Rating: 
Summary: Try and put it down!
Review: These books are a must for anyone. They have an appeal to the diverse audience and are so full of surprises, you'll never want to put the book down. Funny, Sad, Charming and Unpredictable, the story lines are original and constantly twisting. I have now read everything I can get my hands on by Armistead Maupin and I can't wait until he has another book published. He is in a class of his own.
Rating: 
Summary: ADDICTIVE!
Review: This 3-book volume is a very good buy, because let's face it, if you read the first Tales of the City, you're going to want to keep reading. These books are juicy gossip, the steamy parts of soaps, and the groovy seventies all rolled into one. The books are a compilation of Armistead Maupin's popular serial that ran in San Francisco Chronicle and was beloved by the city's residents. It's easy to see the appeal, for San Francisco is as much a character in the novels as are the wonderful residents of Barbary Lane. These stories are so fun! Maupin often included current events of the time in his tales as well, which lent to some silly story lines (the whole Jonestown bit in book 3) but do not lessen the entertainment value. A caution: it's very easy to stay up way too late by telling yourself, "Just one more chapter!" The chapters are two to three pages long, but just one more leads to just one more, and then one more, and one more... The miniseries are not as good but do some justice to the work, although one would probably spend less time reading the books than watching the films.
Rating:
Summary: The characters are your friends!
Review: This collection of Maupin's first three novels of his Tales series is wonderful! I got into this after reading the last in the series, not realizing that there was a beginning to the ending that I read. And what a wonderful start to such great, in-depth characters. There may not be great plots or "conflict" like other novels in this book, but just several people living their lives. These characters could be anyone, and as I kept reading found that they probably would be people I'd want as friends/neighbors if they were real. Maupin weaves in pop culture and current events (now history since this starts in the 1970's) to make this all the more realistic. This is a collection that can be read over and over... you will never get bored of it!
Rating:
Summary: The characters are your friends!
Review: This collection of Maupin's first three novels of his Tales series is wonderful! I got into this after reading the last in the series, not realizing that there was a beginning to the ending that I read. And what a wonderful start to such great, in-depth characters. There may not be great plots or "conflict" like other novels in this book, but just several people living their lives. These characters could be anyone, and as I kept reading found that they probably would be people I'd want as friends/neighbors if they were real. Maupin weaves in pop culture and current events (now history since this starts in the 1970's) to make this all the more realistic. This is a collection that can be read over and over... you will never get bored of it!
Rating:
Summary: LOVE IT
Review: This is one of the best books i have read in a long time, Armistead Maupin has a great imagination , ever since i read that book i wanted to do nothing but drop everything i have to do an go to live to barbary lane, the characters are so real and you live through their emotions, as if you were really there,they are already a part of my family, i would like to thank armistead for bringing mrs. madrigal to life, she has had such an influence in my life that i even named me and my husbands cat after her, his name is madrigal, thank you armistead maupin for filling my days with joy.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most entertaining books ever written
Review: This series was recommended to me by a friend during my freshman year of high school. I began reading the books when I was 14 and found that I loved the story lines and found myself getting wound up in the fantastic lives of the characters. The short chapters made it SO easy to lay in bed at night and promise myself "just one more chapter"...but then i'd flip ahead and find that the next chapter was only three pages and i simply COULDN'T end there! this pattern would usually go on until about three o'clock or until i finished the book, whichever came first! Because i was so young when i read the first two books in the series, I think a lot of the meaning was lost to me. During my second year of college i re-read the first two books and found myself falling madly in love with the adventures of the characters in the book. I found mysel weeping on the train...gasping on the plane...and laughing out loud like a lunatic at a cafe. I read the entire series in less than a month and to this day, elements of the stories stay with me. This book is a MUST read for any lovers of fun, entertaining and poignant stories.
Rating:
Summary: literate AND page-turning
Review: This whole series is really fun, and also very clever. In the Dickens tradition, Maupin creates characters that you care about and whose lives intertwine in the weirdest ways.
This is a series that you can abandon yourself
to, and not feel guilty about it. Maupin
chronicles the inhabitants of one San
Francisco abode, but his stories and characters
are not limited to that California city. I recommend this series to anyone who wants a good exhilerating read. It's one of those rare
books where you really need to know what will
happen next. His characters seem like someone
you know, even the off-beat ones like Mrs. Madrigal. These people are wrastling with our
late 20th century times- something that everyone can relate to, but I bet they will make you forget your own problems for a little while.
Rating:
Summary: LOVE IT
Review: To find all of the Tales of the City books inside two large volumes is a true treasure trove! I can't tell you how many days I appeared in my office with dark circles under my eyes from too many nights up late trying to escape the hypnotic spell of these wonderful stories.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: To find all of the Tales of the City books inside two large volumes is a true treasure trove! I can't tell you how many days I appeared in my office with dark circles under my eyes from too many nights up late trying to escape the hypnotic spell of these wonderful stories.
Rating:
Summary: Buy This Book! Again and Again!
Review: What a perfect series! I have read and reread this incredible book, always ending up giving my latest copy to a dear friend or family member who needs to be reminded of how magical and fateful life can really be. After reading the books the first time in college at The University of Texas at Austin, I now find myself living in San Francisco. Armistead Maupin characterizes the many people (straight and gay) who fill this incredible city so perfecly, you will swear he's writing about people you know. If you haven't ever seen the PBS movie version of the first book, buy it here on Amazon. It's equally wonderful!
| 
