Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful book deserving of the title "Classic".......
Review: My mother, who was born and raised in New Hampshire, and I were having a conversation about books one afternoon. I told her that I had seen someone on the subway with a copy of Peyton Place, which inspired her to launch into some stories of the controversy that had surrounded the book upon it's publication, and the scandal that reverberated through small-town New England, with each town trying to figure out if they were the subject of Metalious's work.
I finally read Peyton Place several years ago, long after it wasn't 'hot stuff' or controversial. Certainly it isn't shocking by today's standards but the book presents an interesting view of 1950's America, far removed from the soda pop and sundae image that nostalgia has tried to recreate.
The story centers around Allison McKenzie, a girl coming of age and facing all of the challenges of growing up in a small town without a father. Her mother, Constance, is emotionally distance at the novel's beginning but warms steadily as she undertakes a romance of her own. Matt Swain is presented as the doctor with a conscience, and the impoverished Cross family provides an ample contrast to the genteel country setting. The book, in many ways, reminds me of Edith Wharton- characters whose lives are woven together in a tremendous fabric of narrative and insight. All characters seem to struggle with the perceived morality forced upon them by the social morays of life in a small town, and the manner in which the deal with problems provides much of the plot that propels this book. In short, this book is wonderful and probably on my top three or four lists of favorites. It's exciting without being tawdry, and something I wish I had read a long time ago.
Rating:
Summary: Addicting
Review: Now that I finished both books, I want more. It's quite a yarn. Kind of a modern version of "Our Town." But why all the fuss? I didn't see any dirty words. Were people that uptight in the 50's when it came to seeing the word "breast" in print? I think Grace was a wonderful story teller. It's too bad she didn't live to write more. I wouldn't hesitate to give it as a gift or recommend it to others. And if you've seen the movie, don't let that stop you from reading the book. The book is ten times better than the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Only consider this book in the context of the times
Review: People who trash this book as 'not a big deal' forget that society was eager to believe itself 'wholesome' in the 1950's. If they existed, the 'bad' people were supposedly easily cordoned off into separate areas of town--instead of being your friends, neighbors, or even yourself. What is not very shocking today was the mid twentieth century eqivalent of having to slow down and gawk at a traffic accident. In her short career, Grace Metalious held up the proverbial social mirror and forced people to confront two very critical truths about themselves. They LOVED material like this, and they also led very closely simmilar lives to the characters in this book. Whether it was intended or not, the book helped people in simmilar sittuations see they were not alone, and the fictionalized characters also went through their own trials.
Rating: 
Summary: Reason for name changes
Review: Peyton Place is a fun read although hardly great literature,
thus the 3 stars. As a woman author writing a steamy
novel that focused on the inner lives of women, Grace was
well ahead of her time, and I applaud her courage and
outspokenness. But I found the novel overly
sensationalist; she could have made many of her points
without some of the gratuitous kink, particularly
in the life of the Norman character. Anyway, the reason I am
writing in is to explain to a prior reviewer the reason
for the name changes. I am reading "Inside Peyton Place",
Grace Metalious' biography, and apparently Grace
used the names of real people in the town she was
living in (Gilmanton, NH) for some of the PP characters.
One of them named Tom Makris brought a libel suit against
her, and as a result she had to change the name of that
character in the paperback, movie and television
versions of PP.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the term "Classic"
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Scandal in a small town
Review: 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!
Rating: 
Summary: Get over it ...
Review: Scandalous though it may have been in the 50s, Peyton Place is pretty tame stuff today ... and despite the scholarly intro, it just isn't that great -- or that important -- a novel. A decently written beach read, no more.
Rating:
Summary: A seminal classic of American fiction
Review: THE bestselling novel of the 1950s, Peyton Place is an unfortunately under-appreciated classic, the book that paved the way for many women writers and practically invented an entire genre. The story is familiar: the secrets and scandals of a small New England town. But it's presented with an energy and verve that's unstoppable. The characters are unforgettable: frigid single mother Constance MacKenzie and her dreaming daughter Allison; Allison's troubled best friend Selena Cross; and playboy around town Rodney Harrington. If you don't think this book has relevence today, realise that Dawson's Creek is basically an updated version of Peyton Place.
Rating:
Summary: Times change, people truely stay the same . . . .
Review: The clear, eloquent writing of Metalious immediately seized my attention. The steady, powerful development of characters aroused my interests and kept me eagerly anticipating their experiences. The damnation of this literary jewel in 1956 provides excellent insight to the era. Although much has changed since 1956; the scandals, struggles and experiences depicted in the novel seem to have remained the same. I read this book thinking that there would be vast differences in what would have constituted a scandal then versus now. What I learned is that people's behavior hasn't changed much at all but our reactions have become more muted, and our tolerance greater. Peyton Place is a depiction of life. Then and now. Change the publication date and the characters, and experiences are as true now as they were then. Mitalious managed to capture the essence of life conflict and struggle in a manner that is timeless and continuous. I'll read this book again in 20 years and I expect that it will still provide a realistic view of life experiences and behavior. This novel is a must in everyone's library!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful glance into the life of a small town
Review: The only thing I didn't quite understand about this book was the Tom Makris character. They introduced him as someone who basically had a chip on his shoulder, who thought the town was sort of podunk, and who basically hit and raped Constance, but then by the end of the book, he was the voice of reason within the town. How did that happen? My copy of Peyton Place must've missed the chapter on his transformation into "good guy", because he was a first class jerk when he was introduced.
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