The book runs from about 1937 to 1944. The central character is Allison McKenzie, but there are any number of characters whose consciousness the author easily slips into: Allison's emotionally distant mother Constance, the new school superintendent Tom Makris, the town doctor Matt Swain, Allison's poverty-stricken friend Selena Cross, dedicated teacher Elsie Thornton and many others. I think it's one of the virtues of this book that Metalious creates so many believable characters, both male and female, with such apparent ease and economy.
Peyton Place the town is a major character in the book, and everyone lives in fear of it, because it demands the appearance of perfection from all its citizens and thus condones hypocrisy and condemns human frailty. But Peyton Place isn't unique; it's a microcosm of a sexually repressive society. If someone describes your office as "a regular 'Peyton Place'," you can bet that harassment follows in the path of the hijinks. Big city or small town, there's a little "Peyton Place" in us all, even in these more liberated times.
I would recommend that readers save the introduction to the novel until after they have read it because it gives too much of the plot away.
The book gives me a sense of what a New England small town life is like. Of course, I don't, for a minute, believe that the events are typical. I enjoyed all of the characters Grace Metalious sculpted, and I also liked the plot very much. Grace Metalious constructed a perfect web of links between the characters to tell her story. At the center was the evolving relationship between Constance, her husband Tom (Mike) and her daughter, Allison. The other characters, such as Selena Cross, and the Harringtons added important sidelights. The sequel was quite well done and provided a welcome sense of closure, although it is not as riveting as the original.
Yea. I think you will enjoy this book, too.