Return to Peyton Place
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Founder | Grace Metalious |
| Products | Novel |
Return to Peyton Place is a 1959 novel written by Grace Metalious, acting as a follow-up to her highly successful 1956 work Peyton Place.
Plot summary
After the acclaim of her debut novel, Metalious swiftly composed this continuation, centering on bestselling author Allison MacKenzie, who reflects her mother's history through an affair with her married publisher, Lewis Jackman. This similarity further strengthens the connection between Allison and her mother.
Upon returning to her hometown following the release of Samuel's Castle, Allison encounters hostility from locals offended by their thinly disguised portrayals and revealed community secrets. Nevertheless, allies such as newspaper editor Seth Buswell and his longtime acquaintance Dr. Matthew Swain staunchly support her work. Dr. Swain, especially, quells opposition with incisive criticism.
Roberta Carter, a member of the school board allied with town attorney’s spouse Marion Partridge, leads efforts to remove Allison's book from the high school library. In retaliation, she dismisses Allison's stepfather, Michael Rossi, though she later reinstates him—inciting Marion’s displeasure—and attempts to break up her son Ted’s marriage to Boston socialite Jennifer Burbank.
Meanwhile, Allison’s mother Constance is both shocked and supportive of her daughter's revealing novel, standing firmly alongside Michael Rossi, the school principal and one of the book’s advocates.
Betty Anderson returns from New York accompanied by Roddy, her son with Rodney Harrington. Together with babysitter Agnes Carlisle, she moves back to Peyton Place so that Roddy’s grandfather Leslie can become acquainted with him.
Selena Cross, acquitted of murder in the previous novel, now runs the thriving Thrifty Corner Apparel Shoppe and rebuilds her life alongside her brother Joey. In this volume, Selena rekindles her friendship with Allison, whose New York roommate Stephanie Wallace also joins their group.
Reception
Return to Peyton Place faced predominantly negative critiques; Edmund Fuller in the New York Times dismissed it as "foolish writing, cynical publishing and bad reading." The magazine Time characterized the sequel as rushed, lacking detailed scene development and featuring weak character portrayal.
Metalious herself criticized the book, alleging that Hollywood producer Jerry Wald pressured her into creating it. During a 1959 press event in New York, she remarked, "This isn't a novel; it's a Hollywood treatment... It was never meant to be anything else. They profited greatly from Peyton Place and wanted to continue cashing in."
The sequel’s sales notably underperformed compared to its predecessor: while Peyton Place stayed on the New York Times best seller list for 76 weeks, Return to Peyton Place appeared only sporadically for three weeks total, reaching a peak position of #13. According to Metalious biographer Emily Toth, the paperback edition sold four million copies—roughly half the amount sold by the original novel.
Adaptations
A 1961 film version was helmed by director José Ferrer.
A daytime soap opera named Return to Peyton Place aired on NBC from April 3, 1972, through January 4, 1974. This series extended the narrative of the primetime television series Peyton Place rather than serving as a direct adaptation of the novel.