Rating: 
Summary: Oh, triple wow
Review: Armistead Maupin has been one of my favorite writers since way back when his Tales of the City was serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle. I read all of them and then just kept going, reading everything he's ever written. Maybe the Moon is one of his most poignant and one of his best.
For this masterpiece, we have a change of venue from SF to LA, and instead of the broad humor with which Maupin painted the characters in the Tales series, he's delved deeply into the development of his protagonist, Cadence Roth, a dwarf. Although teensy, there's nothing small about her personality, a personality that is thwarted only by the fact that she rose to movie fame wearing a highly-recognizable costume in a famous sci-fi movie - and by contract she's forbidden from revealing her real ID. We follow her from one career disappointment to the next, and her personal life isn't very hopeful, either. In spite of a bit of a shocker ending, Maybe the Moon (great title, very apt) is really a paean of hopefulness for people who are different, and you end up smiling thru your tears.
Rating:
Summary: clever first person account combines humor and pathos
Review: Armistead Maupin is better known for his Tales of the City series, but I liked Maybe the Moon much better. It is a very clever story of a dwarf who played an ET-like character in a movie years ago, and has not been able to advance her career since. (I heard somewhere that the book is actually based on the life of the short person who played inside of ET.) The character development is great, and the story takes some unexpected turns, including a surprise romance, which I found quite satisfying. My favorite books have sadness mixed in with humor, as does this one. I guess this reflects real life. This book is quick to read and thoroughly enjoyable
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: Being a little person myself I can definately relate to this book. The character felt all the feelings I do as I go thru life. Its hard to be taken seriousely when your a little person, especially in the romantic department. This is a terrific story.
Rating:
Summary: tears mixed with laughs
Review: Don't take this wrong, but I read this book expecting it to be alot like 'Tales of the City' novels. They are incredibly entertaining books but light fare reading. This book was amazingly complex. Mr. Maupin wrote about Cadence with such love and respect. I can tell this novel came from alot of heart. I felt as if I knew Cady and was a close friend. She was far from being a victim or pitiful. She was very witty and although she encountered so much pain in her life, she lived life to its fullest. The ending was utterly heartbreaking. It reminded me a bit of the movie 'The Player'. Where the production staff has a story re-written because they find a persons appearance offensive or objectionable. By the time the filming starts, the entire story changed from what the author ever intended. I have this book on my shelf and plan on keeping it there. I do not plan on selling it or re-reading it, however, it made such an impression on me. I think I will keep it for a very long time to remind me to appreciate other peoples differences and be grateful for what I do have.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Story That Is Fascinating Start to Finish
Review: Having dutifully read through ALL of Maupin's *Tales of the City* novels, becoming increasingly grumpy as the formula become increasingly stale, I did not expect a lot out of *Maybe the Moon* except perhaps another quick, romp-ish read. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that this novel is inspired, witty, and socially ignificant without being excessively preachy. The narrative voice of Cadence Roth is convincing, the supporting characters are not just cardboard cutouts, and the story line has enough unpredictable twists and turns to keep a reader turning the pages with anticipation right up until the ending, which I found powerful, indeed. I liked this book a lot, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a novel that is both entertaining and thoughtful.
Rating:
Summary: One of the BEST!
Review: Here is Maupin at his best. He writes a great story, dropping subtle and not so subtle hints about a small person and their struggles in Hollywood. I was amazed at his detail, and how much it was believable. I constantly was thinking back to 1981, when I was 5 and watching a very famous movie! This was great. Makes me want to reread this book again. (the first time was 1998 and I still remember this book in great detail!)
Rating:
Summary: Maybe The Moon- Maybe the best.....
Review: I agree with the previous reviewer, this is tight, funny, wicked writing, with a wonderful current of pathos and honesty. All the characters feel honest and real.
Even with out all that, a major reason worth reading this book for is the "added" LAST chapter- a wonderful 'Take That!' to Hollywood. After all the 'trials and tribulations' Mr. Maupin went through getting Tales of the City (GREAT book!)made- make this chapter even more delicious and well, hysterical...
and for all you Tales fans, one secondary (Ned) character from Tales makes an appearance briefly-
Enjoy Maybe the Moon!
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best!
Review: I am a female dwarf and I am also a fan of Armistead Maupin's novels. I had read all of the Tales of the City series before this book was released and I worked at a library when I first saw it. I was briefly dissapointed that it wasn't more about our friends in Barbary Lane. Dissapointment gave way to wonder when I realized he was writing about a dwarf woman who was my exact age at that time! When I finally had the chance to read it, I was finding that he was expressing a lot of things that I'd felt in my life but I had not the eloquence to describe it! I can remember the quote about "going through the tiresome ritual of explaining myself" and there was another great quote about how a Little Person must honor other people's feelings over their own and forgive again and again just to be a part of the human race and not be corroded by their own anger. There were also very funny scenes that may not have happened to me (I love that bit with the dog in Rodeo Drive) but I sure can picture how it'd be if it did! Another cool thing, I do have a best friend named Renee who happens to be Average-sized! I love how he made Cady live and breathe and not be a character who moped all day because of her dwarfism but faced life head-on, as must we all. That is the gripe I have with "Stones From The River" and "The Dork From Cork". These Average-Sized authors spend more time than necessary pointing out that their dwarf characters hate their condition and long to be tall. How one-dimensional! Armistead Maupin has the gift of seeing through the eyes of a dwarf woman and telling her tale and making her human. It helps that he actually was friends with a dwarf, the other two authors, Ursela Hegi and Chet Raymos, who are both very good in their field, had never met Little People before writing their books. The difference shows. I love, love, love this book and it tickles me to death that one of my favorite authors could get into my head and say stuff I've wanted to say all my life, and he understands. Read this book. It's fun, educational and you will get a different viewpoint that will, nonetheless be something that will be familiar to you!
Rating:
Summary: Happy I read this book
Review: I had no idea this book was based on a true account of a real person, though I did suspect it because I've read the Tales of the City series and knew that several of those characters were based on Maupin's experiences in his life. When I realized he had written a couple new books beyond the series I was excited and ordered this one right away. What a wonderful surprise to be given a peek inside a world so different from my own! I am 6'2" and have often felt the same way when being repeatedly questioned in my lifetime about my height. Though many may think it's not so unusual to be a woman this tall, I can say that many people like to ask me about it. Though I don't go as far to say I'm questioned nearly as often as Cadence, it was reassuring to hear Maupin's sympathetic story. I felt something so deep when she described climbing the stairs on her hands and knees. What a different world from my own, yet similar in an odd way too. Maupin's work flows so easily and is a lot of fun to read. I highly reccomend for anyone who wants a laugh and peek into the life of an everyday woman trying to build a career. BTW, Jillaroo, I live in Michigan too and would love to hear from you. You sound like a really fun person and your review is much better than mine. *smile*
Rating: 
Summary: Haunting
Review: I read Cadence's story with much discomfort. I felt sorry for her (though Cadence didn't at all feel sorry for herself) and wanted to be finished with the book though I didn't want to stop reading. The end absolutely stunned me. I just didn't see it coming and I was saddened and outraged and couldn't get Cadence off my mind for a few days. Cadence is probably the most unforgettable character I have ever met in my reading. I listened to Maupin's Tales of the City books on tape and though I enjoyed listening to them more than I enjoyed reading Maybe the Moon, the latter book, without a doubt, made a huge impact on me.
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