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Tales of the City #4-6
Back to Barbary Lane: The Tales of the City Omnibus
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Armistead Maupin's bestselling Tales of the City novels—the fourth, fifth and sixth of which are collected in this second omnibus volume—stand as an incomparable blend of great storytelling and incisive social commentary on American culture from the seventies through the first two decades of the new millennium.
“Tearing through [the tales] one after the other, as I did, allows instant gratification; it also lets you appreciate how masterfully they're constructed. No matter what Maupin writes next, he can look back on the rare achievement of having built a little world and made it run.”—Walter Kendrick, Village Voice Literary Supplement
Armistead Maupin's uproarious and moving Tales of the City novels have earned a unique niche in American literature and are considered indelible documents of cultural change from the seventies through the first two decades of the new millennium. The nine classic comedies, some of which originally appeared as serials in San Francisco newspapers, have won Maupin critical acclaim around the world and enthralled legions of devoted fans.
Back to Barbary Lane comprises the second omnibus of the series—Babycakes (1984), Significant Others (1987), and Sure of You (1989)—continuing the saga of the tenants, past and present, of Mrs. Madrigal's beloved apartment house on Russian Hill. While the first trilogy celebrated the carefree excesses of the seventies, this volume tracks its hapless, all-too-human cast across the eighties—a decade troubled by plague, deceit, and overweening ambition.
Like its companion volumes, 28 Barbary Lane and Goodbye, Barbary Lane, Back to Barbary Lane is distinguished by what The Guardian of London has called "some of the sharpest and most speakable dialogue you are ever likely to read."
“Tearing through [the tales] one after the other, as I did, allows instant gratification; it also lets you appreciate how masterfully they're constructed. No matter what Maupin writes next, he can look back on the rare achievement of having built a little world and made it run.”—Walter Kendrick, Village Voice Literary Supplement
Armistead Maupin's uproarious and moving Tales of the City novels have earned a unique niche in American literature and are considered indelible documents of cultural change from the seventies through the first two decades of the new millennium. The nine classic comedies, some of which originally appeared as serials in San Francisco newspapers, have won Maupin critical acclaim around the world and enthralled legions of devoted fans.
Back to Barbary Lane comprises the second omnibus of the series—Babycakes (1984), Significant Others (1987), and Sure of You (1989)—continuing the saga of the tenants, past and present, of Mrs. Madrigal's beloved apartment house on Russian Hill. While the first trilogy celebrated the carefree excesses of the seventies, this volume tracks its hapless, all-too-human cast across the eighties—a decade troubled by plague, deceit, and overweening ambition.
Like its companion volumes, 28 Barbary Lane and Goodbye, Barbary Lane, Back to Barbary Lane is distinguished by what The Guardian of London has called "some of the sharpest and most speakable dialogue you are ever likely to read."
713 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
179 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
About the author
Armistead Maupin
144 books1,955 followersArmistead Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., in 1944 but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he served as a naval officer in the Mediterranean and with the River Patrol Force in Vietnam.
Maupin worked as a reporter for a newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, before being assigned to the San Francisco bureau of the Associated Press in 1971. In 1976 he launched his groundbreaking Tales of the City serial in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Maupin is the author of nine novels, including the six-volume Tales of the City series, Maybe the Moon, The Night Listener and, most recently, Michael Tolliver Lives. Three miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three Tales novels. The Night Listener became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette.
He is currently writing a musical version of Tales of the City with Jason Sellards (aka Jake Shears) and John Garden (aka JJ) of the disco and glam rock-inspired pop group Scissor Sisters. Tales will be directed by Jason Moore (Avenue Q and Shrek).
Maupin lives in San Francisco with his husband, Christopher Turner.
Maupin worked as a reporter for a newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, before being assigned to the San Francisco bureau of the Associated Press in 1971. In 1976 he launched his groundbreaking Tales of the City serial in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Maupin is the author of nine novels, including the six-volume Tales of the City series, Maybe the Moon, The Night Listener and, most recently, Michael Tolliver Lives. Three miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three Tales novels. The Night Listener became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette.
He is currently writing a musical version of Tales of the City with Jason Sellards (aka Jake Shears) and John Garden (aka JJ) of the disco and glam rock-inspired pop group Scissor Sisters. Tales will be directed by Jason Moore (Avenue Q and Shrek).
Maupin lives in San Francisco with his husband, Christopher Turner.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 20, 2019
I found interesting, on my recent re-reading of the Tales of the City series, how Armistead Maupin completely abandoned the over-the-top, outsized storylines that were the trademark of the first three books. There are no cannibal cults, no child pornographers, no Jonestown, and especially no Jim Jones running around like a Rasputin on speed ready to jump out of the bushes at unsuspecting women and children. Maupin didn't really need a bogeyman character during the nineteen-eighties; the AIDS crisis was scary enough.
That the series hits its stride at the height of the viral epidemic devastating Maupin's community is no coincidence. Its major characters, gay and straight alike, are forced to confront not only their own mortality, but the winnowing of the life force of San Francisco itself. This reckoning gives the series a gravitas I'm pretty sure Maupin never envisioned when he penned his first gossipy slice-of-life installments. The middle three books, though highly entertaining, are heavily perfumed with dread and nostalgia both—yet none of them are heavy reading.
I do wish that Sure of You didn't seem so misogynistic when it came to Mary Ann Singleton's career ambitions, however. Perhaps Maupin's decision to exile its primary female antagonist for, you know, working hard and succeeding at her job, might have been very much of its era, but it still leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
That the series hits its stride at the height of the viral epidemic devastating Maupin's community is no coincidence. Its major characters, gay and straight alike, are forced to confront not only their own mortality, but the winnowing of the life force of San Francisco itself. This reckoning gives the series a gravitas I'm pretty sure Maupin never envisioned when he penned his first gossipy slice-of-life installments. The middle three books, though highly entertaining, are heavily perfumed with dread and nostalgia both—yet none of them are heavy reading.
I do wish that Sure of You didn't seem so misogynistic when it came to Mary Ann Singleton's career ambitions, however. Perhaps Maupin's decision to exile its primary female antagonist for, you know, working hard and succeeding at her job, might have been very much of its era, but it still leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
May 31, 2017
💜 Thoughts to come.
September 1, 2022
The second omnibus volume of the Tales of the City books definitely feels like an evolution from the first, which on the whole is a good thing. Just as Maupin was getting more practiced and experienced as a writer, his style was evolving too. The books are still dialogue-heavy and grounded firmly in one-on-one conversations with people sounding like real people, but we get a bit more structure this time around and the plots are a bit more layered.
They're also, for what it's worth, a bit more grounded - there are far fewer secret cannibal cults and resurrected mass murderers this time around. Likewise, the core characters are a bit more grounded as well. If the first three books were about youngish people in their 20s enjoying the free-spirited San Francisco of the 1970s, the second three have the characters firmly in their 30s and in the 1980s with a world growing a little darker and the people more mature. Characters are growing up, getting married, having children. Everything is progressing.
In that sense, it makes it still a lot of fun to read. The best thing about Tales of the City is how real the characters feel and how that makes it easy to feel as a reader that these are people you know. Maupin wisely is letting his characters age rather than keeping them in a halcyon age that arguably never really existed to begin with. The end result is stories that, while more mature and a little sadder, still feel warm and comforting to read.
They're also, for what it's worth, a bit more grounded - there are far fewer secret cannibal cults and resurrected mass murderers this time around. Likewise, the core characters are a bit more grounded as well. If the first three books were about youngish people in their 20s enjoying the free-spirited San Francisco of the 1970s, the second three have the characters firmly in their 30s and in the 1980s with a world growing a little darker and the people more mature. Characters are growing up, getting married, having children. Everything is progressing.
In that sense, it makes it still a lot of fun to read. The best thing about Tales of the City is how real the characters feel and how that makes it easy to feel as a reader that these are people you know. Maupin wisely is letting his characters age rather than keeping them in a halcyon age that arguably never really existed to begin with. The end result is stories that, while more mature and a little sadder, still feel warm and comforting to read.
October 21, 2022
I started this series after watching the Netflix show based on these books. I liked the plot of the show and was hoping that the books would have more to offer. I was hooked on the first book of this series right off the bat. The author does an amazing job of creating characters you can't help but fall in love with, and every chapter leaves you asking, "What's going to happen to them next?" The characters all become a chosen family and this series follows them through relationships, careers, moves, illnesses, and everything in between. While not all of the characters are LGBTQ+, the author does make sure that there is plenty of historical context in that department.
February 5, 2020
I love this series! It draws me right in and makes me feel welcome and comfortable. There's so much love, even in the flaws. The characters seem so authentic. And even though they have to suffer, happiness comes to them in the most unlikely ways.
Now I have only three more books left to read, and I don't know what to do with myself after that. But thank you, Armistead Maupin, for what you gave us here!
Now I have only three more books left to read, and I don't know what to do with myself after that. But thank you, Armistead Maupin, for what you gave us here!
January 25, 2020
The Barbary Lane family is growing up and with that comes growing pains. And as sad as the end of SURE OF YOU makes me, I k ow it's the way it had to be. Armistead Maupin has created such three dimensional characters that every time I read one of these books, I feel like I'm revisiting old dear friends. On to the final volume . . .
January 30, 2018
Still implausible, still poignant and hilarious. It is heartbreaking to see Mrs Madrigal’s “logical family” drift away from one another as people die, move away, pair up and break up again. The theme persists however that family, even if not blood related, is family.
November 14, 2019
Enjoyed the continued saga of the now former residents of Barbary Lane as they move through the 1980s.
April 19, 2020
Another wonderful collection of tales. Excited to read the final set!
August 7, 2019
Memorable Characters Make This A Great Read
While at times the plot lines are stretched thin, the book's a comedy and I found myself laughing more than once and I found myself sobbing more than once too. Maupin has the gift of being able to reach into my heart while he is stirring my head.
While at times the plot lines are stretched thin, the book's a comedy and I found myself laughing more than once and I found myself sobbing more than once too. Maupin has the gift of being able to reach into my heart while he is stirring my head.
February 28, 2021
It was such fun to re-read these books after so much time. Just the thing to lift the doom and gloom.
June 24, 2023
A time capsule of 1980s the San Fran LGBTQ+ world. #4, Baby Cakes, is my fav, I laughed a lot..
March 31, 2024
Rereading the entire series saved my sanity during covid
May 4, 2024
I am totally captured by Maupin's "Barbary Lane" series. There being no choice I've just ordered 'GOODBYE BARBARY LANE'.
December 25, 2024
Read books 5-6. Read book 4 from separate edition.
May 11, 2010
And the soap opera that is 28 Barbary Lane continues. The characters have grown a bit and everyone is exploring new opportunities. I loved the second collection as much as the first, even if I wanted to scream and yell at Mary Ann, but didn't knowing that people change and you can't do a thing about it except embrace it or move on. So much fun! Perfect beach read for my vacation and again, Maupin's sharp wit and social observations do not disappoint. I hated that the end came...I wanted at least 20 more years with this gang!
November 20, 2008
This omnibus of the Final Tales of the City series is very much best read all at once! While "Significant Others" is a hilarious recap of "wimmin's events" contrasted with the conservative men's Bohemian retreat, "Sure of You" is a bittersweet wrapup of all the characters with AIDS as the looming backdrop.
January 16, 2015
This is a collection of books 4,5 & 6 in the series. The first two, BabyCakes and Significant Others were fun, engaging soap opera-ish stories. The third, Sure of You, was plodding and tedious in its plot since it was mostly about Brian and Mary Ann not communicating. I will read more of Armistead Maupin's work.
December 13, 2011
I just love this author. His characters are so interesting. It's fun to compare them to people you know. And I love the liberal, tolerant slant to his writing. His books are touching, funny and true to life. I hate to see the books end.
December 17, 2007
Old school San Francisco. The good old days. Makes me wish I was born in another era.
February 14, 2008
Continuation of 28 Barbary Lane. LOOOOOOVE It.
April 27, 2008
It's fun to follow the characters in the series. Some seem to deepen, some to grow more shallow, but I guess that happens in real life, too.
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January 19, 2009Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (1987)
July 22, 2010
I love, love, love Maupin. And everytime I read him I miss, miss, miss weekends in San Francisco.
January 12, 2013
As for 1-3
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews