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"HAVE YOU HAD AN AFFAIR WITH ANOTHER MAN?" ROBERT MILLHOUSER ASKED HIS WIFE. "YES I HAVE," SHE TOLD HIM BRUTALLY...
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
3 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
John O'Hara
248 books294 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 27, 2024
Being a trusting O'Hara fan, I went into this novel blind. All I really knew was that it had been a solid bestseller in its day (1960) and was considered controversial for some of its depictions of sexual behavior and attitudes - mainly as they pertained to one of the main characters, a 17-year-old girl.
Once you get into the deeper part of the novel, it becomes somewhat easy to conclude that O'Hara may be doing his own spin on Nabokov's 'Lolita' - which had been published about 5 years prior. But O'Hara's spin - which also largely uses the 'memoir' form - feels darker and deadlier.
~ and over-written. The story (a respectable 50-year-old man falling under the spell of a gorgeous teen) is longer than it really needs to be. But this is *O'Hara* being longer - with extended descriptions of inner turmoil and cultural landscape that feel decidedly Irish in tone and character. His fans are most likely to find the 'padding' not all that troublesome since, even when he's wordy, it's in the service of illuminating important points about time, place, personalities and societal norms.
Hedda - O'Hara's take on Nabokov's Lolita / Dolores - may be the one element in the work that remains contemporary. She's ultra-'modern' in her outlook, if still quite self-serving. Essentially she's a calculating piece of work, undaunted by the trappings of her environment.
Where O'Hara shows himself on less solid ground is with Chester Calthorp - the best friend of protagonist Robert Millhouser. Chester is gay, something he keeps from the naive Robert until a pivotal necessity occurs. O'Hara's view of a gay man of the period feels accurate emotionally (for the most part) yet the author, at the same time, appears noncommittal in his own POV (perhaps understandably, given this is 1960). It's an odd thing to notice - esp. since, in a number of his short stories, O'Hara comes off as much more liberal in his view of female homosexuality or even bisexuality.
Falling as it does between the time of the Civil War and the 1920s, 'OTK' is rich in the dynamics of cultural change. O'Hara's eye is typically sharp as societal demands shift and when hearts are hesitant to do so. His portrait of small-town life is chock-full of rich characterization but the bulk of the residents are naturally less-than-progressive.
O'Hara has few peers when it comes to crackling dialogue and 'OTK' has that in abundance. It's always a marvelous experience to witness what O'Hara has to say about people through the way they express themselves.
Once you get into the deeper part of the novel, it becomes somewhat easy to conclude that O'Hara may be doing his own spin on Nabokov's 'Lolita' - which had been published about 5 years prior. But O'Hara's spin - which also largely uses the 'memoir' form - feels darker and deadlier.
~ and over-written. The story (a respectable 50-year-old man falling under the spell of a gorgeous teen) is longer than it really needs to be. But this is *O'Hara* being longer - with extended descriptions of inner turmoil and cultural landscape that feel decidedly Irish in tone and character. His fans are most likely to find the 'padding' not all that troublesome since, even when he's wordy, it's in the service of illuminating important points about time, place, personalities and societal norms.
Hedda - O'Hara's take on Nabokov's Lolita / Dolores - may be the one element in the work that remains contemporary. She's ultra-'modern' in her outlook, if still quite self-serving. Essentially she's a calculating piece of work, undaunted by the trappings of her environment.
Where O'Hara shows himself on less solid ground is with Chester Calthorp - the best friend of protagonist Robert Millhouser. Chester is gay, something he keeps from the naive Robert until a pivotal necessity occurs. O'Hara's view of a gay man of the period feels accurate emotionally (for the most part) yet the author, at the same time, appears noncommittal in his own POV (perhaps understandably, given this is 1960). It's an odd thing to notice - esp. since, in a number of his short stories, O'Hara comes off as much more liberal in his view of female homosexuality or even bisexuality.
Falling as it does between the time of the Civil War and the 1920s, 'OTK' is rich in the dynamics of cultural change. O'Hara's eye is typically sharp as societal demands shift and when hearts are hesitant to do so. His portrait of small-town life is chock-full of rich characterization but the bulk of the residents are naturally less-than-progressive.
O'Hara has few peers when it comes to crackling dialogue and 'OTK' has that in abundance. It's always a marvelous experience to witness what O'Hara has to say about people through the way they express themselves.
October 12, 2015
Umständliche Helden als Ballast
Reicher Junggeselle mit Tendenz zum Sonderling heiratet im Alter von 47 Jahren ein 30 Jahre jüngeres Mädchen, das davon überzeugt ist, dass es jeden Mann in sich verliebt machen kann, aber das kein Mann Gewalt über ihre Gefühle hat und deshalb an früheren Stationen ihre zu alten Liebhaber in Schwierigkeiten gebracht oder zum Selbstmord getrieben hat. Robert ist, abgesehen von einer als junger Mann unternommenen Europareise, nie mehr aus Pennsylvania heraus gekommen und hatte auch nie mehr den Drang dazu, sie hat als Tochter eine Grubeningenieurs Nord- und Südamerika bereist. Infolge dessen passen die Ansprüche des in seinem Kaff vielfach engagierten Ehemannes, der zudem regelmäßig diverse Farmen bereist, nicht allzu sehr zu den Wünschen der lebenslustigen jungen Ehefrau, die er in seinem großen Haus alleine lässt. Nach einiger Zeit lässt sich Hedda, in einem seltsamen Anfall von Eifersucht und verletztem Stolz auf einen Lüstling ein, der so ziemlich jede Frau anbaggert und mit seinen Geschichten auch schon ihren Ehemann auf den langen Bahnfahrten von Fort Penn nach Lyons unterhalten wollte. Eine missglückte Machtdemonstration auf dem Bahnhof mit Eingriff in die Hose ihres Liebhabers, der zu seiner Frau und Familie fahren will, beschleunigt den gesellschaftlichen Absturz dieser Madame Bovary, die von ihrem Mann kaltblütig erschossen wird, als sie ihn verlassen will, obwohl sämtliche Gefühle für sie bei ihm erloschen sind.
Das Kuriosum, dass er, trotz Geständnis und zweifelsfreier Faktenlage nicht wegen Mordes verurteilt, sondern nach einem Jahr wieder frei gelassen wurde, bildet den Aufhänger zu einem ziemlich dicken Schinken, in dessen Verlauf sich John O'Hara bei Aufbau seines Hauptcharakters viel zu viel Zeit lässt und sich in Dickensschen Dimensionen verirrt und seinem Robert Millhouser sehr viel Jugend und eine Europareise mit einem schwulen Steerforth beschert und dem Leser danach ziemlich viel und lange an der Langeweile in Lyons teilnehmen lässt.
Da sein junger Beichtvater und Chronist Gerald Higgins zudem seinerseits ein ziemlicher Umstandskrämer ist, der seine Position mehr als einmal klarstellen muss, dauert es sehr lange, bis das Buch in Schwung kommt.
Sicherlich kein schlechtes Buch, aber zu viel Realismus für meinen Geschmack, in der prägnanten Knappheit der folgenden Romane (Die Lockwoods, Danke für gar nichts) hat O'Hara anscheinend die literarischen Konsequenzen aus diesem an zu viel Charakterrealismus und zu wenig interessantem Personal gezogen. Portrait im Spiegel ist vermutlich wirklich eher etwas für Komplettisten, zumal die relevante Handlung erst auf Seite 288 beginnt und sich bis zum Mord auf Seite 447 erstreckt. Allen, die das Buch irgendwoher geerbt haben oder bei einer Haushaltauflösung in die Hände fallen sollte, seien die Seiten 7 bis 16 als Introduktion und dann die Heddahandlung ans Herz gelegt. Ab Seite 497 folgen die Gründe, warum es zum Quasi-Freispruch kam und wie alt Robert Milhouser wirklich wurde.
Reicher Junggeselle mit Tendenz zum Sonderling heiratet im Alter von 47 Jahren ein 30 Jahre jüngeres Mädchen, das davon überzeugt ist, dass es jeden Mann in sich verliebt machen kann, aber das kein Mann Gewalt über ihre Gefühle hat und deshalb an früheren Stationen ihre zu alten Liebhaber in Schwierigkeiten gebracht oder zum Selbstmord getrieben hat. Robert ist, abgesehen von einer als junger Mann unternommenen Europareise, nie mehr aus Pennsylvania heraus gekommen und hatte auch nie mehr den Drang dazu, sie hat als Tochter eine Grubeningenieurs Nord- und Südamerika bereist. Infolge dessen passen die Ansprüche des in seinem Kaff vielfach engagierten Ehemannes, der zudem regelmäßig diverse Farmen bereist, nicht allzu sehr zu den Wünschen der lebenslustigen jungen Ehefrau, die er in seinem großen Haus alleine lässt. Nach einiger Zeit lässt sich Hedda, in einem seltsamen Anfall von Eifersucht und verletztem Stolz auf einen Lüstling ein, der so ziemlich jede Frau anbaggert und mit seinen Geschichten auch schon ihren Ehemann auf den langen Bahnfahrten von Fort Penn nach Lyons unterhalten wollte. Eine missglückte Machtdemonstration auf dem Bahnhof mit Eingriff in die Hose ihres Liebhabers, der zu seiner Frau und Familie fahren will, beschleunigt den gesellschaftlichen Absturz dieser Madame Bovary, die von ihrem Mann kaltblütig erschossen wird, als sie ihn verlassen will, obwohl sämtliche Gefühle für sie bei ihm erloschen sind.
Das Kuriosum, dass er, trotz Geständnis und zweifelsfreier Faktenlage nicht wegen Mordes verurteilt, sondern nach einem Jahr wieder frei gelassen wurde, bildet den Aufhänger zu einem ziemlich dicken Schinken, in dessen Verlauf sich John O'Hara bei Aufbau seines Hauptcharakters viel zu viel Zeit lässt und sich in Dickensschen Dimensionen verirrt und seinem Robert Millhouser sehr viel Jugend und eine Europareise mit einem schwulen Steerforth beschert und dem Leser danach ziemlich viel und lange an der Langeweile in Lyons teilnehmen lässt.
Da sein junger Beichtvater und Chronist Gerald Higgins zudem seinerseits ein ziemlicher Umstandskrämer ist, der seine Position mehr als einmal klarstellen muss, dauert es sehr lange, bis das Buch in Schwung kommt.
Sicherlich kein schlechtes Buch, aber zu viel Realismus für meinen Geschmack, in der prägnanten Knappheit der folgenden Romane (Die Lockwoods, Danke für gar nichts) hat O'Hara anscheinend die literarischen Konsequenzen aus diesem an zu viel Charakterrealismus und zu wenig interessantem Personal gezogen. Portrait im Spiegel ist vermutlich wirklich eher etwas für Komplettisten, zumal die relevante Handlung erst auf Seite 288 beginnt und sich bis zum Mord auf Seite 447 erstreckt. Allen, die das Buch irgendwoher geerbt haben oder bei einer Haushaltauflösung in die Hände fallen sollte, seien die Seiten 7 bis 16 als Introduktion und dann die Heddahandlung ans Herz gelegt. Ab Seite 497 folgen die Gründe, warum es zum Quasi-Freispruch kam und wie alt Robert Milhouser wirklich wurde.
March 4, 2013
Either John O'Hara got better as the years went by or I am getting to know him better as an author. This novel earned him the #5 spot of the 1960 bestseller list and I liked it more than his earlier novels.
He works over most of the tropes found in the popular fiction of 1960: sex, psychological insight, homosexuality, and bad women. The main character is one of the richest men in his small eastern Pennsylvania community. He has issues, especially with women. When his is in his forties he marries a 19-year-old sex-crazed woman and eventually murders her. (No spoiler: you learn about the murder early in the book.)
Though he kept me turning the pages and took various turns I wasn't expecting, I was bothered because the guy got away with it due to his wealth and connections. Certainly the double standard when it comes to women and sex was in full force in the early 20th century when the story takes place. But it still enrages me to read about it. If he had killed his wife's lover he probably would have been sent to prison, but it was "understandable" that he would murder an unfaithful wife. End of rant.
The psychological portrait of the protagonist was more interesting to me as well as a sort of meta-fictional technique which put the reader into the consciousness of the man telling the story.
O'Hara claimed that he wrote to record what American life was like before World War II and I suppose he did. At the same time he was obviously keeping up with literary trends and sneaking them into his potboilerish best sellers. He was no Thomas Wolfe or William Faulkner, but he tried hard to make the grade.
March 4, 2016
Vintage O'Hara novel. There's just something about O'Hara's writing, his characters, his reliance on dialog, and his overall storytelling qualities that simply enchants me. I know that many don't consider him a truly 'great' author, but I really like his work. I think his work paints a pretty accurate picture of the peoples, customs, and social mores of the mid-Atlantic region in the late-19th and early- to mid-20th centuries. This isn't one of his best novels, but if you're a completist, it is essential reading.
April 23, 2025
A multi-generational small town saga made grippingly readable through palpable, moving characters, quiet, page-turning tension and a muscular, consummately naturalistic plot line. Need more O'Hara soon.
July 21, 2019
This book pretty much fell into my lap. I had no knowledge of John O'Hara or this novel, so went into it with no expectations.
The story is pretty simple: a man in a small town in Pennsylvania shot and killed his wife decades ago, but is a free man; it's a basic hook to draw the reader in for a fairly long retelling of the life that led up to that situation. For some reason, though, O'Hara complicates the telling by creating a framing device of a young man in the town who wants to know the story.
O'Hara is a competent writer and the story is fairly interesting, but unfortunately his characters are reasonably unlikable and he seems to overstep his own abilities. Most of the novel feels like a bit of Rebecca meets Citizen Kane, told through a literary filter of a writer with aspirations toward Dickens and Dostoevsky. So, a bit of a mess but not unreadable.
Having looked into O'Hara's reputation as a writer, it seems his chief talent is meant to be portraying life during different eras. He does seem to be capable of this, showing us the existence of main character Robert Millhouser during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Again unfortunately, Millhouser is a bit self-centred, spoiled and naive, so is a less-than-sympathetic protagonist.
Between the characters and the writing, this is a pretty mediocre, forgettable novel. O'Hara is better known (in those minor circles where he is known) as a short story writer, so if I read him again it should probably be in that medium.
The story is pretty simple: a man in a small town in Pennsylvania shot and killed his wife decades ago, but is a free man; it's a basic hook to draw the reader in for a fairly long retelling of the life that led up to that situation. For some reason, though, O'Hara complicates the telling by creating a framing device of a young man in the town who wants to know the story.
O'Hara is a competent writer and the story is fairly interesting, but unfortunately his characters are reasonably unlikable and he seems to overstep his own abilities. Most of the novel feels like a bit of Rebecca meets Citizen Kane, told through a literary filter of a writer with aspirations toward Dickens and Dostoevsky. So, a bit of a mess but not unreadable.
Having looked into O'Hara's reputation as a writer, it seems his chief talent is meant to be portraying life during different eras. He does seem to be capable of this, showing us the existence of main character Robert Millhouser during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Again unfortunately, Millhouser is a bit self-centred, spoiled and naive, so is a less-than-sympathetic protagonist.
Between the characters and the writing, this is a pretty mediocre, forgettable novel. O'Hara is better known (in those minor circles where he is known) as a short story writer, so if I read him again it should probably be in that medium.
January 31, 2024
O’Hara deserves more recognition than he has received. The details bring to life such unique characters and we can hear each individual with such vivid clarity. Does anyone really know themselves and does it matter? Self destruction vs Self preservation? Different or the same?
March 13, 2014
O'Hara could tell a story. He is of an age, not for the ages. Like Thomas Wolfe, I loved him when I was young.Ear for dialogue still perfect. This one is probably for O'Hara completists only.
December 27, 2018
The story of a resident of Lyons, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, who murdered his wife, as told by a younger neighbor who interviews him with forays into the murderer's mind via his own words. Takes place around the turn of the century through the ‘20s. Lots of historical tidbits about life in a small PA town and the state capital, Harrisburg, including technology of the day and, of course, class, social hierarchy and interaction, as is O’Hara’s forte.
The plot structure is interesting and somewhat novel - this isn't some whodunit mystery; the mystery is the motive and how this man is free. O'Hara's ear for dialect and dialogue remains as good as ever, and he employs both to transport the reader to turn-of-the-century southcentral Pennsylvania. He builds up the mystery and gives the ravenous reader lots of juicy morsels along the way. O'Hara also uses an interesting, quasi-meta-fictional technique to put the reader into the head space of the murderer.
This was a later work of his and not quite as earth-shatteringly good as A Rage to Live or Appointment in Samarra, but thoroughly enjoyable. I may be a little more forgiving for my love of O’Hara’s writing and the window he offers into times past, particularly those in Pennsylvania - a sort of living fictional history that provides a better look at the Pennsylvania that was than non-fiction, which was his goal. He wrote his own immodest epitaph: “Better than anyone else, he told the truth about his time. He was a professional. He wrote honestly and well.”
If you love O'Hara, you will almost certainly enjoy this book.
The plot structure is interesting and somewhat novel - this isn't some whodunit mystery; the mystery is the motive and how this man is free. O'Hara's ear for dialect and dialogue remains as good as ever, and he employs both to transport the reader to turn-of-the-century southcentral Pennsylvania. He builds up the mystery and gives the ravenous reader lots of juicy morsels along the way. O'Hara also uses an interesting, quasi-meta-fictional technique to put the reader into the head space of the murderer.
This was a later work of his and not quite as earth-shatteringly good as A Rage to Live or Appointment in Samarra, but thoroughly enjoyable. I may be a little more forgiving for my love of O’Hara’s writing and the window he offers into times past, particularly those in Pennsylvania - a sort of living fictional history that provides a better look at the Pennsylvania that was than non-fiction, which was his goal. He wrote his own immodest epitaph: “Better than anyone else, he told the truth about his time. He was a professional. He wrote honestly and well.”
If you love O'Hara, you will almost certainly enjoy this book.
August 29, 2024
The plot meanders O'Hara-style with acute observation of historical detail and manners. When it reaches its central plot it takes an unconvincing turn. Hedda's modernity colliding with Roberts old world values works as a theme, but not as a story and the risqué sex seems painfully artificial.
But there are too many o'hara characters that feel they could be in one of earlier novels. The one sided dialogue that employs so often feels stale and boring.
But there are too many o'hara characters that feel they could be in one of earlier novels. The one sided dialogue that employs so often feels stale and boring.
June 23, 2025
acabado!! se me ha hecho algo largo, pero lo he leído a gusto. el ambiente en el que se cuenta es chulo, pero no ha llegado a convencerme toda la historia para que se viese a este hombre como alguien respetable
May 10, 2025
Very interesting! My cousin told me it was set in our home town of Lykens, PA (Lyons in the book) and there are many similarities. But the story in and of itself was fascinating.
February 1, 2015
I took a long time reading this book, as I had several others on the go that fell into my lap. When library books roll in they usually take precedence over my purchases.
I don't know why there are so many dismissive reviews of this book. It's straight out of O'Hara's universe, so if you like his work you will enjoy this too. Yes, it's a bit of a potboiler, O'Hara liked to shock people. That's one of the things I enjoy about his work, that he didn't shy away from controversial subjects.
The structure is pleasingly complex, and holds the reader in place over the slightly dull middle act. The last half of this book is so good that is makes up for the effort made in getting to it.
Now that I have read several of O'Hara's works I wonder about his attitude towards women. He sure gave his female characters some hard times. Many of them were pure hellcats, as in this novel. What's up with that?
I don't know why there are so many dismissive reviews of this book. It's straight out of O'Hara's universe, so if you like his work you will enjoy this too. Yes, it's a bit of a potboiler, O'Hara liked to shock people. That's one of the things I enjoy about his work, that he didn't shy away from controversial subjects.
The structure is pleasingly complex, and holds the reader in place over the slightly dull middle act. The last half of this book is so good that is makes up for the effort made in getting to it.
Now that I have read several of O'Hara's works I wonder about his attitude towards women. He sure gave his female characters some hard times. Many of them were pure hellcats, as in this novel. What's up with that?
December 10, 2016
First time reading a John O"Hara novel. Liked the narrative style of the book and found the atmosphere of small town America in the late 1800's interesting after reading the book I will be looking for more stories from this time period. The main character is complex you can like him yet not like the choices he made with his life which I thought made the book good.
August 31, 2012
Typical O'Hara novel, very readable, good story.
Want to read
November 16, 2017#5 1960
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews