Tales of the City

Tales of the City, Book 1

By: Armistead Maupin

Narrated by: Frances McDormand

For more than three decades Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City has blazed its own trail through popular culture...from a groundbreaking newspaper serial, to a classic novel, to a television event that entranced millions around the world. The first of six novels about the denizens of the mythic apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane, Tales of the City is both a sparkling comedy of manners and an indelible portrait of an era that changed forever the way we live.

©1978 The Chronicle Publishing Company (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Addictive!

Maupin sure knows how to write cliff hangers. (You will understand the double meaning near the end of the book.) How he draws his characters together in kind of a (incestuous) web is amazing and delightful.
I only gave Francis 4 stars because she doesn't change her voice for each character,making it hard to know who's talking on quick exchanges.

Wonderful

Francis McDormond did an exceptional job on this. The story is compelling and nostalgic. I looked forward to my time listening to it

A tale that draws one in

Heard a lot about this book and the show before finally listened to it! What a great snapshot of a city, its residents and the milieu at that time. Characters remind you of acquaintances no doubt and I cannot wait to watch the TV adaptation now.

this book is pure joy

First I watched the new Netflix series which made me laugh and cry and feel all the feels, so I immediately downloaded this audiobook, pushed play and listened straight through until the end at 3 am. Next I went straight to audible and downloaded book 2 before even considering writing this review. I am completely hooked, totally invested. I love Maupin's characters who are rich, funny, smart, kind, outrageous... they are real and I want them to be my friends and family.

Tales of the City stars Mary Ann Singleton, a cute, naive and sweet young woman straight off the bus from Ohio. She arrives in San Francisco and quickly finds her way to Barbary Street where she becomes the tenant of Mrs. Anna Madrigal. Anna is wickedly sarcastic, intelligent and funny as hell. She is transgender; a woman who transitioned in the late 1960s long before most people even knew the word. She created a rooming house for outcasts and rejects (most of them gay) and they are her chosen family.'

The book is a tapestry of LGBTQ culture in the late 1970s. Some of the men are very promiscuous (and for readers who want to avoid R rated, gay love, this book will not appeal). Many of the characters are hippies, and all have secrets and stories to share. But most of all the book feels like a love story to a city and a culture. It is enthusiastic, charming, and delightful.

It is not the right book for everyone, but it is quite beautiful and I feel enriched by the experience of reading it.

Wildly entertaining

I read this book years ago when it first came out. I enjoyed the story and characters then, and decided to listen to the audible book. To be honest, I haven't listened to many audible books, my mind tends to wander which makes it hard to focus sometimes. I totally enjoyed the narration by Frances McDormand. She brought the characters to life, it was so entertaining, I was enthralled and it was my listening enjoyment during my daily walks. Great story, and great performance - a total win!

Good tale with humour.

If you could sum up Tales of the City in three words, what would they be?

Worth listening to, light hearted story with some laughs. A few surprises. Accurate description of the times.

What about Frances McDormand’s performance did you like?

Kept the story alive

Great book

Fantastic! Enjoyed the story and will be purchasing more by author. The narration was fabulous and I hope to find other books by her.

BARBARY LANE BECKONS

28 Barbary Lane's more than a random location. It's a place where diversity and freedom are normal, and where everyone's someone. I thoroughly enjoyed listening. I'll soon be engrossed in book 2 of 9. I'm hooked.

Great story but narration hard to follow

LOVED the story and love Francis McDormand, but very hard to track the different characters with the same narrator for everyone. Worth the read, though!

Pay close attention

At first, I was afraid it wouldn’t happen. But then, it did. I fell in love with these characters and their stories. I was worried because I’d heard so much about the book, but just wasn’t connecting with it. Names were being mentioned and I had lost track of who they were. That’s the secret to this book: pay attention. Don’t be distracted from it for a moment, or things will happen and new people will show up, and you’ll be left behind. I started it over, and that’s when I fell in love :)
(By the way, the Netflix show doesn’t do it justice!)