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.