Because of the Lockwoods

This was a wonderful story, from the start I was drawn in and found it hard to put down.Published in 1949 it's the story of two families in the North of England. The Hunter family are forced to rely on the generosity of the Lockwoods.But the final scene was less than expected. The ending was satisfying but it seemed hurried as if the publisher was in a rush or she was off on a trip and wrapped it up as fast as possible. 97% was the usual enjoyable Dorothy Whipple and I would highly recommend the story and characters but to me, the ending seemed very abrupt.

Dorothy Whipple writes novels so readable, they're very hard to put down. This novels concerns two families, one exploited by the other. For 400+ pages, I yearned for the exploiting family to get their comeuppance. Whipple delivers wonderful stories, life-like characters, and rich ethical dilemmas. I'm hooked on her work!

Strongly created characters. Ending was a bit abrupt.

Whipple has a real talent for expressing the emotional currents of her characters. This book examines big issues in a personal setting.

Whipple is a master story teller bringing her English middle class characters vividly to life.Everyone of her novels is superb, and many have been beautifully reprinted by Persephne books, available on Amazon. Favourites include "High Wages","The Priory",and"They Were Sisters", made into a movie with James Mason. The latter is a chilling account of domestic violence in genteel surroundings. Having read one.,you will be hooked.

Worth the read

I like Dorothy Whipple's books but Because of the Lockwoods was just too hard to believe. The credibility of the characters was stretched to the breaking point for me and I ended up skimming it to find out how Whipple resolved the conflicts at the end. And I did not like her resolution much either!

Once you start reading a Whipple book, you end up buying the whole lot. And since they're rare as hens' teeth second hand, start saving now. She is marvellous on families and how the characters within them interact, and at her best in following character traits over many years. The books are good and chunky, utterly satisfying, totally credible. Every last person In our book group has become a total Whipple groupie - and we have rarely if ever agreed to a man and woman about the quality of any other author we have read