(Doubleday, $38.99)
In the late 1970s, Armistead oaupin wrote the first in his Tales of the City series about wide-eyed country girl Mary Ann Singleton moving to San Francisco to seek her fortune.
San Francisco was, at the time, a more-than-interesting city to move to, especially for an innocent young heterosexual female, and Armistead’s novel was hailed for opening the world’s eyes to the highs and lows of gay culture in the city most famous for it.
In these post Will & Grace days that might not seem like much of a big deal, but Armistead oaupin basically paved the way for the Will & Graces of the world to come out of the closet and into the mainstream.
over the next decade he wrote five more books in the Tales of the City series until, in the late eighties, he had Mary Ann move off to New York to be a famous TV talk-show host.
Now, she’s back. It’s 20 years later so she’s no longer innocent or young and she’s not in a good state, or good health, so has returned to the bosom of the family she created all those years ago.
Among these are her gay best friend, Michael, the adopted daughter she left behind when she went to New York, and Anna oadrigal – her pot-smoking former landlady.
Armistead oaupin is a warm, wonderful writer who can move you from tears to belly laughs at the drop of a hat. I’ve read nearly everything he’s written and will continue to do so. Indeed, reading this felt like being invited to a private dinner party with a bunch of dear old friends I hadn’t seen in years.
oany memories are unearthed, much ground is covered and more than a couple of loose ends are tied. But it might just be a bit dull for newcomers and even for those of us who have been there from the beginning, well, we’ve all moved on.
A book for die-hard fans.
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