a time when this was extremely rare, but he encouraged his sibling to marry the person.
There was one thing that puzzled me from one point on...what would I change from there to the end?
For this is a magnificent chef d'oeuvre, but still belongs to that group of books where I would intervene and take a different course to the plot.
This is sacrilege and an act of lese majeste, but I am just talking of envisaging, fabulating ...
A fabulous novel
August 13, 2017
I really have no idea why I started to read this book about 11 years ago, when I was at the university. But I did not advance too far. I stopped just after Lockwood built the wall around his new house. I had the impression that I stopped in the middle of the book and the whole mystery is laying ahead. There was a passage of how he secretly contracted a hidden passage in his house, nobody knows about and I was imagining all kinds of mysteries and possible development that can involve this passage. So, this book was haunting me all those years and I had an urge to finish the story, that started so promising. So finally, this spring I found an old copy and read it... To say that I was disappointed is to say nothing. Of course, there were no mystery at all, no tension and the story dragged really slowly.
The book is basically about 4 generations of men of Lockwood family and their way to make their name worthy to be accepted by the aristocracy and leave the trace in history.
I do not say it was a bad book, it is very thorough in the description of the society of that time and difference between old families with roots and new rising names who gain fast money but not are accepted totally by the high society, but it just did not grab me at all. I could not feel more remote from the ideas and troubles this family had; the general treatment of women in this family did not inspire me to be connected with any of the characters at all.
The ending was as well disappointing: the whole book you are expecting some kind of critical point from which the narration will finally come to the logical end, but the book ended so abruptly, that I was actually checking if my addition if some pages were missing... not happy with it.
The book is basically about 4 generations of men of Lockwood family and their way to make their name worthy to be accepted by the aristocracy and leave the trace in history.
I do not say it was a bad book, it is very thorough in the description of the society of that time and difference between old families with roots and new rising names who gain fast money but not are accepted totally by the high society, but it just did not grab me at all. I could not feel more remote from the ideas and troubles this family had; the general treatment of women in this family did not inspire me to be connected with any of the characters at all.
The ending was as well disappointing: the whole book you are expecting some kind of critical point from which the narration will finally come to the logical end, but the book ended so abruptly, that I was actually checking if my addition if some pages were missing... not happy with it.
January 23, 2024
A very interesting read that allows one to be immersed in a different time period. It captures the pieces of society that drive humans and restrict them. Hopes and dreams, familial sagas, disappointment and surprises.
December 13, 2024
John O'Hara at his eccentric best. Another ripping yarn and not quite like anything else I've ever read.
January 11, 2016
The Lockwood Concern, I believe, is John O'Hara's homage to John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga, and while O'Hara has done a very credible job with his multi-generational tale about the Lockwoods of Swedish Haven, Pennsylvania, it just did not rise to the exalted heights of The Forsyte Saga. This is the story of the people of eastern Pennsylvania from the early 1800s up to about the time of the stock market crash in the late-1920s.
One thing I simply love about John O'Hara's novels is how he reuses the characters, both major and minor, from his other novels. There are always unexpected cameo appearances of people like Joe Chapin (Ten North Frederick Street) and Julian and Carolyn English (Appointment in Samarra) and so forth, and they're a treat to encounter.
While this is probably best considered one of O'Hara's minor efforts, if you're a completist it is certainly worth seeking out and reading. I enjoyed it from the first to the last page, and would give it 3.5 stars of five.
One thing I simply love about John O'Hara's novels is how he reuses the characters, both major and minor, from his other novels. There are always unexpected cameo appearances of people like Joe Chapin (Ten North Frederick Street) and Julian and Carolyn English (Appointment in Samarra) and so forth, and they're a treat to encounter.
While this is probably best considered one of O'Hara's minor efforts, if you're a completist it is certainly worth seeking out and reading. I enjoyed it from the first to the last page, and would give it 3.5 stars of five.
June 12, 2009
I HATED this book!!! Worst ending ever!!! Aghhh...why did I waste my time reading this????
November 27, 2009
Another O'hara epic. A family from Swedish Haven aka Schuylkill Haven. Lots of scandalous stuff and dutchiness.
I enjoyed it quite a lot!
I enjoyed it quite a lot!
April 7, 2017
Luscious writing.
One of the best passages in the book: "In Swedish Haven, thrift was a word that was pronounced as reverently as the name Jesus ..."
Within the context of language, phrasing, pace, and general observations on humanity and society at a certain time and place in America, the Lockwood Concern is a feast that somehow delights all of the reader's senses.
I especially loved how Mr. O'Hara depicted the temporary juxtaposition of an old order and a new, such as between the agrarian v. urban and Pennsylvania Dutch v. English.
I rate the book a four instead of a five because Mr. O'Hara's characterizations, while seemingly deep and intriguing in the beginning of the book, simply repeat with small variation each generation, which dulled my interest.
One of the best passages in the book: "In Swedish Haven, thrift was a word that was pronounced as reverently as the name Jesus ..."
Within the context of language, phrasing, pace, and general observations on humanity and society at a certain time and place in America, the Lockwood Concern is a feast that somehow delights all of the reader's senses.
I especially loved how Mr. O'Hara depicted the temporary juxtaposition of an old order and a new, such as between the agrarian v. urban and Pennsylvania Dutch v. English.
I rate the book a four instead of a five because Mr. O'Hara's characterizations, while seemingly deep and intriguing in the beginning of the book, simply repeat with small variation each generation, which dulled my interest.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews