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The Peyton Place Murders: A Book Review
Peyton Place took the world by storm. It was a movie and a television show — but first, it was a book. Renee Mallet takes us back to the original book, the story that started it all. When we talk about juicy stories, this one has all the makings of a crime that makes your skin crawl, and actually root for the person who committed the murder! Shocking I know, but its the truth.
Background on the Peyton Place Murder
Grace Metalious was no ordinary housewife. She was a terrible housekeeper, and often lost track of her children, as she was buried in writing, and cheated on her husband more than once. Her mother raised her to expect better than the station she was born into, and so many things were “above her,” so to speak. She loved to write, but would come under fire for her “Peyton Place” book due to the names of some people that she knew in real life making an appearance, even though she insisted that all of the characters were made up.
Through the friendship with a journalist, Grace became familiar with the murder that would spark the book that made her famous, but it also made her an outcast in her community. It was one of those taboo subjects that people were happier to let lie, and not bring up. It was not conversation for polite company. Grace never cared what anyone thought, and plowed ahead.
