What: Armistead Maupin has been writing his stories about Mary Ann Singleton, Michael (Mouse) Tolliver, and San Francisco for more than three decades. The tales are arch and winking, but earnest at heart, and they start here, when Mary Ann arrives in San Francisco in 1976. Even if you roll your eyes at Mary Ann's naiveté, raise your eyebrows at Brian's shameless promiscuity, and sigh at Mouse's misguided search for love, you'll still follow their intersecting stories avidly. Where this volume ends is actually kind of arbitrary, and you might find yourself barreling straight (ha) through to More Tales of the City . . . and then on through the six (so far) installments after that.
Comparable to: Actually, it's rather Dickensian, with perspectives that shift among a large cast of characters, and events so startlingly dramatic they toe the line between tragedy and farce. (It's also pretty soapy.)
Representative quote: "Mary Ann Singleton was twenty-five years old when she saw San Francisco for the first time. She came to the city alone for an eight-day vacation. On the fifth night, she drank three Irish coffees at the Buena Vista, realized that her mood ring was blue, and decided to phone her mother in Cleveland."
You might not like it if: It keeps you up too late because you just have to read one more bite-sized chapter. Also, it makes you want to move to San Francisco, which is prohibitively expensive for you.
How to get it: I couldn't find an image for it, but if you can, pick up the same 1978 Harper & Row edition I have. The cover (front and back) is a map of San Francisco, marked with key locations from the book. Also, please note that Tales of the City was adapted, almost seamlessly, into a miniseries in 1993. Part of its success comes from the stellar cast, which includes Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Thomas Gibson, and Paul Gross.
[Originally posted 3/7/11.]
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