Peyton Place (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) by Grace Metalious Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Peyton Place (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England)
Book Review: Scandal in a small town
Summary: 5 Stars
Peyton Place is an excellent book that will have you sitting down and reading it nonstop for hours at a time. This book stirred up lots of trouble when it was first released, and it is easy to see why even now in 2003. The novel by Grace Metalious tells the story of a small New England town and the secrets it holds. There are many characters, all with their own foibles and secrets they are trying to keep hidden. We see the story from both male and female perspective throughout since Metalious never really favored men or women, instead just writing a story that is still very enjoyable today. Some parts are still scandalous, but Peyton Place is a book well worth a read for those who haven't read it before. Check out Peyton Place!Book Review: Small Town America in the 1940's
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful book about small town America in the early 40's. The characters in this book are very well developed, so that you almost feel you are living in the town with them. The people from the good side and the bad side of town. The two most dislikeable characters in town are of course from entirely different sides. The richest man in town who is a greedy man born into family money, with no feelings for other people except for what they can give him. In this era it was entirely possible to manipulate workers in your factory to do your bidding because you could fire people for any reason whatsoever back then. And Rodney Harrington does just that. He raises his son to be even worse than himself, with no regard for anyone except himself and what others can bring to him or give to him.And Lucas Cross, from the poorest part of town, who drinks, beats his wife and children, and even worse. These characters are painted well, and you will despise both for what they are. There is the kindly doctor, the newspaper editor, the spinster schoolteacher, the crazy old lady and her cat, the busybodies, and more.
While not particularly shocking in this day and age, in the late 40's the small town issues that are addressed out in the open in this novel were strictly taboo to discuss at the time. Constance and her carefully orchestrated lie about her past. Poor Norman, who you know will never escape the clingy, desperate clutches of his mother. Selena, who bears more than her share of tragedy with dignity. Ted, who in the end lost his honor but was not even aware of it, becoming a replica of his own deceitful parents.
And Allison, who the book follows most closely. She is the Daughter of Constance, and the story starts with her just entering high school and follows her through graduation and moving to New York for a brief period of time.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it seemed to pull me into the story of the town and kept me there by peeling back the layers of the town a little bit at a time. Not an action packed book, but certainly not boring. You will find yourself becoming involved in the characters lives, and by the talent of good author you will either care a great deal about them or hate their guts.
As a footnote, to the questions regarding the Tom Makris/Mike Rossi issue, I have the 1956 paperback publication of Peyton Place, and Constance's husband's name is Mike Rossi. The name change may have been done only in the more modern releases of the book. Why? I have no idea.
Book Review: Small town secrets
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved "Peyton Place!" Written in 1956, this book caused a commotion when it was published due to its many illicit topics, which were considered very taboo at the time. More than 50 years later, this book still triumphs as an excellent portrayal of a small New England town full of mysterious characters and many hidden secrets.
Allison MacKenzie is the central character of the novel, which is set between 1937 and 1944. Allison is a young schoolgirl who struggles to find acceptance and contentment among her classmates and also pines away for her missing father. Meanwhile, Allison's mother, Constance, fights her attraction to the school's new headmaster, Tom Makris, while fighting to keep the truth about Allison's father under wraps. There are many other people roaming around Peyton Place, including Selena Cross, a classmate of Allison's who falls in love with the charming Ted Carter but hides the disturbing truth about the reality of her home life. Leslie Harrington is the richest man in town and is used to getting his way with everything, but he refuses to try and tame his son, Rodney, who spirals out of control. Add to the bunch a respected physician, two nasty spinster sisters, and the town drunks, and you have all the makings of a fantastic novel complete with violence, illegitimacy, sex, and everything else you could possibly ask for!
Yes, "Peyton Place" is kind of trashy in a "Valley of the Dolls" kind of way, but that doesn't change the fact that it's entertaining and brilliant. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to sink their teeth into a thoroughly engrossing story.
Book Review: Starts well but falls apart in Act Three
Summary: 3 Stars
"Peyton Place", a soap opera-esque tale of life in a small town in New England, starts extremely well but is let down by its ending. Grace Metalious does an extremely good job of introducing the audience to her cast of characters, setting up the sub-plots and making the reader feel that he or she is really living in this town, but unfortunately, too many of the sub-plots are left unresolved at the end and those that are, are resolved so quickly that I came away feeling disappointed. For example, after spending 300 pages leading up to the murder of one of the characters, she gets through the resulting trial in one short chapter.
In many ways "Peyton Place" reminded me of Larry McMurtry's "The Last Picture Show", a book about life in a small town in Texas. However, McMurtry has a much better idea of pacing and how to finish a book, and I found his characters to be far more entertaining (the residents of Peyton Place, although interesting, are not fun to spend time with). It is for this reason that I consider "The Last Picture Show" to be one of my favourite books of all time, whereas "Peyton Place" is "just another book" that I have read.
Book Review: Still as Nasty Now as Ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has still got it!! Steamy, shocking, a page turner! Ok, there's a lot of unintentional humor now that times have changed, but there's never a dull moment. As is always the case, far superior to the movie adaptation.