Maybe the Moon

By: Armistead Maupin

Narrated by: Armistead Maupin

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

All of 31 inches tall, Cady is a true survivor in a town where, as she says, "you can die of encouragement". Her early starring role as a lovable elf in an immensely popular American film proved a major disappointment, since moviegoers never saw the face behind the stifling rubber suit she was required to wear. Now, after a decade of hollow promises from the Industry, she is reduced to performing at birthday parties and bat mitzvahs as she waits for the miracle that will finally make her a star.

In a series of mordantly funny journal entries, Maupin tracks his spunky heroine across the saffron-hazed wasteland of Los Angeles, from her all-too-infrequent meetings with agents and studio moguls to her regular, harrowing encounters with small children, large dogs, and human ignorance. Then, one day, a lanky piano player saunters into Cady's life, unleashing heady new emotions, and she finds herself going for broke, shooting for the moon with a scheme so harebrained and daring that it just might succeed. Her accomplice in the venture is her best friend, Jeff, a gay waiter who sees Cady's struggle for visibility as a natural extension of his own war against the Hollywood Closet.

As clear-eyed as it is charming, Maybe the Moon is a modern parable about the mythology of the movies and the toll it exacts from its participants on both sides of the screen. It is a work that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit from a perspective rarely found in literature.

©1992 Armistead Maupin (P)1992 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"One of the 10 best books of the year." (Entertainment Weekly
"Highly funny and deeply poignant....Maupin sounds the feminine side of his psyche with a heartfelt resonance that few male writers ever accomplish." (Boston Herald)
"[Maupin's] lethargic, deadpan delivery makes Cadence's cynical attitude delightfully amusing....Full of humor and sorrow, the novel is a thought-provoking tale of a tragic hero and a manipulative industry." (AudioFile)

short but good

This isn't Maupin's strongest work, but it is still a very solid listen. It ends a bit abruptly, and once you see the ending coming, you know exactly what will happen. I think it should've been just a little more fleshed out as a story. Nonetheless, it is an interesting story, written from an interesting perspective.

Not much of a plot

I usually enjoy Maupin’s characters and plot devices but this one just didn’t have much going for it.

Sad & Authentic Feeling

Maybe it is just my own cynicism, but there is no part of this that seems like it could not have truly happened. I wish the world were a better place, for Cadence, and for myself, and for all of us. And I’m glad that Armistead Maupin makes it a little better world for all of us. Now all of us must try every day to make it a little better world for each other.

Another great book

I love this author even if sometimes there's a dark side to his stories. I could listen to him all day long.

This is an abridged version - false advertising

I read this book years ago, and loved it. Cady is an unforgettable character, and the story can be seen as a parable about all kinds of people who don't fit neatly into little boxes. Or it can be enjoyed as a great story.

The problem with the audio book is that it's abridged, and it doesn't say that anywhere on Amazon or Audible when you buy it. I don't mind Maupin's narration, because I like his delivery, even though he's not a "professional" narrator. Actually, reading along in my hardcover copy of the book while listening to the audio book was how I discovered it was abridged. I hate that, and I see it as false advertising. I'm not happy with this. Can I get a full version of the audiobook?

Maybe Not?

Armistead did not excite me with this novel. Even his reading of it fell very flat for me. I couldn't get into the characters, story line or anything. Just a total and absolute bore.