Peyton Place
by Grace Metalious, Ardis Cameronpublished
March 4th 1999
by Northeastern University Press
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binding
Paperback, 384 pages
isbn
1555534007
(isbn13: 9781555534004)
description
When Grace Metalious's debut novel about the dark underside of a small, respectable New England town was published in 1956, it quickly soared to the t...more
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Without a question, my favorite read of all-time. I've re-read it every Fall since my first time in 1986.
Forget about the naysayers who write it off as mere soap, Metalious' earthy descriptions of the seasons alone are worth it. Anyone from a small town will be able to relate, but this is a MUST for anyone from a New England smalltown. We summered next door to the small town upon which this novel was based, and this one hits the nail right on the head. Enjoy!
And if you do like it, I high...more
Forget about the naysayers who write it off as mere soap, Metalious' earthy descriptions of the seasons alone are worth it. Anyone from a small town will be able to relate, but this is a MUST for anyone from a New England smalltown. We summered next door to the small town upon which this novel was based, and this one hits the nail right on the head. Enjoy!
And if you do like it, I high...more
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I must confess. I read this book on a bit of a lark. This is the only book my mother ever forbid me to read. Back in the 50s when it first came out, it was all the rage, but considered quite shocking by many midwesterners. At the time, I was too young to care whether or not I read. I had too many other fun things to do. Over the years I thought about reading it several times, but never followed through. It took me over 30 years to finally sit down and read it. It is a remarkable and powe...more
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I got a beaten up original copy from Goodwill for 10 cents, and have probably reread it 20 times in the past few years. This book must have been truly revolutionary when it was first published. Metalious manages to flesh out the town's entire population. The omniscient point of view gives a very realistic depiction of a town on the surface, and all the complicated, corrupt, hidden undercurrents. If you've ever read Salem's Lot, Stephen King wrote it as a supernatural version of Peyton Place.
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Read in January, 2006
Back in the day, Peyton Place was considered By today's standards, it did not seem quite as racy. The story takes place in the small town of Peyton Place, NH in the 1930's and 1940's. It is about the secrets and lies of the small town residents and the consequences of those secrets. The book reminded me of a soap opera and I am glad to have read it since it played a part in American pop culture.
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Read in September, 2005
... more like melrose place. i couldn't put it down. part of me wished i was reading it in 1951, hiding the copy in a clothes hamper next to a bottle of vodka.
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Once denounced as "wicked" "cheap" and "moral filth", "Peyton Place" sold millions of copies worldwide. As the curtains twitched in the mythical New England town of Peyton Place, this soapy story exposed the dirty secrets of 1950s small-town America: incest, adultery, repression and lust.
Despite being over 400 pages, this was a relatively easy read. Looking at it with 21st century cultural standpoint, you wonder what all the fuss was about - the tv soa...more
Despite being over 400 pages, this was a relatively easy read. Looking at it with 21st century cultural standpoint, you wonder what all the fuss was about - the tv soa...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommended to Brittany by:
Professor Heather something...Snell? I think it's Snell!recommends it for: Fans of soap operas, character dramas
How I Came To Read This Book: It was assigned to me as part of my Popular Literature course.
The Plot: Ah it's a very winding plot...basically it's a soap opera style book that follows the lives of the residents in a New England village. Nearly every character major or minor has a story arc (some have several), as the main younger characters progress from the cusp of teenagehood up to young adulthood. There isn't much more to say without giving away the story - just think of it like a very s...more
The Plot: Ah it's a very winding plot...basically it's a soap opera style book that follows the lives of the residents in a New England village. Nearly every character major or minor has a story arc (some have several), as the main younger characters progress from the cusp of teenagehood up to young adulthood. There isn't much more to say without giving away the story - just think of it like a very s...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Chris by:
it's a re-read
I decided to re-read this book because it received so much negative publicity when it was first released. I find it well written and mild today, given its reviews then for salacious prose. When I first entered this as a 'currently-reading' book, I wrote that I was reading Dr. Swain's torturous deliberations about whether to give Selena an abortion since she is pregnant by her step-father. Today, any novel worthy of publication would show the rape, and the character would be her father, not her...more
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Read in August, 2008
written in the fifties, this book explores the lives of the people living in a small new england town. i saw elements of my own hometown reflected, including the gossip and insularity, but also including the feeling of peace and sameness that comes from returning to it (but only for visits).
i really liked the end, which wound down nicely; sometimes i feel that a lot of books written recently just END without any sort of warning except the physical presence of only a couple of pages in your r...more
i really liked the end, which wound down nicely; sometimes i feel that a lot of books written recently just END without any sort of warning except the physical presence of only a couple of pages in your r...more
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I am so glad I got the chance to read this. Before I even started the book, I asked my mother if she had ever heard of “Peyton Place”. Oh Yes she had. She even hid it under her mattress. Of course, this book is very mild compared to the stuff out there today. But I think this book was important for it’s time. With it’s boldness and openness about sex, incest, abuse, alcoholism and just general life that was kept hidden in those days. Especially in small towns. This was a story of...more
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A classic for many reasons, not the least of which is that Metalious is a talented writer with keen insight into the human condition. She knows the world she writes about, and all of the people in it. Salacious for its time, Peyton Place is tame by today's standards, but still stands as an outstanding example of storytelling.
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recommended to Kristina by:
Lily
recommends it for: people looking for a guilty pleasure summer book
recommends it for: people looking for a guilty pleasure summer book
Murder! Sex! Scandal! Incest! Suicide! Abortion! Other Gross Stuff! It's hard to describe the goings on in Peyton Place without using exclamation points galore. While the events in "Peyton Place" are pretty outrageous, Metalious's writing isn't outrageous enough to be annoying or ineffective. Her writing style is overdone and a little shallow, however.
Metalious falls into a number of clichéd situations and endings to support her overwhelming claim that little towns have big secret...more
Metalious falls into a number of clichéd situations and endings to support her overwhelming claim that little towns have big secret...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Anybody
I thought this book was pretty great.
The cover says it's controversial, so naturally I was expecting some majorly erratic stuff. Maybe it was only controversial for the time period (Peyton Place is set in in the '40s...)
Nonetheless, it was good read. It shows the prejudices some people hold, and characters bring up some good points to think about (such as those who make the biggest deal out of something another person did is really upset because they had done it themselves or wis...more
The cover says it's controversial, so naturally I was expecting some majorly erratic stuff. Maybe it was only controversial for the time period (Peyton Place is set in in the '40s...)
Nonetheless, it was good read. It shows the prejudices some people hold, and characters bring up some good points to think about (such as those who make the biggest deal out of something another person did is really upset because they had done it themselves or wis...more
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I'd seen the movie several times over before I finally got to read the classic novel. It was a bit of a disappointment, and not because I'd seen the movie. I found it to be slow moving and dull. I understand this was the furthest thing from dull in its time and usually I can appreciate that but not this time. Dull, dull, dull.
Though I'll probably read the sequel. What does that say?
Though I'll probably read the sequel. What does that say?
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Read in October, 2008
recommended to Vonaire by:
My friend, Joannarecommends it for: everyone
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's one of those behind-closed-doors stories, where things are not as they seem in this small town.
The characters each had their own story-line, and I thought the writing was spectacular. The book was written in the 50s, and it provides that reassurance that even though it was the conformist era, that at the end of the day, the same issues were still present.
The characters each had their own story-line, and I thought the writing was spectacular. The book was written in the 50s, and it provides that reassurance that even though it was the conformist era, that at the end of the day, the same issues were still present.
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Read in November, 2008
Really enjoyed Peyton Place. Though I know they're 50+ years apart in publication and NOT exactly what most people would deem the same caliber of writing, it was a welcome "book about a small town" after reading Russo's Bridge of Sighs. Whereas I felt like Russo's book would never end, I loved Peyton Place's soap opera style twists at every chapter. And, for something that I'm sure was considered trashy (and was most certainly controversial) when it was published, I loved the attention...more
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Read this book for my Book Club Group - we wanted to know if it would still hold up today. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the story of life in a small New England Town. I think it did hold up as a good read even today, although times have certainly changed. It's amazing how much controversy this book stirred up when it was first published.
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Read in August, 2007
This book certainly stands the test of time. It was amazing! I kept reminding myself that it was published in 1956. The stories of a small New England community will keep your interest with the town drunks, violence, affairs, rape, murder, and the dreams of each individual to either get out of town or embrace the lifestyle and do as their families have always done. My copy of the book has a blurb on the cover saying "The blockbuster novel that shocked the nation" and I would agree that...more
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Read in February, 2001
recommends it for:
history buffs
The town of Peyton Place is rocked by a series of events which don't belong in the typical image of a small town. However, author Grace Metalious reminds us that just because something isn't supposed to happen, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I read this because we watched part of a documentary on the '50s in class which talked a lot about this book. Recommended if you don't mind slightly perverse fiction. It really does offer a look at the dichotomy of '50s society: reality vs. the image everyo...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
those seeking escapism
This was less trashy than I expected. Which is not to say that it's not trashy, but with the reputation it has, I think I expected it to be poorly written & really awful. In fact, the writing was ok. The plot is like the most insane soap opera ever. It has everything: murder, rape, incest, backbiting, gossip, illegitimate children, etc, etc. What more could you ask? If you're looking for trashy fun, I recommend this. I checked this out from the library to read while I recovered from s...more
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