Looking for Peyton Place: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Barbara Delinsky (Author)
Key Phrases: varsity course, chocolate pennies, mercury waste, Peyton Place, Barbara Delinsky, Annie Barnes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
With her mother deceased and her older sister suffering similar symptoms, successful 30-something novelist Annie Barnes turns detective—Erin Brokovich-style—when she reluctantly returns to her "stifling, stagnant, and cruel" New Hampshire hometown of Middle River in Delinsky's diverting latest (after The Summer I Dared). A company town dominated by Northbrook Paper Mill, owned by the powerful Meades, Middle River's real claim to fame, according to Annie and other townspeople, is that it was the model for the once notorious bestseller Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. Annie's neighbors are equally sure that she's returned to dig up their dirt, and, like Metalious, write about it. Though Annie is less concerned with gossip than possible mercury poisoning, Metalious speaks to her from beyond the grave, egging her on in her investigation. The plucky heroine also begins a flirty e-mail conversation with a Deep Throat who calls himself "TrueBlue" and hints at Northbrook Mill's dark doings. And against all odds, handsome Meade scion James seems to be an ally in her environmental crusade. Readers with an appetite for light fare will find all the right ingredients—romance, mystery, suspense, sisterly rivalry and a thoroughly happy ending. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Say the words "Peyton Place" and what comes to mind? Sex, of course, and hypocrisy, and the kind of small-town secrets that really aren't so secret after all. Middle River, New Hampshire, always knew it was the real-life model for literature's most notorious location by virtue of being author Grace Metalious' hometown. Among the residents Grace made famous were Connie Barnes and her daughter, Alyssa, though Connie is long dead and Alyssa has just died--under mysterious circumstances, if you ask her daughter, acclaimed novelist Annie Barnes. When Annie returns to the town she'd forsaken to investigate her mother's death, the townspeople fear she's back to follow in Grace's footsteps by exposing a new generation of dirty little secrets in a tell-all novel--and they'll stop at nothing to see that she never writes a single word. Working from such an intriguing premise, Delinsky is at her best, skillfully weaving elements of a tantalizing mystery and titillating romance in this vibrant page-turner. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (July 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743246446
• ISBN-13: 978-0743246446
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #802,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for Grace Metalious, July 17, 2005

By	Long Island Lady "L.C.F." (LI, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I have just finished another great book by Barbara Delinsky. She never fails to educate me about something in a thoroughly enjoyable novel. This time it was Grace Metalious and mercury poisoning.

The story is about an author who is haunted by the stigma she felt from her small New England town and the haunting influence of the author of Peyton Place. In an effort to find out why her mother died she goes back to the town she grew up in to finds answers. What she also finds is love, family, a home and peace of mind.

As usual I love Barbara's plot, characters, the building of relationships and what I learned.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous mainstream women's fiction , July 15, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Middle River is the New England town that Grace Metalious' novel Peyton Place was based on. Middle River looks quaint and wholesome, but people have secrets would ruin them if they get out. It is a company town and Sandy Meade owns the Northwood Paper Mill that employs most of the townsfolk so people are very reluctant to talk about the wrongdoing of Sandy and his son Aidan.

When Annie Barnes, a famous writer, thinks about her mother's death, she isn't sure that the official verdict tells the whole story. She returns to Middle River where she sees Phoebe have the same symptoms that her mother had. After doing some research, she thinks that they and other villagers suffer from mercury poison. The only place in town that uses mercury is the paper plant. The Meades try to turn the townsfolk against her and run her out of town before she learns what they are trying so desperately to hide. Making matters worse is that Annie falls for James Meade who refuses to tell her what he knows about his family and the possibility of mercury poisoning afflicting the people of Middle River.

The best part of reading a Barbara Delinsky book is that she never tells the same story twice and she imbues her storyline with a relevant social issue. LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE is a fabulous mainstream women's fiction book focusing on a spunky protagonist. Annie is determined to find out what is wrong in her town because she doesn't want to lose her sister or have other innocent people fall ill or die. Ms. Delinsky puts her heart into her work.

Harriet Klausner

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for Peyton Place - GREAT!, August 19, 2005

By	D. Wagner "bookworm" (Quakertown, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been an avid Barbara Delinsky fan since reading THREE WISHES - her newest novel definitely lived up to my expectations. It was an excellent read and, when putting it down, I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I am planning on reading the original Peyton Place novel by Grace Metalious, which is an important part of the story. I would highly recommend LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE.