Customer Reviews

Maybe the Moon

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a female dwarf and I am also a fan of Armistead Maupin's novels. I had read all of the Tales of the City series before this book was released and I worked at a library when I first saw it. I was briefly dissapointed that it wasn't more about our friends in Barbary Lane. Dissapointment gave way to wonder when I realized he was writing about a dwarf woman who was my exact age at that time!

When I finally had the chance to read it, I was finding that he was expressing a lot of things that I'd felt in my life but I had not the eloquence to describe it! I can remember the quote about "going through the tiresome ritual of explaining myself" and there was another great quote about how a Little Person must honor other people's feelings over their own and forgive again and again just to be a part of the human race and not be corroded by their own anger.

There were also very funny scenes that may not have happened to me (I love that bit with the dog in Rodeo Drive) but I sure can picture how it'd be if it did! Another cool thing, I do have a best friend named Renee who happens to be Average-sized!

I love how he made Cady live and breathe and not be a character who moped all day because of her dwarfism but faced life head-on, as must we all. That is the gripe I have with "Stones From The River" and "The Dork From Cork". These Average-Sized authors spend more time than necessary pointing out that their dwarf characters hate their condition and long to be tall. How one-dimensional! Armistead Maupin has the gift of seeing through the eyes of a dwarf woman and telling her tale and making her human. It helps that he actually was friends with a dwarf, the other two authors, Ursela Hegi and Chet Raymos, who are both very good in their field, had never met Little People before writing their books. The difference shows.

I love, love, love this book and it tickles me to death that one of my favorite authors could get into my head and say stuff I've wanted to say all my life, and he understands. Read this book. It's fun, educational and you will get a different viewpoint that will, nonetheless be something that will be familiar to you!

Armistead Maupin is better known for his Tales of the City series, but I liked Maybe the Moon much better. It is a very clever story of a dwarf who played an ET-like character in a movie years ago, and has not been able to advance her career since. (I heard somewhere that the book is actually based on the life of the short person who played inside of ET.) The character development is great, and the story takes some unexpected turns, including a surprise romance, which I found quite satisfying. My favorite books have sadness mixed in with humor, as does this one. I guess this reflects real life. This book is quick to read and thoroughly enjoyable

MAYBE THE MOON by Armistead Maupin

Armistead Maupin does a change of scenery from San Francisco, which was the center of his six books collectively known as TALES OF THE CITY, to Los Angeles with MAYBE THE MOON, Armistead Maupin's first full-length novel. Although TALES OF THE CITY had been written first, these books started out as newspaper columns and have a distinct feel to them. They are more lighthearted and the characters are not fully developed. MAYBE THE MOON is indeed a novel, the story of the life of a spirited woman who learned to deal with a type of disability. It was with great pleasure that I read this book and got to know the character that was Cadence Roth.

Cadence Roth is a pint-sized person, legally classified as a dwarf, and although she is a very small person, her personality definitely is not minute or diminutive. In fact, she packs a punch and from such a little human being, she can shock others with her foul mouth and assertive ways.

Maupin starts the novel with a blurb from a review: Mr. Woods (1981) C-112 m. ****. It's the start of a movie synopsis from the movie critic Leonard Maltin's book "TV Movies and Video Guide 1992 edition".

Thus, the novel begins. Told via her journal, we are thrown into the world of Cady Roth, whose claim to fame was the starring (anonymous) role in the 2nd highest grossing movie of all time, MR. WOODS. She played an elf that befriends a young boy, but because of the type of role she played, she is behind a mask the entire time. The real world never learns who the actor behind Mr. Woods really was. She is forbidden to do any publicity for the movie except in costume, as the director feels the audience would lose the magic if they saw who actually played this beloved movie character. While other actors build their careers upon a breakthrough role, Cady is doomed to have this one big character haunt her till the day she dies.

And so Cady lives on in frustration. She finds whatever work is available, which is not very much since the average movie doesn't usually call for a character that is less than 4 feet tall. She at one point breaks down and takes a job with a small group of people who entertain the rich and famous at parties held in towns like Beverly Hills. She dresses up as a clown, making children laugh at birthday parties and bar mitzvahs.

References to THE WIZARD OF OZ are often made, as she relates to other dwarves who have been exploited or made it in the world of show biz. Her mother had a very important role in Cady's life, helping her become discovered and then pushing her on, making sure that her daughter's dreams were fulfilled despite the handicap of height. When her mother passes on, Cady is devastated but eventually hooks up with a new best friend, Renee, who latches on to Cady in a welcome way and the two become roommates and best friends for life.

Cady's life seems to be on a downward spiral, as the jobs with the entertainment company become scarce, and there doesn't seem to be any hope in her securing an acting job, but she does not give up. When news that there will be a big Star Studded tribute in honor of a major anniversary of the release of MR. WOODS, Cady feels this is her last chance at being recognized. What happens on this big day leads to the climax of the book with an ending that I did not expect, although there were hints of it throughout the book.

MAYBE THE MOON is probably Armistead Maupin's best work yet. The story of the life of Cady Roth touched me in many ways, and indeed I feel envious that Maupin knew the woman that this book was inspired by. Whoever she was, she was indeed a very special person. A story about people overcoming handicaps and differences in a world that abhors such people, MAYBE THE MOON gets five stars from me.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I love Maupin's Tales of the City books, but those didn't prepare me for how much I'd love MAYBE THE MOON. When I think back on it, the first thing that comes to mind is the sadness. Overall, it's very bittersweet, and there are parts that are very sad. However, I think those parts are freshest in my mind because they have the strongest emotions associated with them. Although there are sad parts, I wouldn't call this a sad story. There are many parts that are a lot of fun. Most importantly, much of the book is very inspiring. When you combine these elements with an interesting plot and great characters, the result is a true winner. I've actually bought at least four copies of this book at different times. Besides my own copy, I've given copies as gifts to various people - friends with whom I want to share the message that dreams really can come true if we work for them. As far as I know, MAYBE THE MOON is the only stand-alone novel Maupin has written. So what have you been up to lately, Armistead? Get writing!

Armistead Maupin has been one of my favorite writers since way back when his Tales of the City was serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle. I read all of them and then just kept going, reading everything he's ever written. Maybe the Moon is one of his most poignant and one of his best.
For this masterpiece, we have a change of venue from SF to LA, and instead of the broad humor with which Maupin painted the characters in the Tales series, he's delved deeply into the development of his protagonist, Cadence Roth, a dwarf. Although teensy, there's nothing small about her personality, a personality that is thwarted only by the fact that she rose to movie fame wearing a highly-recognizable costume in a famous sci-fi movie - and by contract she's forbidden from revealing her real ID. We follow her from one career disappointment to the next, and her personal life isn't very hopeful, either. In spite of a bit of a shocker ending, Maybe the Moon (great title, very apt) is really a paean of hopefulness for people who are different, and you end up smiling thru your tears.

This is one of the best fiction books I have read. As an average sized person, I found this extraordinarily enlightening as to the difficulties and prejudices that little people go through each and every day. It was one of the most unique love stories ever and it really, truly made me feel the full gamut of emotions. If you buy one fiction book in your life, this is the one.

Received this book out of the blue from a seller on Amazon who bundled this with an order I placed. Tossed it aside for half a year before I sat down to read it last night and did NOT put it down until the last page -- then went back to the beginning once more. Touching, warm, creative, full of personality. At worst, it's entertaining. Do read it.

Don't take this wrong, but I read this book expecting it to be alot like 'Tales of the City' novels. They are incredibly entertaining books but light fare reading. This book was amazingly complex. Mr. Maupin wrote about Cadence with such love and respect. I can tell this novel came from alot of heart. I felt as if I knew Cady and was a close friend. She was far from being a victim or pitiful. She was very witty and although she encountered so much pain in her life, she lived life to its fullest.

The ending was utterly heartbreaking. It reminded me a bit of the movie 'The Player'. Where the production staff has a story re-written because they find a persons appearance offensive or objectionable. By the time the filming starts, the entire story changed from what the author ever intended.

I have this book on my shelf and plan on keeping it there. I do not plan on selling it or re-reading it, however, it made such an impression on me. I think I will keep it for a very long time to remind me to appreciate other peoples differences and be grateful for what I do have.

Having dutifully read through ALL of Maupin's *Tales of the City* novels, becoming increasingly grumpy as the formula become increasingly stale, I did not expect a lot out of *Maybe the Moon* except perhaps another quick, romp-ish read. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that this novel is inspired, witty, and socially ignificant without being excessively preachy. The narrative voice of Cadence Roth is convincing, the supporting characters are not just cardboard cutouts, and the story line has enough unpredictable twists and turns to keep a reader turning the pages with anticipation right up until the ending, which I found powerful, indeed.

I liked this book a lot, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a novel that is both entertaining and thoughtful.

This book was great! Armistead Maupin definately did it again! For someone known for his quirky tales of life in San Francisco he nailed the quirks of Hollywood perfectly! And just like the imfamous denizens of Barbary Lane, Maupin has created some of the most intriguing characters in print! The main character is simply to die for! This is definately a gem in Armistead's crown!