Customer Reviews

Significant Others (Tales of the City, Book 5)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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!

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.

How can you not love the antics when blueblood DeDe Halcyon goes to a wimmin's festival and accidentally lets in the homophobes? Or how about when Booter falls asleep on his boat and drifts into Wimminwood and is kidnapped? The story and adventure continue on just as compelling as the first four editions. You will laugh, you will cry...you may find yourself all over again...

This was the one that tackled the effect of AIDS on the gay community in San Francisco. When Dr. John Fielding dies it was a significant marker to the era that San Francisco became renowned for. Still comedic but always heart endearing ... Maupin makes anyone yearn for the City by the Bay.

Although I prefer the books that explore more "serious" themes, the center-stage reappearance of DeeDee and D'orothea made this book quite enjoyable for me.

An enjoyable satire of extremes of men's space and women's space, but not quite the same Tales I had fallen in love with.

I love his books because I used to live in SF for many years and love the City and entire Bay Area. He does a good job satyrizing some of the folks but shows a lot of compassion as well. My goodness, though, his characters sure smoke a lot of dope!!! I didn't altho' some of my friends did in the 1970s!

Suzanne

This is the fifth in the TALES OF THE CITY series featuring the lives and loves of an eclectic group of friends in San Francisco. The series is a continuing arc so those new to the series should begin at the beginning, TALES OF THE CITY and continue in order.

It is nearly a decade since Mary Ann Singleton decided to flee her native Cleveland and settle in San Francisco. She has managed to achieve the all three of the elusive marks of success at the same time - a good job (host of a morning tv talk show) - a good apartment (a penthouse overlooking her former home on Barbary Lane) and a great lover (hunky husband Brian). To add to the equation the pair even have the ultimate yuppie accessory, a daughter, Shawna (aka Puppy). Life is just too wonderful but change is in the wind. In the course of interviewing a celebrity, the plus size model, Wren events are set into motion that will ripple through the Barbary Lane community sending them into the wilds of the Russian River Valley.

Our old friends (and some new ones) venture out of the City and into an exclusive all male retreat for the wealthy and powerful, a not so exclusive all female festival and a couple cabins by the river. That these unlikely groups will meet is inevitable as is the hilarity that will follow.

This series has been labeled as 'gay fiction', and while it does include many characters that are gay and touch on subjects of concern to the GLBT community it is a well written collection of stories about warm, believable characters who deal with situations everyone can relate to in a delightfully funny manner.

This book picks up a few years after "Babycakes" (the last book). SPOILERS!!! Mary Ann and Brian have moved from Barbary Lane to bring up their daughter in a high-priced elaborate high rise. Mary Ann has her own TV show and is happy...but Brian who has no job isn't. Michael is HIV+ and happily running a nursery. He meets hunky Thack and falls for him...but is afraid to make a comitment. D'or and Dede decide to take their two children to a Wimminwood (a lesbian women's music festival) but nonstop trouble happens there. Nearby is the Bohemian Grove where Dede's stepfather Booter is enjoying himself. Added to this is Wren Douglas--a very large woman who is also very popular and gets involved with Brian, Michael and Thack.

First of all author Maupin made one BIG unwise choice here. He made Mary Ann and Brian move out of Barbary Lane and makes Mary Ann into a real witch. She hardly figures in the story. Other than that the story breezes along delightfully and has plenty of the one-liners and absurd humor that marked the first four books. This book was originally published in 1987 and doesn't ignore AIDS and treats it in a correct and mature way. Also this book has Wren--a VERY fat woman and it celebrates her accepting her weight and living happily with it! Also the drug use has been toned down quite a bit in this one.

Aside from Mary Ann this is a great fun book of the series. Recommended.

As expected, this volumn carries on the tale of Anna Madrigal's eccentric family, expanding past San Fran and taking on the world.