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Peyton Place #2
Return to Peyton Place
In 1956 Grace Metalious published Peyton Place, the novel that unbuttoned the straitlaced New England of the popular imagination, transformed the publishing industry, topped the bestseller lists for more than a year, and made its young author one of the most talked-about people in America. In 1959 the sizzling sequel, Return to Peyton Place, picked up where Peyton Place left off: Allison MacKenzie, now the author of America's #1 bestseller, is thrown into the glamorous whirl of the smart set of New York and Hollywood. At home, the rest of the most controversial characters in 1950s American fiction continue to create a stir in this ongoing expose of sex, hypocrisy, social inequity, and class privilege in contemporary America. Peyton Place, the small, seemingly respectable New England town, is revealed as a vividly realistic cauldron of secrets and scandal. Peyton Place and its sequel, Return to Peyton Place, the books that readers used to hide under their mattresses, are now recognized by scholars as the Silent Generation's Perfect Storm and predecessors to the women's liberation movement. Treat yourself to this rediscovered classic.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
About the author
Grace Metalious
10 books83 followersGrace Metalious was an American author, best known for the controversial novel Peyton Place.
She was born into poverty and a broken home as Marie Grace de Repentigny in the mill town of Manchester, New Hampshire. Blessed with the gift of imagination, she was driven to write from an early age. After graduating from Manchester High School Central, she married George Metalious in 1943, became a housewife and mother, lived in near squalor — and continued to write.
With one child, the couple moved to Durham, New Hampshire, where George attended the University of New Hampshire. In Durham, Grace Metalious began writing seriously, neglecting her house and her three children. When George graduated, he took a position as principal at a school in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
At the age of 30, she began work in the fall of 1954 on a manuscript with the working title The Tree and the Blossom. By the spring of 1955, she had finished a first draft. However, she and her husband regarded The Tree and the Blossom as an unwieldy title and decided to give the town a name which could be the book's title. They first considered Potter Place (the name of a real community near Andover, New Hampshire). Realizing their town should have a fictional name, they looked through an atlas and found Payton (the name of a real town in Texas). They combined this with Place and changed the "a" to an "e". Thus, Peyton Place was born.
Metalious — the "Pandora in bluejeans" — was said by some to be a dreadful writer and a purveyor of filth, but her most famous book changed the publishing industry forever. With regard to her success, she said, "If I'm a lousy writer, then an awful lot of people have lousy taste," and as to the frankness of her work, she stated, "Even Tom Sawyer had a girlfriend, and to talk about adults without talking about their sex drives is like talking about a window without glass."
Her other novels, all of which sold well but never achieved the same success as her first, were Return to Peyton Place (1959), The Tight White Collar (1961) and No Adam in Eden (1963).
Metalious died of alcoholism on February 25, 1964. "If I had to do it over again," she once remarked, "it would be easier to be poor. Before I was successful, I was as happy as anyone gets." She is buried in Smith Meeting House Cemetery in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
She was born into poverty and a broken home as Marie Grace de Repentigny in the mill town of Manchester, New Hampshire. Blessed with the gift of imagination, she was driven to write from an early age. After graduating from Manchester High School Central, she married George Metalious in 1943, became a housewife and mother, lived in near squalor — and continued to write.
With one child, the couple moved to Durham, New Hampshire, where George attended the University of New Hampshire. In Durham, Grace Metalious began writing seriously, neglecting her house and her three children. When George graduated, he took a position as principal at a school in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
At the age of 30, she began work in the fall of 1954 on a manuscript with the working title The Tree and the Blossom. By the spring of 1955, she had finished a first draft. However, she and her husband regarded The Tree and the Blossom as an unwieldy title and decided to give the town a name which could be the book's title. They first considered Potter Place (the name of a real community near Andover, New Hampshire). Realizing their town should have a fictional name, they looked through an atlas and found Payton (the name of a real town in Texas). They combined this with Place and changed the "a" to an "e". Thus, Peyton Place was born.
Metalious — the "Pandora in bluejeans" — was said by some to be a dreadful writer and a purveyor of filth, but her most famous book changed the publishing industry forever. With regard to her success, she said, "If I'm a lousy writer, then an awful lot of people have lousy taste," and as to the frankness of her work, she stated, "Even Tom Sawyer had a girlfriend, and to talk about adults without talking about their sex drives is like talking about a window without glass."
Her other novels, all of which sold well but never achieved the same success as her first, were Return to Peyton Place (1959), The Tight White Collar (1961) and No Adam in Eden (1963).
Metalious died of alcoholism on February 25, 1964. "If I had to do it over again," she once remarked, "it would be easier to be poor. Before I was successful, I was as happy as anyone gets." She is buried in Smith Meeting House Cemetery in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
July 21, 2012
While I do love this old classic, Connie Mackenzie's new husbands name in Peyton Place was Tomas Makris and in Return to Peyton Place his name is Michael Rossi....this was confusing until I did a little research about the reason for this...apparently the character of Tomas Makris, bore the name and description of a resident and co-worker of Metalious's school teacher husband...he sued for libel and won an out-of-court settlement for $60,000...Tom Makris was renamed Michael Rossi....
January 15, 2018
Plutôt un 3,5. J'étais ravie de retrouver Peyton Place et ses habitants mais il m'a manqué le plaisir de la découverte et j'ai eu l'impression que certaines histoires étaient un peu bâclées.
May 21, 2013
Mislim da je najveći razlog zašto volim romane ''Gradić Payton'' i ''Povratak u gradić Payton'' upravo taj što se malograđanština opisana u romanu može primjeniti na svako malo mjesto bilo ono u Americi ili bilo gdje drugdje. Živeći u malom selu u kojem svako sve zna, nisam mogla ne poistovjetiti se s nekim likovima, događajima u romanima.
Nije ni čudo što su ovi romani izazvali tolike senzacije 1956. kada su se pojavili na sceni, napisani iz pera, tada nepoznate Grace Metalious, inače 32-godišnje rastavljene domaćice s troje djece. Autorica je opisala živote u malom američkom gradiću, razotkrivajući način života u maloj sredini, ljudi i događaja, atmosfere, prilike u kojima žive i njihovih sudbina. Osim toga, kritika je oštro osuđivala spomenute romane zbog opisanog erotizma i ''najgrubljeg naturalizma''. U prilog tome svjedoči to da je nakon objavljivanja romana prognana iz rodnog mjesta.
Neki bi možda za ove romane rekle da su tipična sapunica. Za mene svakako predstavljaju nešto puno više od toga. Život u gradiću kojeg će autorica u romanu opisati kao 'zgodan, miran i daleko od svakog meteža' je zasigurno sve samo ne to. Okosnicu romana čine sudbine dviju dvjevojaka: Alisson i Selene. Iako su odrastale zajedno i bile najbolje prijateljice, život ih je odveo drugim putem. Selenin život nije bio nimalo lak i kroz njezin lik autorica progovara o teškim socijalnim prilikama, razorenoj obitelji, silovanju, abortusu i samoubojstvu. A druge strane, Alisson je odrasla bez oca, i laži o svojem porijeklu, ali zahvaljujući svom talentu pisanja ostvaruje uspješnu karijeru.
Autorica oslikava karaktere brojnih drugih likova koji imaju svoju simpatičnu ulogu u ovom graću:
Mike i Constance (Alissonina majka i očuh): čini mi se da nema simpatičnijeg ljubavnog para od njih dvoje. Jednostvno, poželim da u poznim godina i ja budem tako zaljubljena kao njih dvoje. (''Mike je nježno poljubi i pomisli da nema ničeg ljepše na svijetu nego ovako ležati uz ženu koju voli, u svojoj postelji i u svojoj kući.'')
Betty – koja čitatelja iznenađuje svojom hrabrošću, odlučnošću i na koncu - lukavošću
Elita iz Kestenove ulice koja svaki petak igra poker, a posebno doktor Swain koji igra posebnu ulogu u Seleninom životu.
Clayton Trazier – koji uvijek mora biti kontra svih i vječito pogađa vremensku prognozu
Roberta koja se lažno smješka svojoj snahi, a u stvarnosti čita kriminalističke romane kako bi smislila način na koji je ubiti.
Leslie Harington za kojeg još nisam sigurna kaje li se što je otjerao Betty iz grada kada je saznao da je trudna s njegovim sinom i je li se smekšalo kameno srce ovog starca kada je vidio svog unuka ...
I brojni drugi likovi koji su me naučili da ...
''Ne valja razmišljati mnogo o nečemu, a da se nikad ne govori o tome.'' (Selena)
''Raditi oko nečega što si sam izabrao jedno je od zaista velikih zadovoljstava koje daje život. Rad liječi bolje nego vrijeme. ''(David Noyes)
''Suviše se toga događa i kada se što dogodi ljudi uvijek kažu ''ovo neću nikada zaboraviti, a zatim se slika s vremenom zamagli, pa se napokon ničeg više dobro ne sjećaju.''
''Svatko od nas ima svoje razloge za svoje osjećaje, ali su osjećaji ti i mi se ne možemo izbaviti od njih.'' (Brad Holmes)
''Muškarac je star tek kad istoši svu zalihu svoje ljubavi.''
''Kad se ljudi u nekom gradiću raspale, oni mogu prilično zagorčati život svakome tko ih je razbjesnio.''
''Ali mi ne biramo objekte svoje ljubavi, ljubav bira nas. Ljubavnici mogu uvijek naći ispriku što nose bol drugima, a ta je isprika uvijek samo ljubav.''
''Ljubavnici su ludi, služe se šašavim, nemogućim riječima. A što je još gore, vjeruju u njih.''
''Čitati knjigu jest znak da smo nekoliko sati bili sami. A biti sam jest izraz koji ulijeva ljudima najviše straha od doba kada je kuga harala Europom.'' (Rita Moor)
''Ima stvari koje naučiš samo tako što živiš i držiš oči otvorene. Ne moraš osobno iskušavati svakojake muškarce da uvidiš da ih ima koji su se rodili stari i da ih ima koji su još mladi i u šezdesetoj godini.''
''Ljudska bila su tako čudesno građena da se naviknu na užitak isto tako brzo kao i na jad.''
Nije ni čudo što su ovi romani izazvali tolike senzacije 1956. kada su se pojavili na sceni, napisani iz pera, tada nepoznate Grace Metalious, inače 32-godišnje rastavljene domaćice s troje djece. Autorica je opisala živote u malom američkom gradiću, razotkrivajući način života u maloj sredini, ljudi i događaja, atmosfere, prilike u kojima žive i njihovih sudbina. Osim toga, kritika je oštro osuđivala spomenute romane zbog opisanog erotizma i ''najgrubljeg naturalizma''. U prilog tome svjedoči to da je nakon objavljivanja romana prognana iz rodnog mjesta.
Neki bi možda za ove romane rekle da su tipična sapunica. Za mene svakako predstavljaju nešto puno više od toga. Život u gradiću kojeg će autorica u romanu opisati kao 'zgodan, miran i daleko od svakog meteža' je zasigurno sve samo ne to. Okosnicu romana čine sudbine dviju dvjevojaka: Alisson i Selene. Iako su odrastale zajedno i bile najbolje prijateljice, život ih je odveo drugim putem. Selenin život nije bio nimalo lak i kroz njezin lik autorica progovara o teškim socijalnim prilikama, razorenoj obitelji, silovanju, abortusu i samoubojstvu. A druge strane, Alisson je odrasla bez oca, i laži o svojem porijeklu, ali zahvaljujući svom talentu pisanja ostvaruje uspješnu karijeru.
Autorica oslikava karaktere brojnih drugih likova koji imaju svoju simpatičnu ulogu u ovom graću:
Mike i Constance (Alissonina majka i očuh): čini mi se da nema simpatičnijeg ljubavnog para od njih dvoje. Jednostvno, poželim da u poznim godina i ja budem tako zaljubljena kao njih dvoje. (''Mike je nježno poljubi i pomisli da nema ničeg ljepše na svijetu nego ovako ležati uz ženu koju voli, u svojoj postelji i u svojoj kući.'')
Betty – koja čitatelja iznenađuje svojom hrabrošću, odlučnošću i na koncu - lukavošću
Elita iz Kestenove ulice koja svaki petak igra poker, a posebno doktor Swain koji igra posebnu ulogu u Seleninom životu.
Clayton Trazier – koji uvijek mora biti kontra svih i vječito pogađa vremensku prognozu
Roberta koja se lažno smješka svojoj snahi, a u stvarnosti čita kriminalističke romane kako bi smislila način na koji je ubiti.
Leslie Harington za kojeg još nisam sigurna kaje li se što je otjerao Betty iz grada kada je saznao da je trudna s njegovim sinom i je li se smekšalo kameno srce ovog starca kada je vidio svog unuka ...
I brojni drugi likovi koji su me naučili da ...
''Ne valja razmišljati mnogo o nečemu, a da se nikad ne govori o tome.'' (Selena)
''Raditi oko nečega što si sam izabrao jedno je od zaista velikih zadovoljstava koje daje život. Rad liječi bolje nego vrijeme. ''(David Noyes)
''Suviše se toga događa i kada se što dogodi ljudi uvijek kažu ''ovo neću nikada zaboraviti, a zatim se slika s vremenom zamagli, pa se napokon ničeg više dobro ne sjećaju.''
''Svatko od nas ima svoje razloge za svoje osjećaje, ali su osjećaji ti i mi se ne možemo izbaviti od njih.'' (Brad Holmes)
''Muškarac je star tek kad istoši svu zalihu svoje ljubavi.''
''Kad se ljudi u nekom gradiću raspale, oni mogu prilično zagorčati život svakome tko ih je razbjesnio.''
''Ali mi ne biramo objekte svoje ljubavi, ljubav bira nas. Ljubavnici mogu uvijek naći ispriku što nose bol drugima, a ta je isprika uvijek samo ljubav.''
''Ljubavnici su ludi, služe se šašavim, nemogućim riječima. A što je još gore, vjeruju u njih.''
''Čitati knjigu jest znak da smo nekoliko sati bili sami. A biti sam jest izraz koji ulijeva ljudima najviše straha od doba kada je kuga harala Europom.'' (Rita Moor)
''Ima stvari koje naučiš samo tako što živiš i držiš oči otvorene. Ne moraš osobno iskušavati svakojake muškarce da uvidiš da ih ima koji su se rodili stari i da ih ima koji su još mladi i u šezdesetoj godini.''
''Ljudska bila su tako čudesno građena da se naviknu na užitak isto tako brzo kao i na jad.''
October 15, 2010
Weirdly, nearly a year after reading Peyton Place I finally got around to the sequel. I managed to procure a copy of it literally last January, but it was while I was on an all-around depressing vacation, and to top it off, the woman who sold it to me was just an absolute bitch. Seriously. Helpful hint: If you're running a decrepit used bookstore in an out-of-the-way strip mall in Palm Springs, you should be grateful anyone's coming in at all, not making fun of their taste and then looking up the value of the book online to be sure you don't accidentally sell someone a collectible for $1.50. Had I any spine I would have told her off and left without buying it, but a) Duh, I don't and b) I really wanted the book.
Nonetheless, instead of taking it out on her, I took it out on the book. Every time I picked it up to read it, I would remember the encounter and just get a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sorry it had to be that way, because this is actually a quite enjoyable book. The original was better (what else is new), but this one certainly scratches the itch. I think the main thing I liked less (besides that it was a lot shorter!) was the focus on Allison MacKenzie through darn near the entire thing. We hardly get any Selena Cross, or Connie, or really anyone else -- there's less of the small-town texture that makes the first book really shine. Yes, we do get a few subplots, but they feel a little bit tacked on, like the publisher sent it back to Metalious with notes saying "More shocking!" "More salacious!" etc.
Mostly, this is interesting though as Metalious' sort of note back to her publisher, and to her readers, and to the media, and to the American public at large. The focus is really on Allison because Allison is a vehicle for Metalious to tell her side of the story about the fame and infamy of Peyton Place (and, I would imagine, how displeased she was with the milquetoast film and TV versions created from it). As a meta-book, it's reasonably interesting, but again, I wished for more of the town itself.
The good news I guess is that I also bought The Tight White Collar when I bought this one. Now if I can just get the icky memory of that nasty bookseller out of my head, maybe I can get around to reading that one, too.
Nonetheless, instead of taking it out on her, I took it out on the book. Every time I picked it up to read it, I would remember the encounter and just get a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sorry it had to be that way, because this is actually a quite enjoyable book. The original was better (what else is new), but this one certainly scratches the itch. I think the main thing I liked less (besides that it was a lot shorter!) was the focus on Allison MacKenzie through darn near the entire thing. We hardly get any Selena Cross, or Connie, or really anyone else -- there's less of the small-town texture that makes the first book really shine. Yes, we do get a few subplots, but they feel a little bit tacked on, like the publisher sent it back to Metalious with notes saying "More shocking!" "More salacious!" etc.
Mostly, this is interesting though as Metalious' sort of note back to her publisher, and to her readers, and to the media, and to the American public at large. The focus is really on Allison because Allison is a vehicle for Metalious to tell her side of the story about the fame and infamy of Peyton Place (and, I would imagine, how displeased she was with the milquetoast film and TV versions created from it). As a meta-book, it's reasonably interesting, but again, I wished for more of the town itself.
The good news I guess is that I also bought The Tight White Collar when I bought this one. Now if I can just get the icky memory of that nasty bookseller out of my head, maybe I can get around to reading that one, too.
January 4, 2023
Sequels rarely rise to the level of original books. May be the novelty is gone, or the author gave all from the beginning, or our expectations are too high. That is the case with this one...
January 21, 2018
Just read an article about Grace Metalious and she wrote this book solely because she needed the money. But as she was drinking a fifth of liquor a day, the first manuscript was so unintelligible a ghostwriter had to be hired to clean it up. Some of the story is autobiographical, how a small town reacts to the author of a salacious book about a small town (her teacher husband really did lose his job the way her step-father in the book does) and how she dealt with the Hollywood adaptation. But it does all feel sort of unnecessary, and the side plot of an attempted murder and the (very predictable) fate of Alison's lover are just plain silly.
June 19, 2015
Ritorno a Peyton Place non è propriamente un sequel di Peyton Place in quanto segue principalmente la storia di Allison MacKenzie e del successo del suo romanzo. E' probabile che l'autrice stesse cercando di dire la sua con questo libro: a quanto pare lo scrisse solo perché la 20th Century Fox, che aveve già girato il film basato sul primo libro, decise di farne un seguito. Grace Metalious non era d'accordo ma lo studio decise comunque di proseguire e a lei non restò che l'opzione di raccontare la sua versione. Ho anche trovato un'altra versione: ovvero che l'autrice accettò di scrivere questo seguito solo perché era senza soldi a causa del suo alcolismo e della sua vita sfrenata, e che consegnò un manoscritto di 96 pagine che venne rimpolpato da un ghost writer.
robertabookshelf.blogspot.it/2013/11/...
robertabookshelf.blogspot.it/2013/11/...
April 22, 2015
It's not a bad book, but it's not Peyton Place. The place, the characters are the same (except for Tom who is became Mike Rossi, which is a very greek name if you wanna know) but the intentions of the book are completely different. For me, at least.
It's the story of Allison, not of the city...but maybe I was expecting too much because I've just finished to read the first one and I've deeply loved it.
As I said it's not a bad book, it's enjoyable and funny and gossipfull (t's not even a word I think), but I prefer to consider Return to Peyton Place a completely differnt story, not the sequel of the first one.
And I'm still annoyed, after more than two hundred pages, because of the name-changing from Tom Markis to Mike Rossi...because REALLY? You couldn't find nothing better than a italian name for a greek man?
It's the story of Allison, not of the city...but maybe I was expecting too much because I've just finished to read the first one and I've deeply loved it.
As I said it's not a bad book, it's enjoyable and funny and gossipfull (t's not even a word I think), but I prefer to consider Return to Peyton Place a completely differnt story, not the sequel of the first one.
And I'm still annoyed, after more than two hundred pages, because of the name-changing from Tom Markis to Mike Rossi...because REALLY? You couldn't find nothing better than a italian name for a greek man?
August 11, 2010
I am glad that this one is over because holy crap, I don't think my poor bones can handle any more drama. This one read a little more like an auto-biography of the author, but I didn't mind. I was happy to see my characters again, and more than a little troubled at some of the freak men they apparently had walking around in 1950's New Hampshire.
December 3, 2018
Thought I'd keep going and see what happened next. :-) Picked this up when I renewed my Chicago Public Library card. Appropriate since it was in celebration of my Return to Chicago.
Not as great as the original, and I know it was written to be made into the film, but fun to see where Grace took the characters and all that. Good fun.
Not as great as the original, and I know it was written to be made into the film, but fun to see where Grace took the characters and all that. Good fun.
June 4, 2019
2 and 1/2 stars.
After giving some well-earned praise to the classic of all classics PEYTON PLACE by Grace Metalious a few years back on this little blog of mine I was very weary of reading the sequel…
https://sleaze-factor.blogspot.com/20...
After giving some well-earned praise to the classic of all classics PEYTON PLACE by Grace Metalious a few years back on this little blog of mine I was very weary of reading the sequel…
https://sleaze-factor.blogspot.com/20...
July 24, 2019
Let me start by saying I loved Peyton Place. It is one of my all time favorite novels. I have read it many times. So for some reason I have put off many years before reading the sequel. And now I know it was for good reason. It just does not compare to the original. And every review I have read says almost the same thing. It felt rushed. It felt like Grace Metalious really did not care about this novel. I did not buy into or believe many of the subplots. They did not seem real or honest. The attempted murder sub plot just was not true to the character involved. It made no sense. Then the return of Betty Anderson was just a waste of time as there was nothing done with the sub plot. And the ending was predictable and not a surprise in the least. Read the original. Then read it again instead of reading the sequel.
February 2, 2017
Whew. Finished. If not for the Bestseller Puzzle Reading Challenge and my commitment to read this book, I would have abandoned it because I remembered not being crazy about the original PEYTON PLACE when my book club read it.
In fact, that was one of only two things I recalled about the original PEYTON PLACE:
1. That the teenagers played Spin the Bottle; and
2. That is was soap-opera-y and trashy and I didn't like it.
RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE picks up where the original left off, and I had to read a plot summary to remind me of the characters and their over-the-top situations. Yes, I know the first book blew the lid off small New England town life when it was published, much in the way the town gets turned upside down in THE HELP (another non-favorite of mine), but I can't help thinking Metalious kept a paper bag full of Horrible Things People Do or Have Done to Them beside her typewriter, and she would just reach in when inspiration was required. RETURN has the added detraction of having character Alison become, like Metalious herself, a successful bestselling author whose book causes a stir and gets made into a movie. Which means we have to trek through all the behind-the-scenes of the publishing biz and Hollywood and the author's disillusionment. Might have been interesting to readers in the '50s, but pretty cliche now, down to Alison's tiresome love affairs. Bleh. And if you like '50s witty repartee, prepare yourself for a healthy dose. All the "smart" characters speak it like a regional dialect. Double bleh.
On the plus side, Metalious is lovely with the setting and seasons of her sorta-fictional town, and I enjoyed those bits. If only the town had been unpopulated!
In fact, that was one of only two things I recalled about the original PEYTON PLACE:
1. That the teenagers played Spin the Bottle; and
2. That is was soap-opera-y and trashy and I didn't like it.
RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE picks up where the original left off, and I had to read a plot summary to remind me of the characters and their over-the-top situations. Yes, I know the first book blew the lid off small New England town life when it was published, much in the way the town gets turned upside down in THE HELP (another non-favorite of mine), but I can't help thinking Metalious kept a paper bag full of Horrible Things People Do or Have Done to Them beside her typewriter, and she would just reach in when inspiration was required. RETURN has the added detraction of having character Alison become, like Metalious herself, a successful bestselling author whose book causes a stir and gets made into a movie. Which means we have to trek through all the behind-the-scenes of the publishing biz and Hollywood and the author's disillusionment. Might have been interesting to readers in the '50s, but pretty cliche now, down to Alison's tiresome love affairs. Bleh. And if you like '50s witty repartee, prepare yourself for a healthy dose. All the "smart" characters speak it like a regional dialect. Double bleh.
On the plus side, Metalious is lovely with the setting and seasons of her sorta-fictional town, and I enjoyed those bits. If only the town had been unpopulated!
June 12, 2016
My advice don't read the foreword it is full of spoilers, I only read half before moving on to the novel.
The first novel had us meeting the town characters and uncovering their secrets and weaknesses whereas this one has less of the town members and is totally focused on Allison as the main character who sells her book and discovers what publishing really is like. To me this seemed like Grace Metalious' chance to speak about her disappointment of the TV series and films based on her books.
I did enjoy this book but it wasn't as good as the first in my opinion.
The first novel had us meeting the town characters and uncovering their secrets and weaknesses whereas this one has less of the town members and is totally focused on Allison as the main character who sells her book and discovers what publishing really is like. To me this seemed like Grace Metalious' chance to speak about her disappointment of the TV series and films based on her books.
I did enjoy this book but it wasn't as good as the first in my opinion.
October 2, 2012
Allison says at one point that she's glad she lives in the advanced 50s and not in the 30s like her mother, where one couldn't take a lover without guilt.
It's so easy to forget that the early 50s were dissimilar to the late 50s that we generally think of.
And Metalious never ceases to fascinate me.
It's so easy to forget that the early 50s were dissimilar to the late 50s that we generally think of.
And Metalious never ceases to fascinate me.
November 24, 2008
More secret shenanigans in the town but this time with the authoress being targeted for telling the world about them. Good, juicy goings-on partially tempered by a "been there, done that" sense. Made into a movie which eliminated one of the key plot points (attempted murder that backfires.)
March 14, 2022
Uneori, iernile vin treptat în nordul New Englandului, așa că există un element de ordine și succesiune a timpului și a anotimpurilor. Când cade prima zăpadă, nu e surprinzător, întrucât era deja așteptată de ceva vreme. Când vine astfel, iarna începe de obicei cu o ninsoare cu fulgi mari, grăsani, pe la jumătatea dimineții și, până la amiază, peste tot e un strat gros de alb. Cerul se limpezește după prânz și iese soarele și, până după-amiază, când se sfârșesc orele la școală, de pe jgheaburile tuturor caselor picură zăpadă topită. Apoi bătrânii spun: „N-o să țină. Nu de data asta. Nu încă“. Și toți cei care sunt încă destul de tineri sunt dezamăgiți și un pic neliniștiți, pen- tru că poate chiar e adevărat că iernile de modă veche au părăsit nordul New Englandului pentru totdeauna. Iernile de modă veche vin, de obicei, după veri caniculare și secetoase. Atunci, ploile de toamnă încep chiar după Ziua Muncii și sunt ploi reci, aduse de vânt, cenușii și distructive, și, după aceste ploi, gata cu splendida toamnă și cu strălu- cirea frunzelor roșii și aurii. Copacii se transformă rapid din verde într-un maroniu ofilit, și ploaia smulge frunzele de pe ramuri cu zbiciri iuți și violente. După ploi, pământul îngheață sloi și repede, și o zi e la fel ca următoarea, rece și cenușie, în așteptarea ninsorii. Apoi începe. O pudră fină, ce se cerne din cerul înnorat într-o perdea aparent nesfârșită, și nu se acumulează pe străzi și pe șosele până când vântul nu con- tenește să sufle și mormane reci și uscate de alb nu s-au adunat la baza fiecărui stâlp din gard și a fiecărui copac. Până la cină, vântul se potolește și continuă să ningă, atât de fin și de subțire, încât copiii se tem că va dura o eternitate până va cădea suficient cât să le acopere palmele înmănușate. Dar cei mai în vârstă își aduc aminte de alte ierni de modă veche. Aceștia sunt cei care verifică calibrarea la rezervoarele cu ardere, care s-au asigurat de mult că radia- toarele automobilelor proprii sunt pline cu antigel și care știu că, odată cu sosirea zorilor de a doua zi, se va întoarce și vântul. Șemineurile nu există în casele din nordul New Englandului doar pentru vetrele lor prietenoase și ospitaliere. Sunt acolo pentru că, din când în când, vine câte o iarnă de modă veche, și firele de curent electric se rup ca niște paie uscate în calea vântului și a zăpezii. Cei care își amintesc au în pivnițe sobe mici, pe lemne, ca să împiedice înghețarea țevilor de apă; fiecare cutie pentru lemne e plină-ochi cu bușteni și vreascuri, iar tinerii stau în fața focului aprins și își ceruiesc schiurile, întrebându-se câtă zăpadă se va acumula la Franconia până dimineață. Așa a venit iarna în al doilea an de la întoarcerea lui Allison MacKenzie în Peyton Place. Era ora patru, într-o amiază de noiembrie, iar Allison stătea la fereastra camerei sale când a văzut primul fulg de zăpadă. Poate că va fi mâine, se gândea ea. Poate că mâine va suna Brad și va spune: „L-am vândut, Allison, l-am vândut, romanul tău a fost acceptat și va fi publicat la primăvară“.
April 14, 2021
Just manages to get 3 stars.
An okay, if somewhat needless follow-up to PEYTON PLACE, I'm led to believe that it was written because the author needed the money, and I would not be surprised if the publishers pressured her for a sequel since the original book was such a smash hit and made them heaps of money.
Why not keep the money rolling in with more of the same ?
The book, while shorter than the the original is not as compelling so it took me just as long to read.
We are reunited with many of the town's inhabitants (one with a change of name) and about two thirds of the book is concerned with Allison Mackenzie, who writes a first novel which is based on small town life (ie a disguised Peyton Place) which outrages the town.
Along with Allison we meet up again with Selena Cross, who has a love affair with a phony actor whilst still recovering from the traumas relating to her step-father and the murder trial she was involved in. Her former boyfriend, Ted Carter also returns with the crazy wife he is now married to.
Betty Anderson from the first book also returns to town with her son Roddy Harrington Jnr, but they are only a smaller part of the book.
When the book was focused on characters like Selena Cross, or even Betty it was more entertaining.
Even the segments involving the poisonous relationship between the crazy wife Jennifer Carter and her mother-in-law were fun, if over the top stuff.
But the segments involving Allison, her relations with PR agents, publishers, Hollywood and so on were - for me - the more more tedious, boring parts of the book.
These parts were said to feature some of the author's more autographical writing, so maybe I should have found it to be more interesting than I did. But I do recall when reading the first PEYTON PLACE I found Allison to be one of the book's less interesting characters.
How much of the book was written by the author? There are stories about a rambling manuscript being submitted, with a ghost writer then re-writing much that was originally there. I don't know the real answer to that. There is, I believe, a book out that may answer these queries.
Overall, the book was okay, my interest would wane from time to time, then it would pick up again.
I just felt that the original book didn't really need a sequel, something I wasn't really aware of until I started reading this book. Thankfully it was fairly short, so I was able to finish it.
An okay, if somewhat needless follow-up to PEYTON PLACE, I'm led to believe that it was written because the author needed the money, and I would not be surprised if the publishers pressured her for a sequel since the original book was such a smash hit and made them heaps of money.
Why not keep the money rolling in with more of the same ?
The book, while shorter than the the original is not as compelling so it took me just as long to read.
We are reunited with many of the town's inhabitants (one with a change of name) and about two thirds of the book is concerned with Allison Mackenzie, who writes a first novel which is based on small town life (ie a disguised Peyton Place) which outrages the town.
Along with Allison we meet up again with Selena Cross, who has a love affair with a phony actor whilst still recovering from the traumas relating to her step-father and the murder trial she was involved in. Her former boyfriend, Ted Carter also returns with the crazy wife he is now married to.
Betty Anderson from the first book also returns to town with her son Roddy Harrington Jnr, but they are only a smaller part of the book.
When the book was focused on characters like Selena Cross, or even Betty it was more entertaining.
Even the segments involving the poisonous relationship between the crazy wife Jennifer Carter and her mother-in-law were fun, if over the top stuff.
But the segments involving Allison, her relations with PR agents, publishers, Hollywood and so on were - for me - the more more tedious, boring parts of the book.
These parts were said to feature some of the author's more autographical writing, so maybe I should have found it to be more interesting than I did. But I do recall when reading the first PEYTON PLACE I found Allison to be one of the book's less interesting characters.
How much of the book was written by the author? There are stories about a rambling manuscript being submitted, with a ghost writer then re-writing much that was originally there. I don't know the real answer to that. There is, I believe, a book out that may answer these queries.
Overall, the book was okay, my interest would wane from time to time, then it would pick up again.
I just felt that the original book didn't really need a sequel, something I wasn't really aware of until I started reading this book. Thankfully it was fairly short, so I was able to finish it.
January 20, 2023
As with most blockbuster novels there is push from publishers for a sequel from Grace Metalious and thus we have "Return to Peyton Place". A novel which drifts from the former novel's narrative gaze, limiting it with very little florid language, and seems to both verge on parody and also feels very autobiographical. Allison MacKenzie writes a novel about her town under the title, "Samuel's Castle", and causes quite a stir in the town - similar to how the author's own home town shunned her after she wrote "Peyton Place". The author purportedly wrote this book in only thirty days and I could only really tell in terms of the novel's length as the original novel was much more lurid and thick. I feel as though she got a lot of her own frustrations with the business of publishing and Hollywood out in this novel, even giving Allison the same editorial notes she received about Selena Cross in the first novel. The author was forced to change the rape of Selena by her father to her stepfather instead and Metalious purportedly said they "turned tragedy to trash"; thus, in this novel she slaps back. The novels also gives a peek inside the author's own insecurities and vulnerability through the character of Allison as when she receives fame and scandal due to her book she feels like a fraud, "I know it's only me, little Allison MacKenzie. Why doesn't everyone else see that?" (93). Through this the novel seems to have a strong theme of being an outsider hungering for acceptance, a theme in the first, but way more evident in this one as Metalious was at the end of her rope at this point and writing this novel apparently "gave her the literary shakes" (xxi). While this novel seems to end happily and satisfied, it pains me to know the author was not so lucky. She was screwed out of her copyright claims and undersold for the film rights for "Peyton Place" so she never really was able to attain the comfortability and acceptance that she so obviously yearned for in her books. Overall I would say a 4/5 stars.
February 6, 2019
Everyone loved Peyton Place. And everyone was incredibly anxious to read Grace Metalious’s sequel Return to Peyton Place. And everyone was disappointed. It felt like Grace either disappointed people on purpose or didn’t want to write the sequel and was therefore incredibly uninspired. Here’s the plot:
In the famous fictional New England town, Allison MacKenzie has written a shocking novel that reveals secrets of her friends and neighbors. While people in New York think she’s a sensation, the people back home aren’t very happy with her. And, as she falls in love with her married boss, she realizes she’s following in her mother’s footsteps. Will a trip back home to Peyton Place help clear her head?
If you’re not expecting anything, this book won’t be that bad. There’s scandal, sex, mystery, and melodrama. However, if you’ve read the beautiful, poignant prose of Grace Metalious, you’ll be shocked at her lack of effort to create another masterpiece. Return to Peyton Place feels like a tawdry piece of sensationalism, with no deeper lessons embedded in the pages. All your favorite characters make return appearances, and all hide their shameful secrets, including voyeurism, infidelity, violent sex, and murder. I’m not going to try to dissuade you from reading it—after all, I own a copy—but just lower your expectations before you do.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/return...
In the famous fictional New England town, Allison MacKenzie has written a shocking novel that reveals secrets of her friends and neighbors. While people in New York think she’s a sensation, the people back home aren’t very happy with her. And, as she falls in love with her married boss, she realizes she’s following in her mother’s footsteps. Will a trip back home to Peyton Place help clear her head?
If you’re not expecting anything, this book won’t be that bad. There’s scandal, sex, mystery, and melodrama. However, if you’ve read the beautiful, poignant prose of Grace Metalious, you’ll be shocked at her lack of effort to create another masterpiece. Return to Peyton Place feels like a tawdry piece of sensationalism, with no deeper lessons embedded in the pages. All your favorite characters make return appearances, and all hide their shameful secrets, including voyeurism, infidelity, violent sex, and murder. I’m not going to try to dissuade you from reading it—after all, I own a copy—but just lower your expectations before you do.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/return...
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
June 25, 2021The first book was salacious, but this one is just plain vulgar.
No woman ever wants to be raped, thank you very fucking much. Lesbians are not inherently evil. Few women writers sleep with every man old enough to be her father in the publishing business, just to get ahead.
It's very obvious that it was written as a giant "fuck you" to everyone who gave the author grief about the first one. Too bad the bitterness is so blatant.
No woman ever wants to be raped, thank you very fucking much. Lesbians are not inherently evil. Few women writers sleep with every man old enough to be her father in the publishing business, just to get ahead.
It's very obvious that it was written as a giant "fuck you" to everyone who gave the author grief about the first one. Too bad the bitterness is so blatant.
February 20, 2022
I’m thinking 3⭐️s is being generous. Same author as Peyton Place, but everything I loved about Peyton Place was missing in the sequel. And funny enough, one of the main characters even had a name change from book one to two, Tomas Makris became Mike Rossi just like that. 🤦🏼♀️What I loved about Peyton Place was the story of a small town, and how the author spent so much time introducing us to characters and then building them up and the story around them. RTPP doesn’t do that at all. 👎🏻
March 5, 2018
Definitely not as good as the first novel. It felt at some points as if the author was writing the book because she had to, not so much to tell the further stories of characters in the first novel. Grace Metalious certainly did not have much love for Hollywood, as expressed through Allison, although she tried to understand the industry. I'll read her other works, though.
February 14, 2019
I’m sorry I just couldn’t get into this book at all. I loved Peyton place even though it was not a shocking to me as it probably was to the general public back when it was written. My review is not to suggest it isn’t a good book but I just couldn’t get into it and was not excited to turn on my Nook to read it every night.
December 13, 2020
I Enjoyed this book as much as the 1st one.
The Return to Peyton Place was equally as good as the original. The same
characters(except1). Could not understand how Constance's husband had a different name. Mike Rossi was Tom Makris in the first book. But other than that Mystery it was a good story. RECOMMENDED.
The Return to Peyton Place was equally as good as the original. The same
characters(except1). Could not understand how Constance's husband had a different name. Mike Rossi was Tom Makris in the first book. But other than that Mystery it was a good story. RECOMMENDED.
June 29, 2019
Un seguito interessante nel quale l'autrice sceglie di raccontare tramite Allison quella che è stata la sua esperienza dopo la vendita del suo romanzo, i compromessi per sfondare. Interessanti i finali che ha voluto regalare ad alcuni dei suoi personaggi.
March 12, 2021
First part was more active, but that’s the story with sequels and sometimes is maybe better not to extend something too long.Allison’ success with her 1st novel seems to be the only center piece as for some of the other characters I feel it remained suspended in assumptions mostly
April 2, 2021
Not as good as the first by any street of the imagination. But I did enjoy seeing the characters come back to life in New England. I can’t wait to read the mew novel about the authors life and why she wrote Peyton Place. “The Seasons of Grace”
February 21, 2018
More of the same.....wrapped up the unanswered questions from the first book. Why did Constance's husband have a name change?
May 10, 2018
Not nearly as good as the first book but still a good read.
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