Return to Peyton Place
by Grace Metalious
Everyone loved Peyton Place. And everyone was incredibly anxious to read Grace Metalious’s sequel Return to Peyton Place. And everyone was disappointed. It felt like Grace either disappointed people on purpose or didn’t want to write the sequel and was therefore incredibly uninspired. Here’s the plot:
In the famous fictional New England town, Allison MacKenzie has written a shocking novel that reveals secrets of her friends and neighbors. While people in New York think she’s a sensation, the people back home aren’t very happy with her. And, as she falls in love with her married boss, she realizes she’s following in her mother’s footsteps. Will a trip back home to Peyton Place help clear her head?
If you’re not expecting anything, this book won’t be that bad. There’s scandal, sex, mystery, and melodrama. However, if you’ve read the beautiful, poignant prose of Grace Metalious, you’ll be shocked at her lack of effort to create another masterpiece. Return to Peyton Place feels like a tawdry piece of sensationalism, with no deeper lessons embedded in the pages. All your favorite characters make return appearances, and all hide their shameful secrets, including voyeurism, infidelity, violent sex, and murder. I’m not going to try to dissuade you from reading it—after all, I own a copy—but just lower your expectations before you do.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Peyton Place here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1961 film Return to Peyton Place here!
In the famous fictional New England town, Allison MacKenzie has written a shocking novel that reveals secrets of her friends and neighbors. While people in New York think she’s a sensation, the people back home aren’t very happy with her. And, as she falls in love with her married boss, she realizes she’s following in her mother’s footsteps. Will a trip back home to Peyton Place help clear her head?
If you’re not expecting anything, this book won’t be that bad. There’s scandal, sex, mystery, and melodrama. However, if you’ve read the beautiful, poignant prose of Grace Metalious, you’ll be shocked at her lack of effort to create another masterpiece. Return to Peyton Place feels like a tawdry piece of sensationalism, with no deeper lessons embedded in the pages. All your favorite characters make return appearances, and all hide their shameful secrets, including voyeurism, infidelity, violent sex, and murder. I’m not going to try to dissuade you from reading it—after all, I own a copy—but just lower your expectations before you do.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Peyton Place here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1961 film Return to Peyton Place here!