History Literature / PeytonPlace

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peyton_place_1956_book_cover.jpg]]

It is difficult to overstate the sensation that ''Peyton Place'', the 1956 debut novel from New Hampshire housewife Grace Metalious, caused when it was first published, or the full degree to which it [[ValuesDissonance scandalized]] America, small towns, the people that lived in them, and pretty much the whole genre of paperback fiction, which at the time was mostly populated with happy stories about happy people, [[Film/AsGoodAsItGets good times, and noodle salad]]. That's TheFifties for you.

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through her life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while longing for a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and has carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak– er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have got their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]] – and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and, last but not least, there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]], and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad Lucas...

* DuringTheWar: The second part of the novel takes place during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, with some "UsefulNotes/{{home front|USA}}}" issues being touched on.

* DuringTheWar: The second part of the novel takes place during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, with some "{{UsefulNotes/{{home front|USA}}" issues being touched on.

* DuringTheWar: The second part of the novel takes place during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, with some "home front" issues being touched on.

But ''Peyton Place'' changed all this. Later described as "The Novel That Shocked the Nation" -- which it did, true enough -- it concerns itself mainly with the various skeletons that outwardly-respectable people have in their closets and how they try to keep them there. Still, it was hugely successful in its day, spawning a sequel, a feature film and later a television series.

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through her life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while longing for a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and has carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak– er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have got their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]] – and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there are [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]], and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and has carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak– er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have got their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]] – and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]], and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and has carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have got their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]] – and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]], and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have got their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]] – and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]], and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have got their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]]--and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]] and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of just about everyone in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]]--and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]] and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

It is difficult to overstate the sensation that ''Peyton Place'', the 1956 debut novel by New Hampshire housewife Grace Metalious, caused when it was first published, or the degree to which it [[ValuesDissonance scandalized]] America, small towns, the people that lived in them, and more or less the whole genre of paperback fiction, which at the time was mostly populated with happy stories about happy people, [[Film/AsGoodAsItGets good times, and noodle salad]]. That's TheFifties for you.

The novel was adapted into [[Film/PeytonPlace a 1957 film]] starring Creator/LanaTurner, and subsequently a PrimeTimeSoap running on Creator/{{ABC}} television from 1964-69 and starring Creator/DorothyMalone and Creator/MiaFarrow. Metalious also followed up with the 1959 novel ''Return to Peyton Place'', which was a critical and commercial flop; this sequel was itself adapted as an InNameOnly film in 1961.

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters just about everyone]] in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]]--and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]] and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

* PutOnABus: For a book with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, any of whom drop in and out of the narrative at will, this is bound to happen. Of note, Ted Carter, built up for mostly half the book as Mr Selena Cross, promptly [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome goes up the stairs]] when Selena [[spoiler: kills Lucas.]]

It is difficult to overstate the sensation that ''Peyton Place'', the 1956 debut novel by New Hampshire housewife Grace Metalious, caused when it was first published, or the degree to which it [[ValuesDissonance scandalized]] America, small towns, the people that lived in them, and more or less the whole genre of paperback fiction, which at the time was mostly populated with happy stories about happy people, [[Film/AsGoodAsItGets good times, and noodle salad]]. That's TheFifties for you. But ''Peyton Place'' changed all this. Later described as "The Novel That Shocked the Nation" -- which it did, true enough -- it concerns itself mainly with the various skeletons that outwardly-respectable people have in their closets and how they try to keep them there. Still, it was hugely successful in its day, spawning a sequel, a feature film and later a television series.

The novel was adapted into [[Film/PeytonPlace a 1957 film]] starring Creator/LanaTurner, and subsequently a PrimeTimeSoap running on Creator/{{ABC}} television from 1964-69 and starring Creator/MiaFarrow. Metalious also followed up with the 1959 novel ''Return to Peyton Place'', which was a critical and commercial flop; this sequel was itself adapted as an InNameOnly film in 1961.

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters just about everyone]] in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place and is set over a number of years in the late 1930s and early '40s. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]]--and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]] and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

In terms of plot, the novel covers the overlapping lives of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters just about everyone]] in the sleepy [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] town of Peyton Place and is set over a number of years. There's Allison [=MacKenzie=], kinda-sorta the main character, who waltzes through life mostly dreamily, disdaining Peyton Place and its people and all the while dreaming of a better life elsewhere, anywhere; Allison's mom Constance, who went off to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in her youth and got knocked up by a Big City Businessman and carried the shame with her the rest of her life; new high school principal Tomas Mak--er, Rossi, in whom Connie sees all the flaws and beauty of the father of her child; Seth Buswell and Matt Swain, local notables (publisher of the newspaper and the chief doctor at the hospital, respectively) who have their fingers firmly pressed on the pulse of the town; wealthy Leslie Harrington, whose textile mill is the town's main employer, and his son [[SpoiledBrat Rodney]]--and Rodney's girlfriend Betty; and then there's [[TheWoobie Selena Cross]] and her little brother Joey, and their stepdad, Lucas...

It is difficult to overstate the sensation that ''Peyton Place'', the 1956 debut novel by New Hampshire housewife Grace Metalious, caused when it was first published, or the degree to which it [[ValuesDissonance scandalized]] America, small towns, the people that lived in them, and more or less the whole genre of paperback fiction, which at the time was mostly populated with happy stories about happy people, [[Film/AsGoodAsItGets good times, and noodle salad]]. That's TheFifties for you. But ''Peyton Place'' changed all this. Subsequently promoted as "The Novel That Shocked the Nation"--which it did, true enough--it concerns itself mainly with the skeletons people have in their closets and how they try to keep them there. Still, it was hugely successful in its day, spawning a sequel, a feature film and later a television series.

It is difficult to overstate the sensation that ''Peyton Place'', a 1956 novel written by New Hampshire housewife Grace Metalious, caused when it was first published, or the degree to which it [[ValuesDissonance scandalized]] America, small towns, the people that lived in them, and more or less the whole genre of paperback fiction, which at the time was mostly populated with happy stories about happy people, [[Film/AsGoodAsItGets good times, and noodle salad]]. That's TheFifties for you. But ''Peyton Place'' changed all this. Subsequently promoted as ''The Novel That Shocked the Nation''--which it did, true enough--it concerns itself mainly with the skeletons people have in their closets and how they try to keep them there. Still, it was hugely successful in its day, spawning a sequel, a feature film and later a television series.

The novel was adapted into [[Film/PeytonPlace a 1957 film]] starring Creator/LanaTurner, and subsequently a PrimeTimeSoap running on Creator/{{ABC}} television from 1964-69. Metalious also followed up with the 1959 novel ''Return to Peyton Place'', which was a critical and commercial flop; this sequel was itself adapted as an InNameOnly film in 1961.

It is difficult to overstate the sensation that ''Peyton Place'', a 1956 novel written by New Hampshire housewife Grace Metalious, caused when it was first published, or the degree to which it [[ValuesDissonance scandalized]] America, small towns, the people that lived in them, and more or less the whole genre of paperback fiction, which at the time was mostly populated with happy stories about happy people, [[Film/AsGoodAsItGets good times, and noodle salad]]. That's TheFifties for you. But ''Peyton Place'' changed all this. Later billed as ''The Novel That Shocked the Nation'' -- which it did, true enough -- it concerns itself mainly with the skeletons people have in their closets and how they try to keep them there. Still, it was hugely successful in its day, spawning a sequel, a feature film and later a television series.