Peyton Place And Return To Peyton Place: Two-Book Bundle

by Grace Metalious

Experience love, loyalty, and betrayal with Grace Metalious’s Peyton Place and Return to Peyton Place.

Peyton Place

In the small New England town of Peyton Place secrets are preserved for a lifetime, and skeletons are kept firmly in the closet. But the secrets of the town begin to unravel slowly one sunny afternoon when sixteen-year-old Selena Cross visits Dr. Matthew Swain to confirm an unwanted pregnancy. Across town, Selena’s employer, Constance MacKenzie models a high, yet hypocritical, moral standard for her secretly illegitimate daughter, Allison—until she falls in love with Tomas Makris and can no longer deny her own physical desire. Dreaming of literary greatness and deeply hurt by her mother’s betrayal, Allison moves to New York, where she receives both a literary and a sexual education at the hands of Brad Holmes, her literary agent.

Return to Peyton Place

Now a best-selling author, Allison MacKenzie returns home to celebrate the publication of her novel, Samuel’s Castle. Loosely, yet clearly, based on her acquaintances and experiences growing up in Peyton Place, Allison’s novel exposes the intolerant attitudes of Peyton Place’s ruling families, who undertake to teach Allison—and those who defend her—a lesson in respect.

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Genres: Fiction, Classics, Romance, Historical Fiction

798 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 1999

About the author

Grace 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.

Reviews

[Steve Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay How unbelievable that these books literally made it to the shelves if you think of the time and the content. But wow did Grace paint us such a vivid life of an updated Little House On The Prairie/Walton's place to live. before I get bashed think about it. It was where I or even you grew up. Back in the 70s/80s you'd go across the street to your neighbor. You in fact knew all who lived in your development. The gossip good and bad. This not only did so well but you have The Lana Turner and Tuesday Weld in it. UM ......HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even I who was born in 1969 remember the iconic.......SOAP. ABC it aired on back back in the day with Ryan Oneil and Mia Farrow.........That tell you now how well it did. It gripped me and I couldn't wait for more. I was so pleasantly happy when I went by myself to Europe in 1994. I wanted a Soap opera book the trashier steamier the better. I wanted it in another language and 1st in Paris found a GAY French Soap Opera... no kidding. Yes I speak and read French but Don't ask me to translate...LOL. I got to Florence, Vienna, Rome... And in Rome found a cute little bookstore on the strip I was walking. Right there Thought I was dreaming in Italian the Peyton Place. Yes as in THIS Peyton Place. Any fan of the movies or the soap and you haven't read....................I ask and say...>W>>H>>>A>>T>>>>>? WHY? Hurry up and read this. Oh so juicy good life from a quaint New England town.

[Patricia Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is difficult to imagine that as a pre-adolescent, I read this book looking for the sex scene discussed by middle school class mates. And today, that scene is minimized by her daring storylines which cover incest, rape, racism, poverty, alcoholism, slavery, married men affairs, murder,and the simplicity of a town living within its own bubble of innocence.

As a narrative author, Miss Metalious exceeds with each character. Return to Peyton place intrigued me as a writer. One of the main characters had written a book which was published by a New York publishing company. Her trials and frustrations were easy to relate to as a new writer.

How brave Miss Metalious was to bring forth social topics at a time when I went to a Caucasian school, a Catholic church, and was told who I could or could not date based on ethnicity.

I am sorry for missing what this book meant to our world in the 60's, but I promise you I did not miss its value today. Patricia Kay

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't find the sequel quite as good as the first book, but I still enjoyed it....it just felt like a continuation of the first book, except for the fact that Tomas Markis's name was changed in the sequel.
This had more of Allison's story after she wrote her book & what her life was like & all the changes that occurred in & around Peyton Place.

[Crimson Worthen- · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't exciting, it wasn't a page turner, it was just a calm read that mellowed me out. There were a couple parts that's I didn't see coming. The ending brought me to tears with a happening that I didn't see coming. Back in the day that this book was written, I can see why there was an uproar about a woman writing this. It was just not the thing of the day. But reading it now in the twentieth century, its very mellow. I felt like I was reading about my home town and about all the people who lived there. A good read and it will have you thinking about your hometown and what secrets are hidden within it.

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having watched all 514 episodes of the classic TV series "Peyton Place" this summer and fall, both old movies and both TV movies, I decided it's time to reread the two books by Grace Metalious once more.
The first time when I read them, I was 15 years old and had to hide them from my mother who had taken away "The Valley of the Dolls" (Jacqueline Susann) from me when I read that a few months prior.
"Peyton Place" was so much better than any Jacqueline Susann or Harold Robbins novel (I've read them all). I could identify with Allison and her longing to become an author.

Over the course of the past 52 years I've reread both Metalious novels and two of her other novels twice. Compared with the classic TV series (1964 - 1969) the two books are certainly a very good read, however, I definitely prefer the TV series which is unjustifiedly labeled as a soap opera even though it contains plenty of murder and suspense and has film noir elements just like "The Fugitive".

The script writers were most likely inspired by the huge success of David Janssen's TV series "The Fugitive" (1963 - 1967), because they invented a character (not known from the PP novels) called Elliot Carson who just spent 18 years in prison innocently accused of murdering his wife shortly after WW II. Carson returns to Peyton Place with the goal to find the killer of his first wife. And it's this Elliot Carson that made me watch each episode with great interest.
Too bad that only the first 150 episodes were released on DVD. I was lucky, we ordered the entire TV series on DVD from ioffer dot com way back in 2008 and I've rewatched it 3 times.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never did read Peyton Place or see the movie or TV show, so when my book group chose it as a title to discuss, I was keen to see what all the fuss had been about. I didn't think it was about sex so much as the lives of people in a small town. Lots of drama! All kinds of things are taking place: prejudice, wife abuse, frigidity, alcoholism, promiscuity, small-mindedness... I enjoyed the stories of individuals and I thought the writing was good, but it was just a little bit too much like a soap opera. In the end, I didn't read the sequel because other books came along.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

As great as everyone says! I love a good potboilin, titillatin' , trashy novel. Its even better in its historical and author context. Grace is really onto human nature. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Pierdo el sentido de la proporción con demasiada facilidad —admitió ante sí misma—. Dejo que todo me parezca demasiado grande, demasiado importante y trascendente. Sólo aquí me doy cuenta de la pequeñez de las cosas que pueden afectarme».

[Jill Rice]

Actually LOVED this book shout out New England

[Cindi (Utah Mom’s Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

One weekend in college I wanted to get away from all the stress and went to my spend time with my grandma. My grandfather had recently died and she was lonely. That Friday night we went to the video rental store to pick out a movie. My grandma called me over and pointed to a video on the shelf. Have you ever seen it? She whispered, her tone secretive and embarrassed. No, I hadn't. She went on. The movie had caused quite a stir when it was released in 1967. She hadn't seen it but she wanted to. I was game. It was rated PG, after all. How bad could it be?

We went back to my grandma's apartment and watched "The Graduate".

I felt that same guilty secretive feeling about reading Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. I even contemplated removing the jacket while I was reading it in the orthodontist's waiting room, at Jiffy Lube, and at the podiatrist's. But I didn't. It is 2011, after all.

Grace Metalious was a thirty-something house wife living in New Hampshire when she wrote and published her novel about a small town in New Hampshire in 1956. The novel sold over 60,000 copies in two weeks; rocketed to the New York Time's Best Seller List where it would remain for over a year and shocked a nation. As in, really shocked everyone. It was banned in several states and countries.

Peyton Place dares to expose the secrets that people keep hidden behind the closed curtains and locked doors of their homes (or perhaps even more hidden behind the open curtains and unlocked doors, as one character in the novel believes). Broaching taboo subjects such as incest, spouse-abuse, adultery, abortion, murder and suicide (pretty much covers everything), this book went well beyond the social norms of the 1950's.

I don't believe that "closet skeletons" are exclusive to small towns. But having grown up in a small town, I think it's simply more difficult to keep the skeleton in the closet. Everyone knows everyone. You see each other at the grocery store, church and school. And yet, even in a small town people keep their darkest secrets.

Metalious simply exposed some of these hideous secrets.

The novel follows the lives of two teen aged girls, one from the "shacks" and one from the right side of town, as they go through high school and into young adulthood during the late 1930's and into World War II.

Peyton Place inspired a new genre of literature and we are regularly bombarded with the tough and unpleasant themes discussed in this book, but I have to admit that I was still shocked by Peyton Place in 2011. Metalious was certainly not the first to write about sex, but she writes of sex in a base and carnal way, especially unique to a woman author.

I found the story interesting and several of the themes are universal and still relevant fifty some years later (I've made a list of topics to discuss with my former roommates who are also reading it this month). The plot is well formed. The characters are so believable you would think Metalious was writing from her own experience (perhaps she was). However, I still found the detailed sex scenes just too much--way too much.

[Kiwi · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it was, within the context of its time, I thought it was pretty brilliant. Even from my current time and especially progressive mindset I enjoyed the reading of it. The writing was quite nice, the characterisation was rather consistent, it was hard and gritty the way these tales are meant to be, and she managed much of what I tend to look for from a big cast.

I'll admit to being utterly sold on Constance, but that's not surprising; she fits my 'type' for the sort of characters that intrigue me. All that icy, prim exterior hiding what is an incredibly passionate person beneath. I could have read through quite a bit of muck to continue reading her parts, but I didn't have to, which was nice.

I preferred Allison in her growing-up days to her grown-up ones, although I haven't read the sequel yet, so we'll see if that changes. I read the first one as part of a book club; the second I'll read in my own time.

Altogether, I quite liked it and thought it was a worthwhile read, especially as I sat astride a stationary bicycle much of the time. (:

---

Sequel: Wasn't quite as sold on the second as on the first, but I still enjoyed the reading of it.

Constance and Mike cracked me up. I could read their daily life forever, I think. They reminded me a bit of my parents. It was beautiful to see what Constance is like as a comfortable character, still with her dry humour and sharp wit but clearly happier and more settled in herself and her position.

Some of the storylines seemed a bit silly, or too needlessly dark, but since that fits the first one I wasn't too bothered. I was just happy to read up more on some of the old characters--and okay, admittedly that's mostly Constance.

Hard way to take the first step into adulthood with this ending, though; that much I'll say.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I hated it. I have never not finished a book, so even with it's 600+ pages I was determined to get through it. I read reviews while I was reading it that said the second book (Return to Peyton Place) was a waste of time and didn't compare to the original. Well, I finished both....and I couldn't disagree more.

While I thought the story was pretty messed up in Peyton Place, it sort of came together for me in "Return" - I finally "got it". I found myself wondering if it was something similar to what the author went through when she published this very book. It was kind of interesting, the main character writing a book about the crazy things happening in her town - which, were actually Grace Metalious' inventions, and they were both defending their works. She was using Allison as her voice and I felt more connection to that than the initial story.

I gave it two stars, because Peyton Place only deserved 1, but I would have given Return 3...so, an average. I just don't think I have a taste for classics the way some people do!

[Roger Wadleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most people believe Grace Metalious wrote this book alone. The truth is, if you live near Gilmanton, NH, where she grew up, you'll know it was a group effort, and based on true stories. Those who are terribly shocked by it's contents today have never Googled the word "porn", most of us will find it tame enough for teen reading in 2013 if you've let your kid see "The Hunger Games". The small town where it was written was a good place. You'd not believe it to read the book, but it was no more or no less good or bad than the world in which it was written. If you look under rocks, like the authoresses did, you'll find slime anywhere you live. The characters are stunningly well written, the times are well described, and if you read it and you're from a small place, and really think about the world you live in yourself, you'll see it in these pages to some degree.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with other reviewers that Peyton Place is better than Return to Peyton Place, however, I thoroughly enjoyed both. Reading Peyton Place is like listening to small town gossip. You can't stop but you feel sort of guilty at the same time. Return to Peyton Place ties up some of the story lines left hanging in Peyton Place, not necessarily to my satisfaction, and some just a little too pat. I can certainly see how this book and its sequel caused a furor in its day. If I hadn't done some research ahead of time, I would have been thoroughly confused at the name change of Tomas Makris to Mike Rossi. Initially, it took some getting used to, but before long it didn't matter. The book is very explicit at times, so it's definitely not for the younger set.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

no longer considered scandalous by a long shot but as someone who grew up in a small town in nh peyton place was an interesting read to hear how Metalious articulated her experiences. return to peyton place is barely worth reading and her descriptions of new york are not nearly as vivid as the ones of small town new hampshire. it also focuses on mainly on the character alison, who is not my favorite, instead of various members of the town as the first novel did.
this article is also worth reading- grace metalious' life is as interesting as any of the characters she wrote about! http://www.vanityfair.com/fame/featur...

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that reading this book felt like a guilty pleasure. Don't get me wrong, it is insightful, intelligent, and nicely written. It's that I found myself being propelled through each chapter by the desire to find out what happened next with each character's drama, then it occurred to me that I am reading a tabloid. Perhaps the first real tabloid, though devoid of the underlying motive to make money off of others' dirty laundry. This book is more a social statement of small town mentality and morality. It's fine writing and a great portrait of a town (I love how the town itself is a character with a voice).

[Rebecca Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because my uncle told me a lavish story of how the author came to write the novel. She was from Gilmanton Iron Works, NH, which is the supposed town of her story. It is also the town my uncle has had a summer home for about 30 years. It's called Busy Lodge and it's the biggest house on Crystal Lake. (One lake over from the famed winnipesaukee) according to him, our family retreat was part of the story, so I read it... I have no clue if he is telling the truth or not, even after reading it... But it is about that town... And the book is AMAZING! I ended up loving it so much that I have now read it like 20 times!!!

[Cynthia Sillitoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd seen the movie, but never read this. I found it among my mom's books. It doesn't look like she even read it. I think she picked it up for exactly the sort of occasion I was now having...a couple of days in bed feeling rotten. (I read Gone With The Wind in three days when I was sick with stomach flu.) It is what it is....sensationalized and scandalous, and not very PC by today's standards, but it's also entertaining.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to re-read this book now that I literally live around the corner from the apartment she lived in as she wrote parts of it. Growing up in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire I often heard the grown-ups talk about Metalious' scandalous book. Every town around here from Tilton to Gilmanton claims some part of the novel is rooted in their history and gossip.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town gossip and scandal in the 1930s and 40s, this book was like reading the best soap opera ever devised. The characters are wonderfully developed and interesting - tough to put down. The second book is almost as good as the first, which is unusual. Quite the scandal when it was published, I think it is underrated today and worth the time to read.

[Tami Donoghue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I borrowed with my new library card! I don't even know what made me pick it up. I really enjoyed it. Interesting that a lot of the issues the story deals with still exist today. Glad I picked it up!

[Marcia Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, beautifully written, clever storytelling. I was also interested to find out more about Grace Metalious herself, her struggle against poverty, her achievement as an author, and the rise to fame - only to die prematurely aged 39. There is much of her in these two books.

[Karen Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books would've been much better without the awful, stilted dialogue. I think Grace watched too many '40s film noir movies. Nobody talks like this! I do admire her honesty and her unwillingness to keep secrets.

[Lisa James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two very classic reads... Loved the fact that this was about a small town where everyone knows everyone else, & tries to keep the secrets buried... I come from a small town, & still live in one, & I laughed because it's mostly true!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the books -- "Peyton Place" more than the sequel but they are both worth reading.

[Anita Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel was kind of disappointed and wrapped up some of the characters' storylines in a very weird, abrupt, strange way... but the first book was GREAT!!!!

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give Peyton Place 3 stars and Return to Peyton Place between 1 and 2. I liked the movie and TV series much better than the book.

[candis · Rating 2 out of 5]

omg dragged oooon and on. it took me months to finish this puppy. literally a soap opera.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the time it was written, pretty ground breaking. Interesting stories. Glad I read both in the same time frame.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

read these two books then read...Looking for Peyton Place...by Barbara Delinsky You will enjoy all three books.