Its sequel,return to peyton place, published in 1959, was a national bestseller for many, many months. Peyton place kindle edition by metalious, grace, ardis. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The copy i own was printed in 1957, and was the books 12th printing. Marie grace derepentigny was born into poverty and a broken home in the mill town of manchester, new hampshire. Five decades ago the area was rocked by a bombshell of a book, peyton place, and its author, grace metalious, who seemed to know everyones most intimate.
The book dealt with taboo topics that were rarely mentioned in family newspapers of that era. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. T here was absolutely no precedent for peyton place, grace metaliouss blockbuster 1956 novel. Fifty years ago, the novel peyton place shocked america with its tale of secrets. Grace metalious september 8, 1924 february 25, 1964 was an american author known for her controversial novel peyton place, one of the bestselling.
The book is rife with red hot fury and steaming with savage glee, and while many of the scandals metalious describes wont really raise an eyebrow now, her narrative power makes peyton place a pageturner even today. It sold 20 million copies in hardcover and another 12 million as a dell paperback. Grace metalious books list of books by author grace. Jan 22, 2007 in her book on grace, toth relates how the author, just before the program started, begged wallaces producer, ted yates, to promise that wallace would not ask if peyton place was her autobiography. Peyton place is reborn in new novel by author barbara delinsky. Looking for peyton place ebook by barbara delinsky. Writer shocked the nation with story of lurid life in new england town.
The plot of peyton place is quite controversial among modern first editions, and the history of its publication is just as scandalous. Populated by multiple ethnic groups, graces mother downplayed their french canadian heritage due to the discrimination directed towards the group by native yankees. I felt like a nosy neighbor of peyton place reading this book. The book peyton place, published in 1956, was a smash hit, selling 100,000 copies in the first month. Mar 09, 2014 grace metalious, whose peyton place was a publishing sensation, died 50 years ago.
Jun 19, 2017 t here was absolutely no precedent for peyton place, grace metaliouss blockbuster 1956 novel. That had never been a problem till a teacher saw me with this book. This scribner hardcover, scheduled to appear on bookstore shelves july 12th, plunges readers into the world of small town scandal and deadly corruption, evoking the spirit of a peyton placea and grace. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. At the centre of the novel are three women, each with a secret to hide.
Jul 12, 2005 the 1956 blockbuster book that shocked the nation is reborn in bestselling author barbara delinskya s new novel, looking for peyton place. There can be neither beauty, nor trust, nor security between a man and a woman if there is not truth. Peyton, is a british author of fiction for children and young adults she has written more than fifty novels including the much loved flambards series of stories about the russell family which spanned the period before and after the first world war, for which she won both the 1969 carnegie medal from the. A peaceful new england town hides secrets and scandals. Return to peyton place by grace metalious, paperback. Grace metalious september 8, 1924 february 25, 1964 was an american author best remembered for her sensational novel peyton place. Peyton place hardcover january 1, 1956 by grace metalious author. The average first novel sold 3,000 copies if the author was lucky enough to get it published. The story of meek allison mckenzie, growing up in the late thirties in a hypocritical mill town in new england in the household of a demanding mother, fascinated many. This 1950s book scandalized and captivated americaand eventually destroyed its authors life. Kathleen wendy herald peyton mbe born 2 august 1929, who writes primarily as k.
Aug 08, 2011 an episode of backstory where they explore the groundbreaking novel and eventually feature film, peyton place. Peyton place kindle edition by metalious, grace, ardis cameron. First published in 1956, peyton place uncovers the passions, lies and cruelties that simmer beneath the surface of a postcardperfect town. Its sequel, return to peyton place, published in 1959, was a national bestseller for many, many months. I was sent to the principal and then sent home with the understanding that i wouldnt get back into school till my parents talked to the principal. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. First time readers, see how simple honesty, skillfully portrayed in the stories of small town life spun here, makes for. Peyton place was largely based off of the small town scandals that were known to plague several new england towns. When grace metalious wrote peyton place she had no idea how. Constance mackenzie, the original desperate housewife. 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 talkedabout people in america. Book is in very good condition, age toning, po name on inside back cover.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. It caused outrage in the 1950s, but went on to become one of the biggest selling books of all time. Sex, lies and scandal at peyton place author laura dave remembers the book that taught her about unabashed sin. Of course i always love a book where the main character is an author. Stigmatized by some readers as a dirty book, it was frequently banned by many schools and libraries. With these rumors and whispers about peyton place haunting her childhood, annie came to identify so closely with the author that it was grace and her bold rebellion against 1950s conformity that inspired annie to get out of middle river and make a life for herself in washington, d. Peyton place and return to peyton place book by grace. The novel describes how three women are forced to come to terms with their identity, both as women and as sexual beings, in a small, conservative, gossipy new england town, with recurring themes of hypocrisy, social inequities and class privilege in a tale that includes incest, abortion, adultery, lust and murder. The novel describes how three women are forced to come to terms with their identity, both as women and as. It sold 300,000 hardcover copies and more than 8 million in paperback, clinging to the best. Its not a gripping page turner, for me it was a book to be savored it took me a month to read it. Published in 1956, a time when a book was considered a best seller if an author sold 6,000 to 8,000 copies in the first 8 weeks, grace s book sold 65,000 copies in the first twelve weeks.
Return to peyton place the sensational new novel that picks up where peyton place left off. Return to peyton place is a 1959 novel by grace metalious, a sequel to her bestselling 1956 novel peyton place. I liked the fight that annie took up at middle river to get to the bottom of what is causing so much sickness in the town. This new paperback edition of peyton place features an insightful introduction by ardis cameron that thoroughly examines the novels treatment of class, gender, race, ethnicity, and power, and considers the book s influential place in american and new england literary history. With a metalious biopic in production, the author charts the. Messner and freelancer leona nevler who had first spotted the manuscript in order to make it publishable. This 1950s book scandalized and captivated americaand. Sequel to peyton place, no movie credits in book but was made into a movie in 1961 starring carol lynley, jeff chandler, eleanor parker, mary astor, tuesday weld, robert sterling, robert crane, others. Grace metalious 19241964 was the author of peyton place, return to peyton place, the tight white collar 1960, and no adam in eden 1963. Peyton place did indeed sell a million copies several millions by now and inspired a movie, a sequel, and a longrunning television soap opera. Grace metalious, author of peyton place literaryladiesguide.
Kitty messners firm was small potatoes in the publishing world. Grace metalious september 8, 1924 february 25, 1964 was an american author known for her controversial novel peyton place, one of the bestselling works in publishing history. Like a child who builds a house of blocks and then destroys it with one vicious kick. Peyton place by grace metalious 9781555534004 paperback. Looking for peyton place was inspired by the original novel by grace metalious, and while it isnt necessary to have read that earlier book, familiarity with it offers another layer of discussion. The reconstructed scenes from graces life are slightly uncomfortable to read in light of this, and the warmth undoubtedly understood is tinged with a discomfort brought on by the salacious language and slightly sleazy, tabloidish, overtly moral angle. First edition of this landmark in twentiethcentury american popular culture, which spawned a successful feature film and a longrunning television seriesthe first primetime soap opera. In her book on grace, toth relates how the author, just before the program started, begged wallaces producer, ted yates, to promise that wallace would.
The successful reissue of valley of the dolls has prompted the resurrection of more vintage pulp, a new paperback edition of the soapy 1956 classic peyton place. First edition first printing january, 1960 dell f91 with a. The bookwhich went on to become one of the most famous television shows in history and arguably the template for the modern soap opera formwas the product of over a decade of writing, much of it done while metalious was locked in the bathroom of her troubled childhood home. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of peyton place by grace metalious. Like all publishers, she was hoping that peyton place would sell about 3,000 copies and make a modest profit. Grace metaliouss novel, peyton place, was published in 1956.
Grace metalious was an american author, best known for the controversial novel peyton place. The author notes that peyton place, a novel written by grace metalious 19421964, was first published by julian messner in 1956. Blessed with the gift of imagination, she was driven to write from an early age. During the filming of the movie, the books author grace metalious gave each cast member a signed hard copy of her best selling novel. Peyton place and return to peyton place book by grace metalious. Living in such a town as peyton place, the author knew what she was writing about and it shows. Grace metalious when it first appeared in 1956, grace metaliouss peyton place unbuttoned the straitlaced new england of the popular imagination, transformed the publishing industry, and made its young author one. Barry marks when peyton place was first published i was in high school yep, im an old guy and i always had the book i was currently reading in my hip pocket. Grace metalious born marie grace derepentigny, september 8, 1924february 25, 1964 was an american author, best known for her controversial novel peyton place, which stayed on the new york times bestseller list for 59 weeks. I was very involved with each of the i thought this book was excellent and i give the author cudos for writing this book when she did and to the publisher for publishing it.
The author lives with her husband and three kids in a little new england town. Published in 1956, a time when a book was considered a best seller if an author sold 6,000 to 8,000 copies in the first 8 weeks, graces book sold 65,000 copies in the first twelve weeks. Some of the places and characters so closely resembled their real life counterparts that author grace metalious was actually sued for libel. With lana turner, lee philips, lloyd nolan, arthur kennedy. Thomas mallon and anna holmes talk about how the novel holds up today. By todays standards it is pretty tame, but it was a good coming of age story for the younger characters who grew up through the book. Peyton place a town, its scandals and the woman who told. A most, most peculiar read, even more so when i twigged that her first husband was the major author of this. After the phenomenal success of her first novel, metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life and loves of bestselling author allison mackenzie, who follows in the footsteps of her mother by having an affair with a.
Peyton place hardscrabble books paperback march 4, 1999 by grace metalious author. Grace metalious, whose peyton place was a publishing sensation, died 50 years ago. Having grown up in peyton place, it was fun to read the book, and it was very shocking for its time, there are still people in town who think that way. First time readers, see how simple honesty, skillfully portrayed in the stories of small town life spun here, makes for an exceptionally well written book even in 1999. Peyton place, published in 1956, has sold over 10,000,000 copies worldwide and remains the fourth biggest selling novel of all time.