Tales of the City

A week went by spent entirely with my new friends (interrupted only by an inconvenient search through the bookstores of Perth for an elusive copy of 'Further Tales').

I remember almost going into shock when I closed 'Sure of You', so strongly had Mouse and co. entered into my life. How could I return to my dull life after such pleasure and joy! Well I did, and a year later (the day I saw the 'Tales' mini-series at a film festival) I came out to my best friend. I realised that it was time to take some of that joy and freedom off the pages and the screen and into my own life. Six years later, I'm happy to report that there's many an interesting 'tale' to tell...

One other thing: this book does contain some depictions of sexuality--gay and straight--that could be seen as promiscuous, if you are inclined to think in those terms. However, the reviewer on this page who griped that Maupin was "irresponsible" to write this way (given the AIDS epidemic that surfaced in the 1980s) must not realize that this book was WRITTEN in the 1970s. It's an accurate depiction of how life was back then. If you read the other books in this six-part series, you'll see that as they move into the '80s Maupin DOES deal with AIDS by having his characters deal with it. These novels are actual snapshots of the time they were written, not some sort of retroactive nostalgia trip. They are fully realized, fabulous achievements, and open-minded readers will love them. All six books in the series are highly recommended.

The characters are warm, funny, real (and unreal, in the best sense) and genuinely fun to "be around". I was immediately reminded of the cast of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, with a squeaky-clean transplant coming into a new city, a new apartment, and making new friends. No, the characters are NOT interchangable, although in many ways, Mary Ann is much like Mary Richards, and Mona reminds me a lot of Rhoda, with her ascerbic humor, and even her weird relationship with her parent.

But, as I said, this is not simply a re-hash of a popular 70s sitcom. In so many ways, it is a fun way to crawl into the skins of people in the San Francisco 70's-- a time and place completely unknown to me. And doesn't a good book transport you to another time and/or place? It demonstrates the attitudes of a completely different era--pre-AIDS and the somewhat amazing idea that there are (gasp) gay people who are actually happy and well-adjusted with straight friends and "family".

I echo what another reviewer said: be careful when you pick this book up at bedtime. "One more chapter" turns into ten more.

For the last three books, I bought the "omnibus" edition "Back to Barbary Lane" which was, frankly, what I should have done for the FIRST three. It's more economical, and I prefer to carry around one hardback than 3 paperbacks.

Buy this book. Or better yet, buy the "omnibus" edition. Oh, hell, buy BOTH omnibus editions....you'll read 'em all anyway!

Mary Ann Singleton is the modern day Alice who happens to go through the modern day looking glass: San Francisco circa 1976.

I often thought of this series of books as having been written similar to the manner in which Dickens wrote his books: there are not any characters introduced to the reader who do not serve some purpose in driving the plot or story. This is a tight little book. Originally written as a daily feature in the San Fran Chronicle, the "chapters" were compiled into a single novel for later publication. Maupin has said that even readers helped him turn the plots into specific directions.

I love the characters in this book and its sequels. Maupin writes just enough that the reader can jump into the story using their own imagination.

This is not a gay novel as I've heard it called. True there are gay characters. However, to be honest the true lead character has to be Mary Ann, who is completely straight and leads us or introduces us to many interesting and wonderful characters.

This is a great quick read! Even if you're not a big "reader", this book will be a great "on the john" book, because the chapters are short and sweet (but I think your legs will go to sleep, because you won't want to put it down).

If you have yet to read these books, do yourself a favour - turn off your computer and race to your nearest bookstore. Don't plan anything for the next week as you'll want to forget your own life as you immerse yourself in the lives of your new best friends.

It's hard to know where to begin when describing this series. Maupin's writing is descriptive, yet it doesn't trespass the way other authors might, as they try too hard to convey their "vision" to the reader. Maupin prefers to sit back and let the reader draw - or jump to - their own conclusions. He enjoys cliffhangers, melodrama and even blatant shock tactics to keep the reader's attention, and it's these things that remind you that this world was born in the pages of a newspaper. Despite the simplicity to Maupin's work, he still manages to create the most intricate, involved world of people living, working and loving in San Francisco.

The characters, of course, are what make the book: Mary Ann Singleton, the Ohio transplant searching for meaning to her life, Brian Hawkins, the aging gigolo, Michael Mouse, the hopeless romantic looking for Mister Right, Mona Ramsey, the hippy in denial, and of course, Mrs. Madrigal, the landlady of Barbary Lane and "Mother Of Us All". With these few characters, Maupin creates an entire world that, when you close the book, stays with you. It never goes away.

The interlocking storylines, plot twists, turns and five-car pileups inspire a special kind of tolerance in the reader, for you never know when your favorite character and the villain will cross paths with one another and a complete role-reversal will occur. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the human condition.

The only downside is that you actively miss these people when you stop reading. Then you only have to pick up the books and read them again. I do it all the time.

The cable network Bravo has recently re-broadcast the film version of "Tales" as part of their Gay Pride month series. While PBS and Showtime have done an admirable job translating these tales into well-produced mini-series, nothing can compare to reading these amazing books and becoming involved in a time and a place that are gone forever.

I have given this book to friends and family on countless occasions. It never fails to delight and entrall. And everyone I have given the book to has gone on to read the complete series.

I miss my friends on Barbary Lane, and I am EXTREMELY eager to read the next book by Mr. Maupin. Please, Armistead! Hurry!

The characters are surely some of the best ones ever created in literary history. The developement of the storyline is so surprising and unexpectable it's breath-taking. The twists and turns are so effective, because you seem to know the characters so well, and never had thought... well, you have to explore the secrets by yourself. I have never seen such a developement of characters. The same persons are totally different in the last book than in the first one. It's great.

I won't rate every book differently, although they are very different. But they are so great alltogether and so well-connected it's hard to tell them apart.

This is wonderful stuff!

Much as I enjoyed it, it struck me as soap-operatic at times. For example, the level of interconnectedness is hard to believe. I thought only Melrose Place could have a situation where the doctor whom A goes to just happens to have been the lover of A's father's secretary's neighbour and just happens to later sleep with A's husband.

But perhaps the city is actually like that.

More specific comments: Norman's secret is worse than soaps. But D'Orothea's secret is really really good -- imaginative, plausible, lateral thinking and a great comment on life in the fast lane.

"Tales of the City" is written in a sort of "Mark Twain" style. Mark Twain used to serialize his works in newspapers and thus his chapters are short and to the point. Maupin did the same thing with the San Francisco Chronicle. The book is the perfect thing to read if you don't have a lot of time to sit down for a long read since you'll be through three or four chapters before you know it.

Tales is used as current commentary...current commentary for the 1970s. Maupin loved to try to weave current events into the stories. Here you'll see commentary on the Women's Lib movement and the Anti-Gay campaign of Anita Briant written as they were happening. "Tales of the City" is historical comment written as fiction in a lot of ways and as such it can be facinating.

Finally, "Tales of the City" is an essential book on Gay culture and Gay self-esteem. It presents a world where straights and Gays basically live together nicely and can be friends. Maupin doesn't display San Francisco as a Gay ghetto and everyone, no matter what their orientation, plays off of each other nicely. It's a world I'd love to live in.