Rating: 
Summary: I Don't even Like to Read, But I Loved This Book
Review: After seeing the Miniseries on PBS (and buying it later) I became interested in this book, and then when out and got the rest of the series. I don't even like to read, but I just couldn't put this book down. Well worth getting the entire series to see what happens to all of your favorite characters through the times
Rating:
Summary: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to move in with them!
Review: Like many others, I first learned of the book during the controversy over the TV miniseries. Despite (or perhaps because of) the insanity surrounding the characters' lives, this is a refreshing look at people, all kinds of people. These aren't stereotypes, although they may seem like it at first glance. A few chapters into the story, they will seem real enough to be sitting in your living room with you -- and you'll wish they were
Rating:
Summary: Read this Book.
Review: I envy those who have not read all six. To think they
get to experience them for the first time. Truly orgasmic!
Rating:
Summary: Could the book be any better?
Review: Could this book be any better? Only if you knew that sixothers followed, which fortunately for you: they do!I picked up the book after watching the mini-series on television. I thought I might be in for a disappointment, as t.v. sometimes adds a glamour that's not always apparent in the books. I was wrong. These books are almost as good as an afternoon of Spelling Dramas. Every character interacts with every other character, and it's not at all weird. Maupin even manages to bring Jim Jones back from the dead and it's altogether believable. I haven't been this excited about a series of books since I first met Ramona Quimby on Clickitat Street in the second grade! Read this book. Read the series! Trust me.
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Summary: alter-ego-ish! The Auntie Mame of those "other people"!
Review: You know ... this book is NOT just for "those other people."
Witty, graceous, and Oh SO 'Charmon' is the heroine/hero(?)
of this book. Most of us have daydreamed, perhaps wished,
we were very much like her.
Armistead paints such a lovey, lively, fun picture with his
characters that you just want to be with them in their world.
You want to experience it all ... you want to read the whole book at first sitting. You can't wait for the ending and when
it comes, you are so disappointed you want to cry for joy to think there are more books to come, more adventure to live,
and more wonder to behold.
But, mostly you laugh ... best darn laugh I've had in years!
You HAVE GOT to READ THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Ever Written!
Review: The very day I finished reading this book, I bought the rest of the series. Within a week, I had read volumes two through five. The characters in the book are like friends to me now. The only reason I haven't read volume six (although I have it) is that there's no more after that. I can't bear the thought of not having another intallment from the Tales of the City series. I've recommended the series to anyone that would listen, and they all loved it. It's the addictive type of book that you had better not pick up unless you have a lot of time, because, I promise, you won't want to put it down
Rating:
Summary: The City hasn't changed
Review: I thought at first this book must have been written in the early 1990s because the descriptions of San Francisco are spot on. I was surprised to see that this book dates to 1978! My goodness -- the City hasn't changed! I'm laughing my ass off at this book. I'll have to read the other books by this author. It is so much fun to read a novel about a city that is just minutes away.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly funny in a laugh out loud way
Review: A friend of mine insisted that I read this novel, even though I had just watched the mini-series and was satisfied with that, so I committed myself to reading it, surprised to find the humor on the page, even though the mini-series was quite loyal to the book. There is more info one can gleen from the book that is lacking in the movie, but the performances of the movie really enhance some of the humorous lines that's not apparent from just reading it. I'd recommend reading the book first, then watching the mini-series.
Its hard not to be taken in by this novel. Its very easy to read in bit sized chunks. The book tends to be dialogue heavy and skimpy on the descriptions, but you still get a lot of value out of reading. The characters and their diverse personalities come alive, the wit is apparent, and you can't help but feel like these are real people you wish you could meet. There are so many good lines in this book that are worth quoting, anyone who dreams of becoming a screenwriter or any writer period should read this novel as an intro course to believable dialogue.
Mona is probably my favorite character, because she's the most eccentric. She moans the lack of males in her life, except for her gay best friend, making her the quintessential "fag hag". The scenes with her and Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, and her and D'Orothea (the foxy black model with a secret) are some of the funniest in the entire novel. Overall, I like how all the characters are connected somehow, whether intimitely or casually, and how it all plays out against the backdrop of a great American city. My only complaint is that there should have been more descriptive writing, because it comes across as a screenplay written in novel form. I do plan to read the rest of the series...especially before I watch the other mini-series adaptations. For good laughs and some of the best, wittiest lines I've ever read, add this novel to your reading list. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to 28 Barbary Lane
Review: I first discovered the "Tales of the City" series over the summer. I purchased the ombious of the first three books.
I have been looking for a long time for a series of books that fit into the mold that Armistead Maupin has used for his book series. He uses the books to tell tales of people who have all sorts of different sexual identities and how they live (and play) in a world where they are accpeted everywhere.
Back in the 70's this had to be a groundbreaking book, and I am glad that I was given to the chance to meet Mary Ann, Mouse, Mona, Brian, Madame Madrigal, Jon, DeDe, and D'or so many years after there adventures where first told.
Rating: 
Summary: Yes, but...
Review: Entertaining and satirical, I'd originally thought it quite insightful. Then I saw Mr Maupin introducing parts of the PBS series, in which he said something about a character being "a Republican, a conservative, so an affair is not something he is familiar with." Sorry, but if Maupin thinks conservatives or Republicans don't have affairs and aren't familiar with the concept, he's got little insight into people outside of his own little circle. Well worth the time to read, certainly, but there is a bias there, with a certain amount of naivete. Though understanding that adds to the context. Certainly worth a read.
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