Rating: 
Summary: incredible
Review: This was just an excellent book, so different from what else is out there to read. I recommend this book to anyone (unless you have a real problem with homosexuality). If so, it wouldn't be your cup of tea. I enjoy reading about people's lives that are different than mine.
I intend to read everything he's written.
Rating: 
Summary: Not believable, except in parts
Review: I found this book to be a fun read, but it's not a "masterpiece" or a "triumph." Even by Maupin's "Tale of the City" standards, this is a strangely unsatisfying novel. I thought the storyline itself was confusing and did not really lead much of anywhere. I was fascinated with this book more as a document of Maupin's self-indulgence than as an act of fictional creativity. I would have liked to see a novel that spent more time with Noone's breakup with his long-time lover, Jess. The dynamics of Noone's heartbreak in the context of seeing a lover move from almost certain death to a completely different plane are handled wonderfully, but it would have been preferable to see this story moved to the forefront and the hokey 13-year-old-as-counselor gimmick moved to the background. The novel that Maupin really should have written, unfortunately, is not what we get.
Rating: 
Summary: "Elementary, my dear Watson."
Review: Here we have a book by Mr. Maupin in which he lightly expands the world we came to know in his "Tales of the City" series. Characters from that series are present in the book, yes, but this doesn't detract from this new string. It's more like a little morsel for his faithful readers that, when they read, their eyes widen and they think, "Yeah!! I know that!!" I read this book and was sucked into Gabriel's world with ease. The writing was fantastic, and the answer to the question on everyone's mind is played from every angle...if not in actual events, then in Gabriel's mind. A mystery of a different kind (no one is killed, no crowned jewels are stolen), "The Night Listener" pulled me from one extreme of opinion to the other. By book's end, I was in awe with Maupin's ability to keep the reader guessing...even after the last word is read and the book is put down. I give this book 4 stars because although I love the kind of ending that lets you write your own epilogue, I really wanted a definite answer to the questions that arose. Nevertheless, this book was a great read!!
Rating:
Summary: A Fast, Fun, Revealing Read
Review: This is Maupin's first work in years, and while it's hard not to suspect autobiographical undercurrents - or surface currents, really - this does not distract from the overall result. If you are a Maupin fan, you already own it - but if you don't, you should. If you haven't read Maupin before, this is an excellent choice for a start (although, Tales of the City is the classic choice). Maupin keeps the story moving nicely, while keeping the daily, human events in the story. Many of his asides ground the story in a reality that anyone from the Bay Area would recognize. His relationships between the characters are both simple and complex, unlikely and relistic ... dichotomous. I haven't laughed with Maupin like this for a few books now. Let us hope he continues writing at this level or better.
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