Customer Reviews

Further Tales of the City

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Further Tales of the City" marks the point in the series where Armistead Maupin reached the top of the game. After some practice in the first two sensational installments, he acheives his best balancing act to date and exercises his grasp on the humanity of his characters.

To quell the complaints from others regarding the severe changes in characters, it's important to realize that while only six months had passed between "Tales" and "More Tales," an additional four years lies between the second and third parts. This leaves the door open for a lot of evolution. The tragic occurances DeDe experienced in those four years perfectly explains her journey from point A (pampered, albeit unhappy, socialite) to point B (Sharp, yet broken - therefor even sharper around the edges - survivor.) Mary Ann's change from secretary to TV personality - not to mention hopeful journalist - is logical, considering her dormant ambition that was eluded to in her last blow-out with Beachamp in "More Tales." What's more, the exploration of characters like Prue Giroux add to the "it's a small world" feel of Mr. Maupin's San Francisco.

As for the plot-lines, these seemingly unrelated misadventures tie up so cleanly in what winds up being the most heart-pounding climax of any "Tales" book to date. "Further Tales" concludes the first trilogy of the series logically and satisfactorally (despite the missing link of Mona.) With this novel, Mr. Maupin proved that he not only is an unsinkable story teller, but also a man that understands his characters and their lives to the fullest. As for the remaining three books, they are also exceptional pieces of literature, ascending to a peak with "Sure of You," but they still remain in the shadow of this excellent work.

Further tales of Mary Ann Singleton and Michael Tolliver, Maupin's alter-ego, a sweet young gay man lookin' for love in all the wrong places. The continuation of Tales of the City, first serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle, follows the further calamitous adventures of the residents of 28 Barbary Lane. This series of books focused around the early ages of the Dark Age of the AIDS era, but the tragic effect is leavened by Maupin's wild and wacky sense of humor, the preposterous interweaving of the lives of these people, and an overwhelming love for nearly each and every character. As someone said, these books are a love letter to San Francisco and all the best that it stands for.

As a Tales fan, I've always enjoyed this one the most. Maybe because it charts DeDe's courage and incredible transformation. Maybe it's the way Mouse mulls over whether he's following a cookie-cutter concept of being gay. Or maybe it's the way Maupin revisits his earlier theme of creating one's own "family" and turns it upside-down.

Maybe it's just Mary Ann's TV job as a Martha Stewart prototype.

In any case, Maupin's ear for dialogue is sharp, and his ability to communicate his characters' frailities really start to gel in this one! It's a wonderful read and a gripping novel.

"Further Tales of the City" is by far my favorite of the series. It is here that life continues for our characters, but they grow far beyond what has taken place in the last two books, especially MaryAnn.

Here also Maupin, moves forward with his wonderful concept of "chosen family," weaving MaryAnn, Brian and Mouse together as a great example of how workable and tender a "non-traditional family" can be. The price of that family, and that friendship - and standing up for what is right - is high as the book ends, but that only makes it all the more real and satisfying.

Be with your friends of 28 Barbary Lane as innocence is lost in the early 80s just before the Spectre of AIDS his San Francisco in all its fury. It is a time and place that can - unfortunately - never come again.

Reading the 'Tales of the City'-Series was such a wonderful experience I could easily repeat it as much as I could. Maupin's style is so great and terrific, it's strange I hadn't heard of him that much, before I read it.

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!

Further tales of the City jumps forward a few years from More Tales of the City, but most of our favourite characters are still there; the residents of 28 Barbary Lane; Anna Madrigal's children. The improbable events and unlikely coincidences continue with unabated abandon, but this is part of the charm of the stories. But what holds the book together is the skilful way that Maupin involves all the regular characters in the main plot; and main plot there certainly is (with a Jonestown connection), a plot which keeps one guessing to the end.

It's every bit as good as and possibly even funnier than its predecessors; highly recommended.

Oh those gay 70's days in San Francisco when "cherez la femme" ruled the original Pink Village. Armistead Maupin revealed a zany twist of relationships in the most liberal city during its most liberal times long before the late 90's tech boom. Tales of the City depicted just how much ahead of the times San Francisco has always been.

Here the Author mixes the lives of his somewhat evolved personae (Mary Ann now almost a TV celebrity,Michael matured, but no less charming) whit the social and cultural evolution of the times, and whit one of the most horrible events of late seventies, the Jonesites mass suicide in Guyana. But even so, the Author does not lose his pungent humour and his love for bizarre, uncanny situations ( the strange encounter of Prue whit the man in the shack in the park). I've also missed Jon, former Michael's lover (the reasons for their breakup aren't too clear). But all the same, I've enjoied it like the first two.

Having never read the preceding novels, I wasn't sure what to expect from Maupin's writing style. I found it easy to read, and he really seems to care about his characters. Although the plot gets pretty unbelievable, it was fun to just say hey and go with it. An especially fun read if you live in the Bay area. Would make a great novel to bring to the beach.

I absolutely loved the first two books in the "Tales of the City" series. "Further Tales" was more difficult for me to get into and care about the characters. However, once I did get into it, I was rooting for the characters (especially Mary Ann, DeDe, Brian and Mouse). The last part of the book was very suspenseful, especially the "Bambi-in-the-basement" scenario. All in all a very entertaining and suspensful book which, like the second book, made me cry in some places.

I'm trying to find people I can discuss these books with!