When it was released in 1956, PEYTON PLACE, the debut novel by French Canadian Grace Metalious, caused quite a stir. Since its release, "Peyton Place" has entered American vocabulary as a term for something scandalous, and after reading the novel, it's easy to see why it is still well-known by readers of all ages today. The novel chronicles the goings-on in a small New England town called Peyton Place (incidentally, named for a former slave). Peyton Place is a town of exactly 3675 individuals, where old men sit on wooden benches in front of the courthouse and the streets are all named for deciduous trees. There are three churches--one for the Protestants, one for the Catholics, and one for the "fire and brimstone" worshippers. Metalious' novel begins in Indian summer, with a detailed description of the town's layout--and, of course, the picture I formed of Peyton Place in my head looked a lot like those calendars you see with photographs of New England in autumn. Of course, I didn't have to read too much of the novel to realize that this was Metalious' intention, and that New England was the perfect locale for her scandalous, brave story. In PEYTON PLACE, readers soon learn, things are not as perfect as they appear. Underneath the peacefulness of the town lies a world of secret scandal. This novel is one with many protagonists, from the noble town doctor Matthew Swain to Constance MacKenzie, a seamstress desperate to hide her shady past. Through Metalious' omniscient narrative voice, readers are privy to a bevy of the townspeople's secrets, from the daily enemas given to Little Norman Page by his mother, to the child abuse of the worst kind occurrring in the Cross shack across town. Metalious tackles issues in PEYTON PLACE that are still relevant today: abortion, child abuse, physical and sexual mistreatment, alcoholism, infidelity, murder. But don't let my description of the novel mislead you: PEYTON PLACE is no soap opera on paper. Metalious' discussions of these controversial issues are deftly rendered, sympathetically written; it is clear she was trying to do more with her tale than produce a piece of writing that was indecent for indecency's sake. The sex scenes, for instance, are written so differently from the rest of the novel that it's obvious Metalious was making a point about the course of women's fiction in the '50s. Her characters are a delight to discover; this novel, despite some opinions to the contrary, is actually well-written. The novel's heartwrenching, serious discussion of issues that other novelists of the time dared not touch, as well as its social commentary that is still relevant today, will secure it a place as one of America's most groundbreaking novels far into the future. Read more

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A really well kept and good condition second-hand book at a very good price. Thank you, would certainly buy again from this seller Read more

I first heard about this book while watching a documentary about the 1960's. The author and reaction to the book when it was first published made me want to read it. After reading it the reaction to the book and the sad ending to the authors life seem so much more tragic. Society was not happy with the taboo topics and scandals that are in the book, and because of that I think that the genius of it was lost. For a young authors first novel it is amazing. She deals with many characters and story lines and in one perfect moment their relation to one another is tied together flawlessly. There is one chapter that I omit from this, maybe I was just tired when I read it, but the scene with the alcoholics in the cellar seems out of place and like a afterthought that was put in, and lazily mentioned in a vain attempt to tie it into the story. I would be really interested to know if anyone else felt that way or I am missing something. It is sad that she (Grace Metalious) died so young and that most of her last years were filled with so much personal drama, I think she had limitless potential that we never got to see. Read more

Quería leer este clásico, y buscaba esta edición en tapa dura que actualmente no está disponible en la editorial. Había leído muy buenas opiniones, y la verdad es que me ha gustado! Read more