Product Description

San Francisco, 1976. A naive young secretary, fresh out of Cleveland, tumbles headlong into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, pot-growing landladies, cut throat debutantes, and Jockey Shorts dance contests. The saga that ensues is manic, romantic, tawdry, touching, and outrageous - unmistakably the handwork of Armistead Maupin.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10094 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From the Back Cover
‘Maupin is a richly gifted comic author’
Observer

A naïve young secretary forsakes Cleveland for San Francisco, tumbling headlong into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, cut throat debutantes, and Jockey Shorts dance contests.The saga that ensues is manic, romantic, tawdry, touching, and outrageous – unmistakably the handiwork of Armistead Maupin.

About the Author
Armistead Maupin was born in Washington, D.C. in 1944 but was brought up in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he served as a naval officer in Vietnam before moving to California in 1971 as a reporter for the Associated Press. In 1976 he launched his daily newspaper serial, Tales of the City, in the San Francisco Chronicle. The first fiction to appear in an American daily for decades, Tales grew into an international sensation when compiled and rewritten as novels. Maupin's six-volume Tales of the City sequence - Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, and Sure of You - are now multi-million bestsellers published in eleven languages. The first three of these novels were adapted into widely acclaimed television mini-series. Maupin's 1992 novel, Maybe the Moon, chronicling the adventures of the world's shortest woman, was a number one bestseller. His novel The Night Listener was made into a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette in 2006. Armistead Maupin lives in San Francisco, California. For more information about Armistead Maupin and his work, please visit his official author website at: www.armisteadmaupin.com

Customer Reviews

Before 'Sex and the City' there was this . . .
Before the 1990s TV show with Sarah Jessica Parker, the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin were beautiful evocations of young city life in San Francisco. The fact that the sexual revolution had been in full swing for a long time - and that HIV and AIDS were part of an unknown future - are what make the series of books so charming. Certainly they were what everyone was reading on the London Underground in 1994.

I can only invite you to enter the charmed world of San Francisco, with its pyramid, its entry-level drug and club nightclub scene, the beginnings of the the fitness and muscle craze and the gay scene at its high point. It is all captured perfectly here, just as Dickens captured the Industrial Revolution.

A real Feel Good read
Found the first two on the shelves of the house in San Francisco where I was staying last week. Had just sprained ankle, so forced so sit in sun and read novels with foot on cushion all day (it was hell...) now home I hobbled to library and got out next two in series. What is it about some books - or perhaps some writers - that really makes you feel good? Can't say Maupin has actually cured the ankle, but the discovery of his books so late in my life (don't ask, honey) has certainly lifted my spirits. Another feel good book is "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith (yes the 1001 dalmatians author) which came out in WW2 before you were born sweetie, but has the same way of treating adult subjects seriously and yet lightly and humourously. So glad I sprained my ankle. I think.

Beautiful, intriguing, and lovely!
My eyes first crossed this book when I was 13 years old, I think I borrowed it from a library under the impression it was about something else. However, reading it again (at 18) has brought back all of the beautiful themes and excellent writing that made it a joy to read. The book is nothing short of amazing, with its intricate twists and plots. It is also an easy read and one that I would recommend to anyone above the age of 15, who loves reading about life. The emotion is there for all to feel and the bit that gets me is the Christmas Party at Barbary Lane, where Ms. Madrigal says that Edgar has already left. Beautiful!