Summer Reading - Book 3

While I mentioned that I was going to read a quick romantic fiction book - somehow that idea got sidetracked when I saw a program that spoke of Grace Metalious - the author of Peyton Place. I had no idea that she lived in New Hampshire...of course, I was all of 12 or 13 when I read the book...so, I thought this might be an interesting read. Also, I feel that she will once again be back in the limelight as Sandra Bullock recently signed on to play her in a new movie. Looks like Grace's area of New Hampshire is going to get "hit" on again!!!

Title: Inside Peyton Place: The Life of Grace Metalious
Author: Emily Toth
Pages: 374

Review: I was a tad bit disappointed with this book on various levels...the biggest being that usually with biographies there are photos...there isn't one damn photo in the entire book...and just the jacket has a small photo of Grace Metalious. (The author's photo on the back is larger than the one of Grace)

I found the book to be repetative in many areas...including much about the original book Peyton Place. I think the author spent too much time digesting the novel and susequent novels that were written by Grace than talking about Grace. Although there is much there about her life I felt it was over-shadowed with the other. There was also a lot of showing the similarities of Grace's life and those of her characters - especially in her books which were published after Peyton Place.

But, all in all, the book did give a good picture of the life of an author who was a tad bit ahead of her time and an area of New Hampshire that was entirely too ridged to accept her.