"Indian summer is like a woman. Ripe, hotly passionate, but fickle, she comes and goes as she pleases so that one is never sure whether she will come at all, nor for how long she will stay."
The first two sentences of this 1956 book set the mood and gives a nod as to why this novel was such a blockbuster yet at the same time labeled as sleazy and low brow literature. The story of Peyton Place is one of lies, deception, rumor, hypocrisy, social & class privilege, adultery, repression and the dirty little secrets, both open and hidden, of a New England small town. The main story follows the lives of 3 women who come to terms with their identity as women is the stifling atmosphere of small town America. There's also the surrounding cast of characters who add their voice, the town's old timers, the Old Doc who is the moral beacon of the town but has his own flaws and secrets. The novel is basically a primer for every soap opera that has been or is on television today.
I told my 88yr old grandma that I was reading Peyton Place and she said that she can remember "clear as a bell" the furor and uproar that this novel caused. She said that it was the book that you talked about in whispers at dinner parties. By today's standards, Peyton Place is fairly tame but I can see why it would be banned by the Canadian government 50yrs ago.
I recommend it, it's a good retro-read.
3 comments:
Wasn't there a TV show called Peyton Place?
Yes, and a movie in the '60's. From what I've read about both they are watered down versions of the book. They also changed some of the characters, made the bad boy a good boy, and changed the names of others. The author also wrote a sequel, Return to Peyton Place. She died fairly young (I think she was 39) of liver failure, apparently she was a raging alkie but in the PC times she was said to have died of "chronic liver disease"
I've heard of this book (and movie) but have never read it ... add to my list!! :)
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