Anyone who reads more than one of O'Hara's novels set in the Gibbsville area comes to understand the geography, the social strata, and the values of the region and its inhabitants. The fictions do not proceed chronologically, as do the novels in John Updike's "Rabbit" trilogy, but familiar characters, such as Dr. English and Mike Slattery, and places, such as Lantenengo Street and the nearby town of Lyons, link the novels and stories and give the reader a sense of continuity.

Together, O'Hara's Pennsylvania fictions provide a social history of the region during the first half of the twentieth century.