A Family Party, published in 1956, is a novella by American writer John O'Hara. It is the story of the public life of small town doctor Samuel G. Merritt of Lyons, Pennsylvania (O'Hara's fictionalized version of Lykens, Pennsylvania), with glimpses into his private life, presented as a stenographic report of a speech given by his best friend, Albert W. Shoemaker, at a testimonial dinner honoring D... Wikipedia