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Product Description
Review
The kind of writer who doesn't have readers so much as devotees...Maupin at his rapturous best -- Guardian
Like slipping into a warm, scented bath. Maupin's back, with an eighth instalment of his lovely Tales of the City series...Lie back and enjoy -- The Times
Old friends, good times and a powerful conclusion: Maupin feels the love and shares it with his readers -- Financial Times
It's a joy to be reunited with the Barbary Lane family -- Elle Magazine
Those who loved the last book will rejoice in the fact that Maupin hasn't finished with these much-loved characters yet. More please. -- Time Out --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Like slipping into a warm, scented bath. Maupin's back, with an eighth instalment of his lovely Tales of the City series...Lie back and enjoy -- The Times
Old friends, good times and a powerful conclusion: Maupin feels the love and shares it with his readers -- Financial Times
It's a joy to be reunited with the Barbary Lane family -- Elle Magazine
Those who loved the last book will rejoice in the fact that Maupin hasn't finished with these much-loved characters yet. More please. -- Time Out --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Maupin cranks up the hijinks and sharpens the social commentary. . . . Fasten your seatbelts, Tales fans. It's going to be a bumpy, but entertaining ride."--USA Today
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I devoured this book in a single sitting - it is a light, elegant and wry book with so many familiar characters and a great dose of wit.
There is a sadness underlying the frivolity - aging is a mixed blessing, after all. And the characters are certainly flawed. But it makes them more human.
Maupin has a great eye for character and that has always filled his books with life.
I hope we get a couple more to round off the series. It would be good to say goodbye properly
There is a sadness underlying the frivolity - aging is a mixed blessing, after all. And the characters are certainly flawed. But it makes them more human.
Maupin has a great eye for character and that has always filled his books with life.
I hope we get a couple more to round off the series. It would be good to say goodbye properly
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Perfect Paperback
Armistead Maupin reminds us once again that a family can be what you make it. The characters in his series, Tales of the City, have been a formed-family since they first appeared in print some thirty years ago. The Barbary Lane collective house, headed by Anna Madrigal, had been home for many years to a disparate group of people who had lived, and loved, together. Introduced first in Maupin's five "Tales" books, the characters have aged appropriately as Maupin himself has aged. AIDS and other diseases - mental as well as physical - have taken their toll on the former residents of the Lane, but Mary Ann Singleton, Brian (missing from this book), Michael and Ben, as well as DeDe and D'Or and Anna Madrigal herself, have found life - and love - have continued.
Of course, the older generations above - original residents of Barbary Lane - have been joined in recent books by Shawna and Jake, as well as other characters. The younger generation have certainly enlivened the lives of the older group, as well as becoming part of the Barbary Lane Family.
In "Mary Ann in Autumn", Mary Ann has returned to San Francisco from her home in the wealthy suburb of Darien, CT, fleeing both the demise of a bad marriage and the frightening diagnosis of uterine cancer. She had left her Barbary Lane "family" twenty years earlier, returning only for a short visit to Anna after her stroke a few years previously. Now Mary Ann has returned, seeking solace from her many friends. Maupin writes well - as usual - of the feelings of the older generation and the worries that age brings us. Ill health, death, and the uncertainty of relationships are written about in Maupin's masterful hand. This is a beautifully told story of a "family" that can't be torn apart because they have chosen to be a family. No matter the geographical distance between "family members", the long-held bonds of love hold everyone together. All families should be so lucky.
Of course, the older generations above - original residents of Barbary Lane - have been joined in recent books by Shawna and Jake, as well as other characters. The younger generation have certainly enlivened the lives of the older group, as well as becoming part of the Barbary Lane Family.
In "Mary Ann in Autumn", Mary Ann has returned to San Francisco from her home in the wealthy suburb of Darien, CT, fleeing both the demise of a bad marriage and the frightening diagnosis of uterine cancer. She had left her Barbary Lane "family" twenty years earlier, returning only for a short visit to Anna after her stroke a few years previously. Now Mary Ann has returned, seeking solace from her many friends. Maupin writes well - as usual - of the feelings of the older generation and the worries that age brings us. Ill health, death, and the uncertainty of relationships are written about in Maupin's masterful hand. This is a beautifully told story of a "family" that can't be torn apart because they have chosen to be a family. No matter the geographical distance between "family members", the long-held bonds of love hold everyone together. All families should be so lucky.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After what I thought to be a quite non-eventful Michael Tolliver re-visit, I was delighted to be going home with Mary Ann.
Though not really a patch on Armisteads initial tales, this at least hinted & reminded me of how some of the original characters & their stories had really touched me.
I'll leave it at that. And perhaps so should the much respected author.
Though not really a patch on Armisteads initial tales, this at least hinted & reminded me of how some of the original characters & their stories had really touched me.
I'll leave it at that. And perhaps so should the much respected author.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Reunion with old friends from Barabary Lane
After the hiatus following "Sure of you" "Michael Tolliver lives" was a bit of a change in construction more of a solo piece involving just Michael Tolliver. Read more
Published 19 hours ago by Mr. David Myles
A very welcome reunion
I read Mary Ann in Autumn, back to back with Michael Tolliver Lives. Although I much enjoyed MTL and getting reacquainted with most of the Barbary Lane gang, old friends from the... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Reader John
If you loved Tales of the City series....
.... you'll like this very much, I feel. It's like meeting old friends and picking up where you left off without any awkwardness.Very enjoyable
Published 1 month ago by purple diva
Dont bother:
Somehow, Armistead Maupin has become dated and tedious. I'm rather bored by complicated gay and transsexual intrigues. Read more
Published 2 months ago by jackrock
Mary Ann in Autumn
Armistead Maupin's Mary Ann in Autumn is yet anohter book from the Tales of the City series. I love Armistead Maupin's books. The book arrived swiftly and in great condition. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Daniel Morgenstern
masterpiece
It is delightful to see how Maupin has reached the peak of his mastery as a writer. Although parts of the book show a deep melancholy about passing time, the chosen language is so... Read more
Published 3 months ago by esclarmonde4
Nice reminder of San Fran and Mary Ann
I was excited at the prospect of catching up with the characters from Tales of the City, and overall I did enjoy the book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Cebentley-davies
Fab book
Book arrived promptly and it was a joy to read. An absolute must for tales of the city fans. Armistead Maupin books are so easy to read and the latest installment of the seies will... Read more
Published 5 months ago by kayjay
Less is Maupin
I am not quite sure what audience this eighth "Tales of the City" book is intended for. Anyone who has not read the rest of the series would be quite lost and have 1,800 pages to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by barbicandy
Astonished at all the 5 star scores - not a patch on earlier novels
Lets say it - the first three books were the best - wonderful delights that I've read over and over. Read more
Published 6 months ago by eric eagle
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