Significant Others (Tales of the City Series) [Paperback]

Armistead Maupin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tales of the City Series | Publication Date: February 15, 1994

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

"Comedy in its most classical form...some of the sharpest and most speakable dialogue you are ever likely to read."
--The Guardian

"The color is wonderful, the line bold and flowing. It is also wise, witty, loving and caring about the foibles and frailties we all seem to have."
--David Hockney

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers familiar with Maupin's Tales of the City series will greet this latest installment like a welcome visit from old friends. Once again, the action focuses on the misadventures of a cross-section of San Franciscans, who this time take to the country for a late summer weekend in three separate gender-segregated retreats: a gay resort, a lesbian music festival and the infamous encampment of privilege at Bohemian Grove. While the trio of settings couldn't be farther apart in spiritat least on the surfacethey all are within shouting distance of each other on the banks of the Russian River, and the three worlds, inevitably, collide. With its blend of satire, slapstick and melodrama, the novel, which originated as a newspaper serial, is as light as a souffle, although the very real threat of AIDSwhich has claimed one character's gay lover and seems to be closing in on another character, a philandering husband who panics after a brush with illnessgives the story relevance and impact. Maupin writes with a warmth and humor that is sorely missed in some recent gay novels having more overtly literary aspirations; his tales may be sparkling entertainments, but they are lit with a glowing humanity that brings each character to vivid, poignant life.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Armistead Maupin's other novels are Maybe the Moon (1992) and The Night Listener (2000). His Tales novels first appeared as daily serials in San Francisco newspapers, starting in 1976. Tales of the City became a controversial but highly acclaimed miniseries on PBS in 1994, followed by More Tales of the City on Showtime in 1998. Maupin wrote the narration for the HBO documentary The Celluloid Closet. As a librettist he collaborated in 1999 with composer Jake Heggie on "Anna Madrigal Remembers" for mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and the classical vocal ensemble, Chanticleer.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; First Edition edition (February 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060924810
• ISBN-13: 978-0060924812
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,423,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful journey is nearly over, October 25, 2000

By 

David Theis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Significant Others (Tales of the City Series) (Paperback)

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!1

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, funny, moving series..., January 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Significant Others (Tales of the City Series) (Paperback)

Although this book, like the rest of the Tales of the City series, is relatively light and easy reading, it also manages to be deep and touching.

One becomes attached to the characters and wants to read on to see what becomes of them, gets mad at them for some of their choices and may even decide they are no longer friends. The occasional brush with "real" characters helps to add a bit of fun to the stories.

A must-read series, this look into the world of 70's and 80's San Francisco is heartwarming and addictive. Written in a way that lets you easily set the book down after each section/chapter (the books were originally created as short pieces that ran in newspapers) a strong caveat is in order: Be careful: you WILL end up reading well past your bedtime!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Absolute Best Series in Literature, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Significant Others (Tales of the City Series) (Paperback)

I first read the beginnig novel in College, for a requirement. And, I couldn't finish it. I though it was bizzare. But, after finishing college, and had been much more accustomed to the Bohemian atmosphere of college, I LOVED it.

I read all the remaining novels. I even read "Maybe the Moon", and loved that. Maupin has been able to capture the inner psyche of spirited individuals and make them loveable. I loved every story line, and HATED to end any of them.

My only regret is that I can't continue the ride.