Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981. dj. Hardcover first edition - A thoughtful biography of the too-short life of the woman who wrote one of the most controversial American novels of the 20th century. "In September, 1956, Peyton Place burst onto the American scene. .. Its publication was also an extraordinary story of personal triumph. Grace Metalious, an unpretentious housewife from the wrong side of the tracks, had written an explosive bestseller. From a ramshackle cottage in a small New England milltown, she zoomed to national stardom. She met movie stars, famous writers, and the hangers-on who gravitate to those who achieve sudden wealth. She partied with the glamorous; she traveled; always a generous friend, she entertained lavishly. It was a Cinderella dream. But it did not last." Sources, index. 395 pp. ISBN: 0-385159501.