Sure of You (Tales of the City Series, V. 6)

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Summary: Mary Ann, Mary Ann....
Review: How could Armistead Maupin betray one of his most wonderful creations? How could he make his readers hate someone that we all fell in love with? Please let this book be the last.

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Summary: Et tu, Mary Ann?
Review: I know I've said that I like the more serious books in the series better than the really lighthearted ones, but this was a bit much.

What I always loved about the Tales series was the strong feeling of chosen family among the residents and friends of 28 Barbary Lane. This book betrays that feeling. It was painful to read. Mary Ann was obviously the worst example, but none of the characters seem to quite have their old warmth and interest, with the possible exception of Brian.

Very disappointing end to one of my favorite series.

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Summary: How Dorothy became the wicked witch of the West
Review: I really hated to read this book because I never expected to hate Mary Ann, I liked her, I identified with her, hoped to go to the big city one day and see all the wonders. After reading this book I read the whole series again , there is no break, it was all possible from the first page, but I never expected this, how could Maupin do this to me. I cried over some books but over this I cried in anger. Only a truly great author can do that to you, but I'm going to kick him for that where it hurts, if I ever meet him.

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Summary: Whatever happened to Mary Ann??
Review: I was introduced to this series by my sister, the same way she introduced me to any other books I loved while growing up. She started me on Tales of the City by reading it aloud to me, the winter before I graduated from college. I loved it! I then received the entire series for my birthday and my boyfriend and I read them to each other. The books were great, we loved the series and we even made a trip out to San Francisco to find as many of the Tales sights we could. We trekked out to Muir Woods to see the redwoods, went to Grace Cathedral, even found a building we thought could have been Anna's building.

Then we read this and wondered what happened. Mary Ann was so sweet and innocent and naive when she arrived -- 5 books ago -- and how could she have turned into such an unfeeling person? How on earth could she completely disregard the friendships she's made with Michael and Brian? How can she abandon Shana? Ambition drives a lot of people but does it truly change the stuff of which we're made? Do we have to become other entirely people in order to get what we want? If we do, then Maupin certainly wrote Mary Ann correctly, because this is *not* the same person who began the series.

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Summary: The book that makes you hate Mary Ann Singleton
Review: Okay...I adored Mary Ann. I adored her for years. When I moved to NYC, I was given all six Tales of the City books as a present. I would read them and immediately recognize myself as sort of the little lost lamb. For five books, I loved her. Now I hate her. How could you make me hate her?!?!? But I am so glad you did...made me take another look at her and what she is supposed to be made of. However, I think the most enduring person is Anna Madrigal. Finally finding love in Greece (she predicted it in an earlier book) and Mona coming back after being gone for so long. Sigh....it's not the best of the bunch but the door is left opento pick up for a seventh installment...just to see if Mary Ann gets her comeuppance.

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Summary: A let down.
Review: Reading the 'Tales of the City'-Series was such a wonderful experience I could easily repeat it as much as I could. Maupin's style is so great and terrific, it's strange I hadn't heard of him that much, before I read it.

The characters are surely some of the best ones ever created in literary history. The developement of the storyline is so surprising and unexpectable it's breath-taking. The twists and turns are so effective, because you seem to know the characters so well, and never had thought... well, you have to explore the secrets by yourself. I have never seen such a developement of characters. The same persons are totally different in the last book than in the first one. It's great.

I won't rate every book differently, although they are very different. But they are so great alltogether and so well-connected it's hard to tell them apart.

This is wonderful stuff!

Rating:
Summary: awful
Review: Tales of the city was pleasant. each successive book is furhter down the scale of quality. HOw did this get published?