Maybe the Moon: A Novel [Paperback]

Armistead Maupin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1993

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though narrator Cadence Roth is only 31 inches tall, her impact on the reader's emotions is enormous. BOMC alternate in cloth.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Cadence Roth is a heroine one will not soon forget. All of 31 inches tall, Cady played Mr. Woods, an E.T.-like character, in a hit movie a decade ago. Now 30 years old, she performs at birthday parties and bat mitzvahs, on the fringe of an industry that doesn't have much need for chubby dwarfs. In a strong and witty voice, Cady records daily life with her dizzy, star-struck roommate Renee, the physical challenge of turning on a shower, discrimination by people, and harassment by dogs. She begins a charming romance with a tall, handsome pianist and then, with her best friend, Jeff--a writer active in gay politics--she plots her comeback. Both a well-told story and a subtle fable about difference, this novel was penned by the author of the popular series "Tales of the City," of which Sure of You ( LJ 9/15/89) was the final installment. Recommended for public libraries.
- Brian Kenney, Brooklyn P.L.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 7th Printing edition (August 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060924349
• ISBN-13: 978-0060924348
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best!, December 30, 2000

By 

"jillaroo" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maybe the Moon: A Novel (Paperback)

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!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars clever first person account combines humor and pathos, May 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Maybe the Moon: A Novel (Paperback)

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

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is truly going to be one of my favorite novels!, August 28, 2003

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Maybe the Moon: A Novel (Paperback)

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.