Maupin, Armistead Books

Tales of the City: A Novel (P.S.)

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 107 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Maupin: Well known, but new to me. 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Who am I to review this man's writings? Still, it's fun to be asked to share my ignorance. Many books, by todays' authors, are touted as being hysterically funny, etc. Unfortunately, for me, I find that although I am said to have an excellent sense of humor, these fall rather flat well before the end of the stories.

Maupin allows us to enter the world of the Gay and Straight communities, without forcing either on us as being the "correct" one. I enjoyed how brief he made each chapter, yet (at any given point) tied them together and continued the stories of the several lives, to whom he has introduced us.

There were some "whimsical" moments, and fewer "outright humorous" scenes, however, I had no trouble finishing the book, and look forward to reading his next two installments.

As they used to say on one of the 1950's Teen Dance Shows, on TV, "It's a catchy tune, but a little hard to dance to. I'll rate it as a 7. I will rate this book with 3 stars. If I had laughed, 'til I had tears in my eyes, I'd have given it 5 stars.

Editorial Review:

Since 1976, Maupin's Tales of the City has etched itself upon the hearts and minds of its readers, both straight and gay. From a groundbreaking newspaper serial in the San Francisco Chronicle to a bestselling novel to a critically acclaimed PBS series, Tales (all six of them) contains the universe--if not in a grain of sand, then in one apartment house.

More Tales of the City (Showtime Tie-In Edition)

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Continuation with more surprise twists and intrigue 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After I finished reading the first novel at a friend's insistence, I was so hooked by the end of it that I got the Omnibus of the first three novels and one of the final three novels so I can continue reading the saga of the residents of Barbary Lane.

The first half of this novel, I thought was better than the first novel, as I simply couldn't put the book down. I had to read "just one more" chapter, and since most chapters ran no more than three pages or so, one chapter turned into several chapters. The different story lines are interspersed, and I found that my curiosity switched from one to another as I read more. Some story lines didn't interest me (regarding DeeDee Halcyon Day and her mother), while others had me hooked (Mona Ramsey's vacation to a ranch in Nevada where she has an amazing coincidence that reveals a deeper connection between her and another character). I also enjoyed reading about Mary Ann Singleton and Michael Mouse Tolliver as they grow closer in friendship and take a cruise to Mexico together. On the cruise, they meet a man whom they don't know if he'd go for Mary Ann or Michael, and some of the wit apparent in the dialogue is laugh out loud funny. The plot moves towards a strange, and a bit far fetched, conclusion built around a mystery of one man's amnesia and the bits he remembers and some odd personality quirks. I didn't find their discovery to be realistic, but its not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the novel. Overall, I still like the first one better, but I'm really glad to see a continuation of these characters. The ending hints of things to come, so of course I plan to read the rest of the series in the next month or two. Like the first novel, the dialogue is simply amazing, full of wit, and laugh out loud funny. Armistead Maupin is a conversational genius and knows how to hook a reader. My only critique would be more time spent on descriptions, offering more details and observations. These novels read like a screenplay, but that's probably a big reason why this novel is so easy to read through. I can't wait to read what will happen next!

Editorial Review:

The tenants of 28 Barbary Lane have fled their cozy nest for adventures far afield. Mary Ann Singleton finds love at sea with a forgetful stranger, Mona Ramsey discovers her doppelgänger in a desert whorehouse, and Michael Tolliver bumps into his favorite gynecologist in a Mexican bar. Meanwhile, their venerable landlady takes the biggest journey of all—without ever leaving home.

Michael Tolliver Lives (P.S.)

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Loved it... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Yes, Michael is different than he was back in the day but aren't we all? This book was sweet and funny and reminded me why I love Armistead Maupin so much. I hope that some of the people writing the critical reviews do not expect to be the same as they grow older. We all evolve--it is what is wonderful about life.

Aging, but still vital! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"Michael Tolliver Lives" is essentially about a miracle. That HIV-inflicted Michael is still alive after twenty years, not to mention being happy and productive, is reason enough to celebrate. I've always admired Maupin's literate humor and crisp characterizations, and even with his newly elegiac tone, the novel is upbeat and daring. Anna Madrigal is still lovingly depicted as the engaging, eccentric "logical" mother, and we're sad when she begins her inevitable decline. Though very much of another era, the old "Tales of the City" gang unites with its eye on the future. This is done with deceptive ease. A new era is previewed while not quite slamming the door on the old one. Michael Tolliver lives, and so do his cohorts. That bodes well for Maupin devotees as well!

Editorial Review:

Nearly two decades after ending his groundbreaking Tales of the City saga of San Francisco life, Armistead Maupin revisits his all-too-human hero Michael Tolliver—the fifty-five-year-old sweet-spirited gardener and survivor of the plague that took so many of his friends and lovers—for a single day at once mundane and extraordinary . . . and filled with the everyday miracles of living.

Significant Others

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Oh dear. 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

What a shame - more wonderful characters either being under-used or over-abused. I really wish I hadn't read this book.

A lyrical account of gay San Francisco 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was the one that tackled the effect of AIDS on the gay community in San Francisco. When Dr. John Fielding dies it was a significant marker to the era that San Francisco became renowned for. Still comedic but always heart endearing ... Maupin makes anyone yearn for the City by the Bay.

Different Time...different people. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

When I first started reading Significant Others, I didn't think I would like it. First off, two of the residents of Barbary Lane moved to another place, which kind of broke up the family feel of the story. The time is supposed to be either '85 or '86 and there is one main character who seems to be regulated to the background (I'm not talking about Mona).

But as I kept on reading, the story lines sucked me back in. Maupin is a great story teller that keeps the reader hooked, even though the time is different, places are different, and the beloved characters are different. Remember, the story takes place nine or ten years after we've been introduced to the Barbary Lane family, and they're not the same people they were in '76.

I'm not going to give away any secrets from SO. Just know that although the story and characters have evolved, Barbary Lane retains that human interaction/warmth(?) element, which seems to be the thread linking all of the Tales of the City books together.

But on the other hand, SO does feel like a "darker" book. Perhaps it's because the characters have grown up. Maybe it's because they've become cynical. Maybe it was the disease that was devouring the city. Or maybe, I feel that SO is darker because I know it's the second to the last of the TOTC series...and the realization that nothing lasts forever, finally hit me.

Editorial Review:

Tranquillity reigns in the ancient redwood forest until a women-only music festival sets up camp downriver from an all-male retreat for the ruling class. Among those entangled in the ensuing mayhem are a lovesick nurseryman, a panic-stricken philanderer, and the world's most beautiful fat woman. Significant Others is Armistead Maupin's cunningly observed meditation on marriage, friendship, and sexual nostalgia.

Sure of You (Tales of the City Series, V. 6)

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Not a fairytale ending just painfully realistic 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The residents of 28 Barbary Lane first came into my life in 1991 and they've remained firmly amongst my favourite literary characters of all time. Having read several reviews of "Sure of You" expressing feelings of disappointment and betrayal, I felt I had to chip in with my "twopenny" worth.
The evolution of all of the main characters (guided by Maupin's prodigiously talented hand) is achingly believable and, I for one think that, as an epilogue, "Sure of You" hits exactly the right notes. The many Mary Ann fans out there who felt particularly let down are maybe in need of a reality check. Look at what has happened to these people in the 12 tumultuous years from 1976 to 1988. How can we realistically expect the warm, cosy, fun-loving and uncomplicated world of the "20somethings" in "Tales" to be untouched by the passage of time as they approach middle age. Mary Ann, in spite of flashes of good, was always an essentially selfish character (very early on she dropped the flaky, but undeniably good-hearted, Connie like a hot potato once she had no more use for her and her apartment). She only really began to warm to Brian once she found out he was an ex-lawyer giving a very early indication that social standing meant a great deal to her. By book three she was well on her way up the greasy pole and woe be-tide anyone who crossed her. The lusty, heart on his sleeve, happy-go-lucky Brian seemed always pre-destined to be left behind in her wake. None of these observations are to her credit but nor do they make her a monster, just a believable human being of the "ambitious, go-getting type" - a type, incidentally, often highly prized by a Society where people who don't achieve materially seem to be routinely referred to as "losers." Mary Ann achieved fame and fortune and I should hazard a guess that those two things change people for the worse far more often than for the better.
I absolutely agree that the last installment made for uneasy reading, but to rate this excellently written book as a one star turkey just because you don't like the direction of the story and development of the characters seems a little absurd.
Well done Armistead Maupin for so effectively holding up a mirror to our collective faces. Let's not blame him if we don't like everything we see in it. In any case Michael, Mrs M and Brian are as likeable in the last book as they are in the first - Brian perhaps more so.
I only hope Michael Mouse made it (I suspect, however, that it was unlikely that he would). The Tales Anthology is not a fairy story with a happy ending (watch the Wizard of Oz if you want that). It's simply a brilliant series of books with some of the richest characters and best dialogue ever put into print.

Editorial Review:

A fiercely ambitious TV talk show host finds she must choose between national stardom in New York and a husband and child in San Francisco. Caught in the middle is their longtime friend, a gay man whose own future is even more uncertain. Wistful and compassionate, yet subversively funny, Sure of You could only come from Armistead Maupin.

Babycakes (Tales of the City Series, V. 4)

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Another good read from Maupin 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Yet another series of adventures for the delightful characters that populate Maupin's books, this time with a bittersweet twist: the reality of AIDS. Because Maupin's Tales of the City books are generally so lighthearted, zany and playful, when the story opens with Michael mourning his lover, it hits pretty hard.

Despite the slight bittersweetness, this installment of the series features all of Maupin's signature flourishes and his wonderful sense of humor.

If your looking for light, breezy stories and likable characters you couldn't find anywhere but San Francisco, then buy this series of books and get started reading. You'll quickly get addicted. For those of you San Franciscans past and present who've never read Maupin, he's worth a look. If nothing else his books will make you remember why San Francisco was once such an interesting and fun place to live and what's sorely missing from it today!

Editorial Review:

"An extended love letter to a magical San Francisco."
--New York Times Book Review

When an ordinary househusband and his ambitious wife decide to start a family, they discover there's more to making a baby then meets the eye. Help arrives in the form of a grieving gay neighbor, a visiting monarch, and the dashing young lieutenant who defects from her yacht. Bittersweet and profoundly affecting, Babycakes was the first work of fiction to acknowledge the arrival of AIDS.

"Armistead is a true original. His tales are bang up-to-date. They will surprise and maybe even shock you, but, I promise, they will make you laugh."
--Ian McKellen

"Maupin has a genius for observation. His characters have the timing of vaudeville comics, flawed by human frailty and fueled by blind hop."
--Denver Post

"Armistead Maupin's San Francisco saga careens beautifully on."
-- New York Times Book Review

Back to Barbary Lane: The Final Tales of the City Omnibus

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"An old fashioned pleasure... there's been nothing like it since the heyday of the serial novel 100 years ago... Tearing through [the tales] one after the other, as I did, allows instant gratification; it also lets you appreciate how masterfully they're constructed. No matter what Maupin writes next, he can look back on the rare achievement of having built a little world and made it run."
--Walter Kendrick, Village Voice Literary Supplement

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Armistead Maupin's bestselling Tales of the City series stands as an incomparable blend of great storytelling and incisive social commentary. These six classic comedies, some of which originally appeared as serials in San Francisco newspapers, have won Maupin critical acclaim around the world and enthralled legions of devoted fans.

Back to Barbary Lane comprises the second trilogy of the series--Babycakes (1984), Significant Others (1987), and Sure of You (1989) -- concluding the saga of the tenants, past and present, of Mrs. Madrigal's beloved apartment house on Russian Hill. While the first trilogy celebrated the carefree excesses of the seventies, this volume tracks its hapless, all-to-human cast across a decade troubled by plague, deceit and overweening ambition.

Like its companion volume, 28 Barbary Lane, Back to Barbary Lane is distinguished by what The Guardian of London has called "some of the sharpest and most speakable dialogue you are ever likely to read." It promises hours of literate entertainment for readers old and new.

With a foreword by the author.

Michael Tolliver Lives: A Novel

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 137 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Michael Tolliver, the sweet-spirited Southerner in Armistead Maupin's classic Tales of the City series, is arguably one of the most widely loved characters in contem-porary fiction. Now, almost twenty years after ending his ground-breaking saga of San Francisco life, Maupin revisits his all-too-human hero, letting the fifty-five-year-old gardener tell his story in his own voice.

Having survived the plague that took so many of his friends and lovers, Michael has learned to embrace the random pleasures of life, the tender alliances that sustain him in the hardest of times. Michael Tolliver Lives follows its protagonist as he finds love with a younger man, attends to his dying fundamentalist mother in Florida, and finally reaffirms his allegiance to a wise octogenarian who was once his landlady.

Though this is a stand-alone novel—accessible to fans of Tales of the City and new readers alike—a reassuring number of familiar faces appear along the way. As usual, the author's mordant wit and ear for pitch-perfect dialogue serve every aspect of the story—from the bawdy to the bittersweet. Michael Tolliver Lives is a novel about the act of growing older joyfully and the everyday miracles that somehow make that possible.

Maybe the Moon: A Novel

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Maybe the Moon, Armistead Maupin's first novel since ending his bestselling Tales of the City series, is the audaciously original chronicle of Cadence Roth -- Hollywood actress, singer, iconoclast and former Guiness Book record holder as the world's shortest woman.

All of 31 inches tall, Cady is a true survivor in a town where -- as she says -- "you can die of encouragement." Her early starring role as a lovable elf in an immensely popular American film proved a major disappointment, since moviegoers never saw the face behind the stifling rubber suit she was required to wear. Now, after a decade of hollow promises from the Industry, she is reduced to performing at birthday parties and bat mitzvahs as she waits for the miracle that will finally make her a star.

In a series of mordantly funny journal entries, Maupin tracks his spunky heroine across the saffron-hazed wasteland of Los Angeles -- from her all-too-infrequent meetings with agents and studio moguls to her regular harrowing encounters with small children, large dogs and human ignorance. Then one day a lanky piano player saunters into Cady's life, unleashing heady new emotions, and she finds herself going for broke, shooting the moon with a scheme so harebrained and daring that it just might succeed. Her accomplice in the venture is her best friend, Jeff, a gay waiter who sees Cady's struggle for visibility as a natural extension of his own war against the Hollywood Closet.

As clear-eyed as it is charming, Maybe the Moon is a modern parable about the mythology of the movies and the toll it exacts from it participants on both sides of the screen. It is a work that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit from a perspective rarely found in literature.

28 Barbary Lane: A "Tales of the City" Omnibus

Armistead Maupin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"These novels are as difficult to put down as a dish of pistachios. The reader starts playing the old childhood game of 'Just one more chapter and I'll turn out the lights,' only to look up and discover it's after midnight."
-- Charles Solomon, Los Angeles Times Book Review

Armistead Maupin's uproarious and moving Tales of the City novels--the first three of which are collected in the is omnibus edition--have earned a unique niche in American literature, not only as matchless entertainment, but as indelible documents of cultural change in the seventies and eighties.

When originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle, Tales of the City (1978), More Tales of the City (1980) and Futher Tales of the City (1982) afforded a mainstream audience of millions its first exposure to straight and gay characters experiencing on equal terms the follies of urban life.

Among the cast of this groundbreaking saga are the lovelorn residents of 28 Barbary Lane: the bewildered but aspiring Mary Ann Singleton, the libidinous Brain Hawkins; Mona Ramsey, still in a sixties trance, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, forever in bright-eyed pursuit of Mr. Right; and their marijuana-growing landlady, the indefatigable Mrs. Madrigal.

Hurdling barriers both social and sexual, Maupin leads them through heartbreak and triumph, through mail-biting terrors and gleeful coincidences. The result is a glittering and addictive comedy of manners that continues to beguile new generations of readers.

With a foreword by the author.