Peyton Place

I so rarely give a book five stars, but this one, in my opinion is so rich in character detail and high stakes, that it would be a mistake for me to think otherwise. What I found astounding is how much the author Grace Metalious packed into her novel. From what I've read, she mined her experiences of living in a small New England town so well, that those who knew her felt exposed in her story. She covered everyone, from the people in the shanties to the ones who owned the town and kept the others from rising. Her follow-up books did not earn her the same kind of acclaim. Perhaps, for this story, she'd wrung out all she could from the town she knew so well.

A spectacular look at the parts of ourselves that we call evil and wicked, but when light is shown on them are not so dark and not so abnormal. In fact, they are pretty common to everyone.

The only warning I will give, is that this entire book is written in short chapters and is in stream of consciousness. In fact, there were many times that a page starts with one character's story and by the end of the page you've been through two and three perspectives. Jarring at first, but well worth getting used to. What a story! I was riveted.

Highly recommend!