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michaelontheplanet's review against another edition
3.0
Camp follower: in which the boys and girls in those pre-gender fluid days go down to the woods around Russian River and get quite a few big surprises. It seems a little less tittersome in these days of worrying about trans safe spaces and TERFs to be sniggering at Wimminwood with its radical feminist performance poets and Herspanic pottery classes, especially as the privileged frat boys and Reaganites upstream at the elite Bohemian Grove get a bit of a knowing wink. Gender politics aside, there are a few tender moments and a lot of loose ends, and if this is a bit of a mark time episode in what was otherwise the meteoric trajectory of the Tales soap opera, it’s perhaps understandable and certainly forgivable.
ilegnealle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thopp84's review against another edition
5.0
Another enjoyable and silly journey with these characters. Maupin has a real gift for dialogue and knows how to craft a page turner. These books are so silly and yet I enjoy them so much.
aclarehoman's review against another edition
3.0
I have more mixed feelings about this book than any other in the series. On the one hand, it's Tales of the City. On the other, there's something about Maupin's parody of women's festivals that strikes me as off, even while I'm nodding and remembering how closely his depiction comes to festivals I remember from the mid-90s. Ahem.
More than that, I just didn't click with Wren, and wasn't really in the mood for more Booter Manigault. I didn't really buy Michael's relationship with Thack, because it seemed like they just weren't into each other at all.
It also turns out to be where I learned to use the word "pastiche" ENTIRELY INCORRECTLY.
But... *shrugs* it's still Tales of the City.
More than that, I just didn't click with Wren, and wasn't really in the mood for more Booter Manigault. I didn't really buy Michael's relationship with Thack, because it seemed like they just weren't into each other at all.
It also turns out to be where I learned to use the word "pastiche" ENTIRELY INCORRECTLY.
But... *shrugs* it's still Tales of the City.
neufangledmark's review
3.0
Moving onwards in the Tales of the City series, this one takes us out of the city and on a camping trip among the redwoods for several of the characters. Michael meets a potential new love, Brian gets away from Mary Ann for a while to ponder their marriage and a devastating secret he is keeping from her, and DeDe and D'or go to a women's/lesbian retreat, kids in tow. Just up the river, DeDe's affluent stepfather attends a men's retreat, and as a wealthy, staunch Reaganite, he falls into a pickle when he ends up in the clutches of some aggressive lesbians downriver.
This chronicle feels like a bit of a stumble in the series to me. It's... okay, I guess? I just didn't find it as interesting or engrossing as the other books so far. These are some parts that have me chuckling out loud (The "Don't you mean, 'Oh my Goddess???'" incident was a hoot). Needless to say it isn't stopping me from proceeding on to the rest - thus far, it's just my least favorite.
This chronicle feels like a bit of a stumble in the series to me. It's... okay, I guess? I just didn't find it as interesting or engrossing as the other books so far. These are some parts that have me chuckling out loud (The "Don't you mean, 'Oh my Goddess???'" incident was a hoot). Needless to say it isn't stopping me from proceeding on to the rest - thus far, it's just my least favorite.
dogstepdad's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
skeiser's review against another edition
3.0
I believe this to be the weakest of the series so far but still pretty good. While the main stories are intriguing there are more loose ends than in other books, and some of the stock characters are even stockier than in the rest of the series.
krisdoesthings's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
geowhaley's review against another edition
4.0
Coming back to Maupin's San Francisco is like going home after a really long vacation. There's something comforting and something genuinely nice about being back on Barbary Lane. (See the first quote under Additional Quotes).
I can't believe it's been almost three years since I binge read Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City and Babycakes. And like everyone else who has ever read a single one of The Tales of the city books, I'm finally taking the time to catch up on the series, which has spanned five decades so that I can read the final (I'm assuming) novel in the series The Days of Anna Madrigal released at the beginning of 2014. I won't binge read them, but they're such quick reads I plan to read them all this year.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
I can't believe it's been almost three years since I binge read Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City and Babycakes. And like everyone else who has ever read a single one of The Tales of the city books, I'm finally taking the time to catch up on the series, which has spanned five decades so that I can read the final (I'm assuming) novel in the series The Days of Anna Madrigal released at the beginning of 2014. I won't binge read them, but they're such quick reads I plan to read them all this year.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.