The Evils of Peyton Place - the fifth Peyton Place novel by Roger Fuller

As I've been watching more and more episodes from the Peyton Place television show (the first couple of years, in the mid-60s), it reminded me that I still had more Peyton Place novels by Roger Fuller to read.  The books definitely follow the story as originally penned by Grace Metalious, and are not at all related to the television show, which deviated so far from the books - changing so many elements of Metalious' original, scandalous tale.  Fuller, on the other hand, not only builds on the original scandals in Metalious two-book story, but he goes well beyond what was considered morally and ethically acceptable back in those days!  This particular book, published in January 1969, contains probably some of the most "shocking" content of any of the prior four books in this series!

 

The Evils of Peyton Place introduces readers to yet more newcomers to the small New England community.   Willie Higginbotham is a filthy rich man who has never really had to work a day in his life.  He married Anne Higginbotham, known as "Higgie," who is anything but a usual housewife.  In fact, when it comes to being filthy rich, Higgie enjoys the filthy part more than the rich part.  Rarely sober, dependent on drugs prescribed by her questionable doctor, and in total reliance on her husband's support - physical, emotional, and psychological - Higgie is always looking for something new to satiate her depraved desires.  Never in a million years did Willie think all those kinks would find kindred spirits in a small community like Peyton Place ... but little did he know!

 

Fuller doesn't hold back any punches with this story, as he delves into the sexual escapades of Higgie and her way-too-permissive husband, Willie.  Thankfully, he does not involve any of the mainstay characters in Peyton Place (such as Mike Rossi, Michael Swain, Constance MacKenzie-Rossi, or even the gruff Sheriff Buck McCracken), and while Leslie Harrington is mentioned (as is his deceased son, Rodney), he is never actually seen in the story.  Rather, Fuller introduces other members of the small town who participate in Higgie's "Charades and Anagram Circle" (which is the cover-name for the orgies held at the Higginbotham home).  In fact, the book actually goes into a bit of detail about each of the town's families that secretly participate in these clandestine gatherings, expanding the known residents in Peyton Place.

 

What I think pushes the boundaries a bit too far with the story is when Fuller not only has Higgie engaging in sexual acts with their housekeeper's daughter (who is barely old enough to be out of high school!), but she also makes overtures towards the daughter of her husband's business partner - a girl that IS still in high school!  Thankfully, nothing every actually happens - it is merely threats made by Higgie; but Willie does finally put an end to the shenanigans and the marriage when he catches her in bed with his business partner's wife - a decision that has devastating consequences for not only Higgie, but for Willie as well.  This book has an extremely sad ending, moreso than any book that has come before in this series.  Of course, that does ground it somewhat in reality, as actions do have consequences, and the moral of this story definitely plays out - engaging in reckless, careless behavior, living a life of lies and secrets, will eventually catch up to you!

 

One thing I did like about this book - when characters or situations from previous books are mentioned, there is a footnote on that particular page that provides the reader with the title of the book wherein that particular character appeared or story took place (p. 21 references The Pleasure of Peyton Place and p. 125 references Again Peyton Place).  That's a nice way to refresh the memories of those who have read all the books, and a great reference for those who pick up and read this book before any of the others.

 

Of all the books, I would say this is probably the one I liked the least.  It is a bit difficult to get through because of the subject matter and because of the constant switch in point of view to the various characters introduced.  I still have several more books in the series to read, so we will see how they play out...

 

RATING:  6 scantily-clad fire-dancers out of 10 for pulling back the curtains on the sordid lives of the rich and bored behind closed doors in a small-town USA. 

Secrets of Peyton Place - the fourth Peyton Place novel by Roger Fuller

I can't believe it has been more than a year since I read the last Peyton Place novel by author Roger Fuller!  It does not seem that long, but apparently time has just flown by.  So, it was with great relish that I pulled out the fourth book in this series, curious to see what scandals would rock the small New England town this time, and which of Grace Metalious' original characters would make appearances in the story.  Each book has dwelt on a different family in this anything-but-average community, and this book is no different - another new family moves to Peyton Place, and another female character is caught up in the sinful desires that seem to take hold of everyone in town at one point or another! 

 

Secrets of Peyton Place introduces readers to Phil and Nancy Merriman, a young couple from Sampson, South Carolina, who move to Peyton Place to pursue Phil's budding engineering career at Sono-trol, an up and rising company who has grown swiftly, taking on government contracts, as well as numerous private contracts.  Nancy is supportive of her husband's career, but this sudden move has left her feeling out of place.  The Merrimans move into a subdivision in which all of the Sono-trol families reside, and Nancy finds that she must do whatever it takes to fit in with the other housewives, as their actions have a direct reflection on their husbands' careers.  One wrong step could end a career. And the last thing she wants to do is hurt her husband's career - despite how badly she wants to return hom to Sampson!

 

Fuller once again delves into the depravity of these outwardly small-town people.  The "good" people of Peyton Place give the outward appearance of piety and purity, yet their devious and sexually deviant natures make the poor people of Shacktown look downright innocent!  Yes, Shacktown comes back into the forefront for this story - in fact, there are tons of moving parts that all eventually intersect to nearly turn the entire township upside down and nearly bring an end to Leslie Harrington's long-time reign as the one who pulls the strings of everything that happens in Peyton Place!  It seems Harrington finally has some competition in the form of Allen McCampbell, or "The Man" as he is known by all of the employees of Sono-trol.  It seems the outwardly handsome, smooth-talking Mr. Campbell is hiding plenty of secrets - from his political aspirations to his insatiable desire for women (particularly married ones!) - and he is a sly chess-player that knows exactly how to maneuver all those around him to get exactly what he wants.

 

And when a young college girl of Indian descent is nearly brutally raped in Shacktown, it becomes the catalyst for plenty of changes in a lot of lives in Peyton Place. Reverend Tibbs suddenly steps out of his role as the timid pansy and nearly beats the rapist to an inch of his life ... Nancy Merriman realizes she finally has a purpose in Peyton Place, and that is to help the people of Shacktown, what with the attempted rape and the swiftly spreading typhoid fever ... Doc Swain sees this as an opportunity to open the eyes of his fellow citizens of Peyton Place as to the poor conditions of those living in Shacktown ... and Allen McCampbell sees this as the perfect opportunity to remove the sheriff, take power away from Harrington, and take complete control of Peyton Place!  And all along the way, Nancy sees McCampbell as the savior this town needs, doubting all the stories of his liaisons with married women - until one fateful night he makes the mistake of making a move on Nancy.  Her husband has been away on work projects for so long (at the behest of McCampbell, of course!), and he is handsome and powerful and able to bring some hope to those people in Shacktown, but what good Christian woman would ever give in to that kind of temptation?

 

As the blurb on the back cover of the book says, "An innocent bride learns the ways of the world in a small New England town..."

 

Fuller brings in Doc Matt Swain and Sheriff Buck McCracken ... we get some brief moments with an aging Leslie Harrington ... we do get the brief mention of the farmhouse where the Fiske family tragedy took place in the last book ... so Fuller keeps the continuity strong and the story moving in a forward direction.  These books are not stand alone, even though the stories are somewhat self-contained.  The books continue the soap opera format of Metalious' original novels, and expands the cast and definitely darkens the stories.  While the last book shied away from explicit sexuality, despite its plot, this book brings back some pretty sexually explicit scenes, particularly for the decade in which the book was published.  I am actually surprised this was not censored, as I cannot imagine your standard publishers in 1968 were so open about explicit scenes like those in this book. Yet, Fuller managed to get away with it, and Fuller manages to include some very steamy scenes with Nancy and her husband, as well as with Allen and one of his mistresses.

One surprise I did find while reading this book was Fuller's reference to the Bible - which, I suppose, should not have surprised me so much, since Nancy Merriman from the get-go is described as a Christian woman.  When Nancy is first offered an opportunity to go help the less fortunate in Shacktown, she is hesitant - but then she recalls the admonition of the Lord:  "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ... ye have done it unto me" (p. 104).   This comes from the verse Matthew 25:40 from the New Testament.  For all of the sin and debauchery going on in this town, it was actually refreshing to find a character who actually wanted to serve others as she believes the Lord would have her do - and when ultimately tempted, she overcomes and actually makes the right choice!  Hurray for Fuller for not making everyone bad!

 

Interestingly, this book does not give a solid ending.  While we do have resolution for Nancy and her husband, Allen McCampbell's future is not necessarily a given, and Harrington's vow to regain his power in Peyton Place leaves me to wonder if these characters are not going to resurface in later books (as this was far from Fuller's last book in the world of this New England town).  After reading this book, the television series from the late '60s is extremely tame in comparison!

 

RATING:   7 games of high-stakes bridge out of 10 for keeping the drama in Peyton Place as high as it has ever been, but proving that some people are strong enough not to be pulled into the wicked ways of this town!

Pleasures of Peyton Place - the third Peyton Place novel by Roger Fuller

It was definitely time to take a return trip to Grace Metalious' fictional town of Peyton Place.  After two books written by the creator of the series, and then two books written by Roger Fuller, who continued the stories of the citizens of Peyton Place, it feels like the small New England town has been fleshed out, and the expanding cast in this sequel series creates a true soap opera realm for Fuller to play in.  First, we had Jay and Eileen's tragic story (Again Peyton Place), and then we read about the difficulty the Welles' family faced because of their sinful past (Carnival in Peyton Place).  Now, readers are introduced to yet another family who has moved to Peyton Place - a family with some twisted morals who are about to come face-to-face with the consequences of their actions ... or in one person's case, inaction.

Pleasures of Peyton Place brings famed artist Joe Fiske and his family to the small community.  Fuller takes his time to thoroughly introduce the readers to each member of the Fiske family and give readers some insight as to why each character is the way he or she is.  Gus and Berte are the twins, the youngest children.  The two are opposites, with Berte describing herself as the "Gorilla Girl" (p. 40) because she was tall and had inherited her father's bone structure.  Gus, on the other hands, was "short and slight, with such delicate features, small hands and feet and long lashes..." (p. 41).  Yet, Fuller makes sure to let readers know that Berte is still feminine and attracts boys, while Gus never had anything "swishy" about him (p. 41).  I suppose Fuller did not want any of his readers to think Berte or Gus was anything but heterosexual.  Tom is the first born, a wild child who seems to only act out of rebellion, having been tossed out of one school after another because of the trouble he causes.  Then there's Scotty Fiske, Joe's beautiful wife.  She is the perfect artist's wife, who will do anything to make sure her husband's genius is catered to, even if that is at the cost of her children and her own marriage!  Of course, there's Joe Fiske himself - a self-made man, who rose up from nothing to make a name for himself with art that never fails to sell at unbelievably high prices.  He can do no wrong, so he has no guilt when it comes to sleeping around with women that he meets, believing it is just something that geniuses do.  After all, he justifies, they are just dalliances that never last, and his true love is only for his wife. Until he comes to Peyton Place...

Now, Fuller does not focus solely on the newcomers.  He also introduces readers to Harvey Peddrick, the bank manager at Citizens National Bank.  Harvey is a hardworking man who is dedicated to his job and his wife, Edith.  Edith is his second wife, who he met while on a business trip in Tampa, Florida a few years before.  His first wife had died, and so he and his son, Robert, had been on their own - until that fateful day when Edith joined Harvey on a bench looking out over the beach in Florida.  Although somewhat younger than Harvey, Edith is satisfied with her marriage.  She is not in love with him, but she loves him and loves how he cares for her and gives her a steady, secure life.  There is nothing exciting about their hum-drum existence.  Until the day her car slides into a ditch in front of the Fiske's new home ... and Joe Fiske happens to be on hand, ready to assist ...

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where this story is headed.  Joe, who normally does not paint women, suddenly finds himself inspired by Edith.  Edith is not really interested in posing, but her husband is thrilled at the idea of a famous painter using his wife as a muse.  Thus, the two are thrown together, and as one can expect, they begin a torrid love affair.  The only problem is, they actually fall in love, leaving them in a quandry as to her husband and his wife and family.  Well, circumstances conspire to bring their affair to the light of the citizens of Peyton Place (after all, it is a small town, and everyone talks!), and before you know it, all parties involved must face the truth and figure out what to do about it.  Along the way, Fuller provides side stories involving Berte's attempts to fit in at the high school and Gus's battle for a spot of the school baseball team. We also read about Tom's efforts to bed the local ladies and find a spot that will satisfy his rebellious desires - booze, sex, and drugs.  And find a place, he does, just outside the county line...

This book is definitely more focused on the standard romantic entangles of the characters than the previous two books by Fuller, but there is still some tragedy that strikes.  One of the characters does not make it out alive, and love definitely does not conquer all in this story.  Fuller provides readers with a bit of a moral reckoning for both Joe and Edith by the end of the book, as a gentle reminder to readers that "love" is not always what it seems, and one should be careful about looking outside of marriage for it.  Lust is easily mistaken for love in the heat of the moment, and in this story, Joe and Edith find out the hard way exactly what that costs.

This book was published back in 1968, and back then, many of the mass-market paperback novels came with ad inserts, often for cigarettes, but also for other books or magazines.  In this instance, however, there was an ad insert promoting the "Famous Writers School" out of Westport, Connecticut.  "Do you have writing talent?" the insert asks.  "Find out by taking this Aptitude Test created by 12 famous authors," the ad boastfully promotes.  Supposedly the test was crafted by authors such as Faith Baldwin, Rod Serling, Max Shulman, and others. Readers could fill out the card, detach it, and mail it in for a free aptitude test that they could take without any obligation.  Heck, even the card had pre-paid postage on it.  So what did these readers have to lose?  There is even a small blurb that tells you "Why writing can be a godsend for woman."  Because, apparently, a writing career can provide women with "money, recognition, and freedom to work when and where you choose."  I find it interesting that they focus their blurb on women, presumably because the publisher assumed only women would be reading novels about Peyton Place.  I wonder how many men saw this and were turned off by the fact that ad was geared towards women and not just readers in general.  

In any event, this third Peyton Place novel in the sequel series provides a standard soap opera tale, and Fuller shied away from the explicitness of his previous novels.  Sure, there are some steamy scenes, but they are toned down considerably, and readers only get the opening kisses and the after glow to read about. Even the tragic death of one of the characters occurs completely "off-screen," and the readers, along with the Fiskes and Peddricks find out about it after-the-fact.  And before you get too concerned, some of the regulars of Peyton Place do make appearances in the book - Michael Rossi and his wife, Connie; Dr. Swain; and the good ol' Sheriff, who is always looking to stamp down on those no-good teenagers that are bound to cause trouble at some point.  Oh, and I musn't forget the Coolie Smith, who is Joe Fiske's right-hand man, who takes care of everything for him - his schedule, his family, his house.  In fact, Coolie is the glue that holds the Fiske family together and takes care of all of the problems that arise. 

RATING:  7 damaged blocks and drive shafts out of 10 for showing how the pleasures of this life can ultimately lead to nothing but pain and heartache!

Carnival in Peyton Place - the second Peyton Place novel by Roger Fuller

Okay, it's time to return to that small New England town that has more drama going on within its city limits than every soap opera on TV put together!  This is the second book in author Roger Fuller's continuing stories of the townsfolk of Peyton Place. These stories give readers a chance to see some of the other people in Peyton Place, outside of the main characters from Grace Metalious's original two novels.  As with the first of Fuller's books, there are a few of the original characters who are mentioned or make a quick appearance, but this is not their story.  Also, as with Fuller's first story, this one is not really a sequel to Metalious's books, but rather, a story that runs concurrent with the events from those books.  And so, with this second book, we get a look at a new family who has some secrets of their own...

 

Carnival in Peyton Place is the story of the Welles family.  Unlike the Romeo/Juliet story of the Bramble and Welsh children from the prior book, this story takes a close look at four of the five members of the Welles family.  Lew Welles is the father, driven by a mad desire to be successful and a better man in the community than anyone, including Leslie Harrington.  Kathy Welles is his wife, who lost her arm years prior in a carnival fun house accident (more on that later).  Jim Welles is the only son, who has decided to follow his calling to be a minister.  Dina Welles is the oldest daughter, who has managed for years to keep every boy at bay and never once letting them get to even "first base."  And then there is Roberta, the youngest daughter and youngest of the three children, who, by the end of the story, is the only one in the family not keeping secrets.  It seems this one Labor Day weekend, when the carnival has come to town, all of the Welles' secrets are about to explode...

Let's start with Kathy Welles, shall we?  Formerly Kathy Ellsworth, we last saw her in the original Peyton Place novel by Grace Metalious.  She was friends with Allison MacKenzie, and she suffers a terrible trauma when a fun house accident results in the loss of one of her arms.  Of course, Leslie Harrington manages to win the lawsuit, paying out a miserly $2,500 to the young girl, despite her life being forever changed.  With this book, Fuller goes into considerable more detail as to what led to the incident, including Kathy first pregnancy, her doubts about whether Lew truly loves her, and her post-accident ability to rationalize anything to avoid dealing with the possibility that her own boyfriend may have been the one who pushed her that night at the carnival!  It's easy to sympathize with Kathy, as throughout the story, she proves herself capable of not only taking care of herself (despite having only one arm), but of also taking care of everyone around her.  You begin to realize, though, that she is overcompensating, and that she is not as oblivious to her husband philandering as others might think.

Which leads us to Lew Welles.  Lew is a man on a mission.  Coming from a poor background, Lew proved himself quite the pharmaceutical salesman, quickly working his way up in the company until he made a name for himself.  He fell in love with Kathy Ellsworth, but he did not want to start a family until much later in life - until fate intervenes, and Kathy ends up pregnant at 16, despite their use of protection (which, interestingly enough, is carefully talked around without actually saying it).  After her carnival accident, she loses the baby, but Lew feels guilty, so he marries her over her parents' objections.  Their life seems good at first, but Lew is drafted into the war, and everything changes.  He finds his desire for a "whole" woman leads him to cheat on his wife again and again, even after he returns home and they have children.  His latest affair - with the woman who plays the organ at their church! - may be his undoing, as it is not the secret he thinks it is.

And poor Jim Welles.  He has wondered through high school and college, unsure of what to do with his life.  At odds with his father over his political and social beliefs, Jim eventually believes he has been called to become a minister, and so he settles down and begins studying hard to do God's work.  But even that does not seem to satisfy his father.  On the night before the carnival opens, Jim makes his way down to the carnies, where the pre-opening night shenanigans include gambling, drinking, and some ladies who are more than willing to offer services that would never be permitted during the day!  Jim partakes of the taste of sin, only to stagger home full of regret and shame.  How can he be a minister if he falls prey to a sinful life so easily?  Is he truly called to be a minister, or is this simply another in his long list of failures that he calls a life?  Perhaps a confrontation with his father is what he needs to truly find himself once and for all.

Last, but by far not least, we come to Dina Welles.  A brilliant student at school.  Always courteous and well-mannered, and a symbol of virtue and propriety, never once letting any boy take advantage of her the way they do other girls her age.  In fact, she is called frigid, and the boys find her a challenge, hoping to be the "one" that opens her up (in more ways than one!).  But what none of them knows - in fact, only one person other than she knows - is that she has a horrific reason for being the way she is.  You see, her Uncle George ... the man she looked up to most in the world ... the man she admired and sought to please more than her own father ... the man that took her under his wing and taught her how to fish ... he also is the one that took her virginity by the most vile act a man can commit upon a woman, and that was when she was only fourteen-years old!  She has held that secret for years, and when her Uncle George kills himself (accidentally, the townsfolk believe, but Dina knows otherwise), will she finally be free of this cursed memory that has kept her from finding and experiencing love?

Labor Day arrives, the carnival opens, and all the walls in the Welles household come tumbling down.  While the book starts off at a slow pace, feeding the reader background information on each of the characters piece-meal by switching back and forth between the "present" and the past, it does gradually pick up speed, and by the final act, the story becomes a real page-turner that can't be put down.  Despite their flaws, Fuller creates characters that you come to not only care about, but that you can sympathize with and, to some degree, understand their actions.  That final confrontation between Lew and his son, Jim, is worth the read just by itself.  I honestly thought Fuller was leading in one direction with Jim, and he even hints at it, but perhaps because of the time period this was written, he could not go down that path (the same path I thought Metalious was taking with poor Norman in that first Peyton Place novel). 

I am definitely enjoying this series and how Fuller is building upon the characters and situations that saw little to no time in Metalious' two books.  Now that we've seen the Bramble, Welsh, and Welles families, I am anxious to see what families will face drama in the next book in this series...

RATING:  7 bottles of liver and iron tonic out of 10 for creating fresh drama for the denizens of Peyton Place to face.

Again Peyton Place - the first Peyton Place novel by Roger Fuller

It was just a fictional town.  A small, New England town.  But author Grace Metalious opened up the eyes of the world to what life in a small town could really be like with her first Peyton Place novel back in 1956.  A story filled with murder, suicide, rape, incest, and small town piety that was a shocking tale for its time.  A movie of the same name hit the big screens the very next year, and it surprisingly stayed true to the book.  Two years after that, Metalious returned to that little fictional town to continue the story of Allison MacKenzie and the repercussions of her book about her hometown in Return to Peyton Place.  Somewhat shorter and not quite as shocking, that book was made into a film two years after its publication.  That same year, a completely different version of Peyton Place made its way into homes across America in a nighttime soap opera.  Definitely toned down for the small screen, the characters were the same, but the relationships, backgrounds, and stories had changed.  Then,six years after the second film and the TV show debuted, a new series of books hit the shelves, written by Roger Fuller.

Again Peyton Place is the first book of a series based on the two novels by Metalious.  One might think it would pick up after the ending of Return to Peyton Place; however, this series is not exactly a "sequel." Rather, these books tell the stories of other characters who live in Peyton Place and who, in some instances, interact with the characters from the original books.  This first book tells the story of Jamey ("Jay") Bramble, a rough and tumble young man from Shacktown (the poor part of Peyton Place on the wrong side of the tracks - the part of the city that the good, upstanding citizens of Peyton Place want to pretend does not exist, wherein live people that those caring, Christian citizens of Peyton Place want to keep away from their families) and Eileen Welsh, a somewhat innocent young girl whose family has just moved into the upper class neighborhood of Peyton Place.  Two characters who live two completely different and separate lives, but whose fates are intertwined and whose stories definitely lead to what the back cover of this book calls a "shattering climax" (which, quite frankly, is the appropriate choice of words, considering what goes on in this book!).

To a certain extent, Fuller's story is a take-off of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  A young boy and a young girl who fall in love, but whose families are determined to do anything to keep them apart.  And whose story has a tragic ending.  Jay has not had an easy life growing up in Shacktown.  His father is dead and his mother is a drunk.  His sister is basically a whore, and Jay has learned how to use his sister's "talents" to extort and/or steal money from the men she beds.  Neither he nor his sister have been to school in years, and they have succumbed to the fact that they will have to lie, cheat, and steal just to survive for the rest of their lives. And Jay, being especially large for his age (in literally every way), has found he can make money the same way his sister does. Until Michael Rossi (you remember him?  the new principal at Peyton Place's school, and the new husband for Constance MacKenzie) takes young Jay under his wing and brings him back to school to give him a chance to succeed.

Meanwhile, Eileen is not thrilled to be living in Peyton Place.  She was quite happy with her old home and old school and old friends.  But it doesn't take long fore the beautiful, red-headed Irish girl to make new friends and become the enter of attention at her new school.  So, when Jay Bramble suddenly shows up in her class, things begin to heat up.  Eileen's mother does not want Jay in that school, and she rallies a number of Peyton Place's more prominent citizens to join her crusade to get rid of Jay.  When that doesn't happen, she goes after Mike Rossi for bringing the boy into the school with her daughter.  When that fails, she enlists the help of her husband's boss - Leslie Harrington (you remember him?  the old man who runs the town mill and likes to think he runs the whole town - the same man who owns the property in Shacktown and manages to keep the people there living in filth and poverty).

But, despite the odds, Jay and Eileen end up together, and Eileen brings out a side of Jay that no one else can believe.  A Jay that smiles.  A Jay that tells jokes.  A Jay that is shy and reluctant to even kiss Eileen.  Jay is doing great at football in school.  He is studying hard to improve his grades so he can get into college.  He is working harder than ever at the print shop, so much so that his boss is amazed.  Everything seems to be going his way at last, and Rossi couldn't be prouder to have proved the judgmental townsfolk of Peyton Place wrong.  Until Jay's past comes back to haunt him.  One stupid mistake, and Jay finds himself nearly beaten to death, Eileen nearly raped, and a town vindicated in their animosity towards anyone who comes from Shacktown.  If anyone was expecting a happy ending to this tale, well, they are in for a huge disappointment.

What I liked about this book is that Fuller manages to integrate these new characters into the lives of the already existing characters seamlessly.  And, as indicated above, he does not pick up after the end of Metalious' second book; rather, this story starts before Selina Cross' trial from the original Peyton Place, and spans a number of years - through the trial, through Allison MacKenzie's publication of her first novel, and beyond.  His writing of Michael Rossi and Constance MacKenzie is pretty spot on, with their fun bantering - and he keeps Dr. Matt Swain consistent, as a man who cares not only for the welfare of his patients, but also for the underprivileged kids in the Shacktown community.  Fuller definitely knows how to build the drama and how to write characters that you grow to love or hate, and the fact that I was completely ticked off by what happens to poor Jay at the end of the story is a testament to Fuller's writing ability.

That being said, there are a few things about the book I did not like.  First, I did not like what happened to poor Jay at the end!  (Yes, I know I just said in the preceding paragraph that what happens is a testament to Fuller's writing, but that doesn't mean I was happy about the ending!)  I don't mean that it didn't make for a great story, or even that it was unrealistic - in fact, what happens is probably what would happen in real life.  But I was truly hoping to see a story of full redemption, to see a Shacktown boy rise above his circumstances and show those small-minded people of Peyton Place how wrong they are.  But that didn't happen.  Second, I did not like how graphic Fuller was when it came to the sex scenes (and let me tell you, there are a LOT more sex scenes in this one book than in both of Metalious' novels combined!).   While not fully explicit, Fuller does go beyond subtlety in his descriptions, and there is a lot of this book that focuses on sex - with Jay's brother, with Jay himself, with some of the other characters, and even with Eileen.  Considering this book was published in 1967, I'm rather surprised he was able to get away with as much as he did.  I think a lot of the scenes could have been implied rather than bluntly stated, but perhaps that was the shock value Fuller was intending for his readers.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy the story, and I think Fuller did a fine job of keeping to Metaloius' original concept for Peyton Place and is characters.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of Fuller's books in this series.

RATING:  8 bottles of applejack liquor out of 10 for a saucy, sexy, scathing return to the small-town that has more scandals than anyone can imagine!