Grace Metalious wrote the book that scandalized a nation 50 years ago and eventually ruined the life of the author. Peyton Place was loosely based on the New England town where Metalious lived, and told tales of sex and scandal in 1956. The book became a best-seller, and was made into a movie starring Lana Turner and Hope Lange.
Metalious never recovered from the sudden notoriety. Her marriage collapsed, her three children were harassed, and she received a lot of hate mail. She soon became an alcoholic, and died of cirrhosis in 1964, at the age of 39.