Further Tales of the City

Tales of the City #3

by Armistead Maupin

The residents of 28 Barbary Lane are back again in this racy, suspenseful and wildly romantic sequel to Tales of the City and More Tales of the City.

DeDe Halcyon Day and Mary Ann Singleton track down a charismatic psychopath.

Michael Tolliver looks for love.

Landlady Anna Madrigal imprisons an anchorwoman in her basement storeroom.

And Armistead Maupin is in firm control...

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Gay, Gay Fiction, Contemporary, Humor

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Armistead 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.

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the two previous books in this series, Further Tales of the City was exactly what I've come to expect from Armistead Maupin. It's a dramatic, fast-paced soap opera with unexpected twists and turns, and diverse characters whom I enjoy reading about.

In fact, my only quibble with this book is that one of my favorites, Mona, wasn't in it. I'm hoping she makes a reappearance in the next story.

Further Tales of the City is an easy escape from reality as the characters work, enjoy their leisure time, and navigate the difficult paths of relationships in the modern era. If you're looking for a getaway from the real world, this might be a good choice for you.

If you can, do start with book one, Tales of the City. It is possible to enjoy each book as a stand alone, but Maupin weaves previous incidents from his characters lives seamlessly into the new stories. I feel like readers might miss out on the full experience if you don't pick the tale up from the beginning.

Highly recommended.

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Armistead Maupin makes doppelgangers of his beloved characters, plays them out beautifully like a Chess Magician, and Michael and Co. move graciously to the background-- until you need them to be in the narrative, and then they pretty much save the day! Talk about complete reader fidelity. Because the clashes with actual 80's Americana (historical events mostly) are in such garish, odd taste (like talking about a topic way too early...AIDS, plane crashes, whathaveyou), it takes a while for the palate to become entranced with this much kitsch! But it's worth it, heartburn and all.

Maupin messes with previous dimensions of scope, ambition & historical precision. Instead of boring us with the folks that had already felt completely believable (and, what's more, readable) in the previous City novels, he lets the stew simmer exactly right. "Further" is somehow made more audacious than the others, more risky, even a bit more--deep? Sure. I will venture to say #3 is the best in the series (out of 3 thus far) for me. Getting all these books is my next ambition.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me 21 months to read this third volume. When Maupin comes up with a totally unbelievable plot line involving a resurrected Jim Jones, his kidnapping of two four-year-old children from an Alaskan cruise and then perhaps through Little Diomedes (a US island) to Big Diomedes (a Russian island) and then on to Nome which is "over eleven hundred miles from here [Diomedes]" Mary Ann says, right off the top of her head, the last half of this volume turns into a ridiculously thriller. And not even a drug-induced one via Mrs. Mardigal's magical backyard plants! Finally, Maupin returns to form by having Jon (Micheal's ex-doctor/lover) show up at 28 Barbary Lane while Father Paddy and Officer Rivera enjoy an afternoon delight behind park shrubbery. I'll read the rest of this series but I hope Maupin sticks to what he does best: love, sex, and lovesexdrugsdisco in San Francisco of the 1980s.

[Carrie Rolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uh-oh, I think this might be the book where the wheels start to come loose from the wagon. First off, and most importantly, Frannie Halcyon is referred to as “The Matriarch” at LEAST 200 times. I don’t understand why. It’s not like she’s going to be confused with another character if you just say FRANNIE.

Second, Prue Giroux drove me nuts, so abandoning Mona in favor of an entirely ridiculous mystery plot involving Prue didn’t thrill me either. If you’re going to take up with a man living in an abandoned shack in the park, don't you have to at least be prepared for the possibility that he might be a famous cult leader who faked his own death and is trying to exact revenge on one of his former followers? I mean, really.

On the other hand, some stuff that was awesome? MARY ANN AND BRIAN. Not only do I love that they’re together (because it’s all lovey dovey now, but I bet it ends horribly) but that it was so “oh, by the way, Mary Ann and Brian are sleeping together in Mary Ann’s gray, metallic 1980s apartment” with no explanation of how they ended up together. Fantastic.

Also awesome: Mrs. Madrigal locking an anchorwoman in her basement and then trying to get her stoned. The random appearances by Rock Hudson. Jon Fielding showing up on another cruise. I <3 Jon. I’m worried he might not survive the next decade. =(

I can see the train wreck of the 1980s coming, but I feel strangely compelled to keep reading. Onwards to the next title!

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last of the 'lighthearted' Tales of the City books, as the fourth will usher in the beginning of the AIDS crisis and the hardening of Mary Ann Singleton. Sometimes when re-reading this book I want to stop and pretend it ended there, so I can hold onto more cherished memories of the characters we have grown to love so much. The wacky plots may continue, but there's a darkness from hereon out that tends to overshadow it all.

[Martin Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first three books in the Tales of the City are the best. They are all an unbeatable combination of plot, setting and character. And of the first three books, my personal favorite is #3, Further Tales of the City. It's the most inventive and memorable and the most page-turn-able--Maupin at his finest!

[da AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's never too many Tales of the City! No need to read in sequence. Audiobook performance is great too!

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am pretty sure that this is not the edition I read back at the end of the 1980s when I discovered Maupin on returning to live in the USA after living in Ireland and the UK since 1969. I do know it was three volumes and paperback and that I loved the stories, I found them funny, charming and utterly captivating. They are there in my mind long as fond memories of books loved long after I ceased to love either Mr. Maupin or the later incarnations of his characters.

But I refuse to be drawn on later disappointments, I separate them form what began it all, I haven't read these stories in forty years, but I would have no hesitation in picking them up again or recommending them to others.

[Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

first read when I was in high school or the last year of middle school? Rereading with The Great American Read - whole series. (This is book 3.)

Come join us if you like: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... WE WILL WAIT FOR YOU TO CATCH UP IF YOU WANT TO JOIN US!

Meanwhile, it took me a long time to read this one because I read a few books between it. Partly I was miffed that it left the characters I most love out of the story, but I suppose it *may* become important for me to know more about these characters I thought were "side characters at best" before this book. All of that, of course, will depend on what happens next in the series.

I realized that having read these before, what I most remember is the second book, and I hope that doesn't mean it's the best of the series because we've got several more to read.

These books are like literary cotton candy, and I love that. At the same time that they were cutting edge when I first read them (I seem to recall them not being allowed in some friend's house,) they seem so dated now, and it's kind of a blast from the past and a warm and fuzzy feeling rereading them - combined with a sort of horror that this was ever the world that gave me hope.

This one failed to shine a light on San Francisco and that, combined with the lack of Anna Madrigal for big chunks were problematic. I adore Anna Madrigal and want to BE her. She did finally come through...

The problem with this "installation" is that it went way too far - jumped the shark just like Happy Days did in 1977 (a year imprinted on my brain for many reasons - that episode is one of them. Even as a child I could see how bad that was. I never missed Happy Days as a 10-yr-old kid. Tuesday nights at 8, followed by Laverne & Shirley. Also, Saturdays were Love Boat & Fantasy Island right in a row.) Why am I talking about TV? This book fell apart on a par with these shows, and that is not a good thing now that I'm allowed out of the house after dark.

It just didn't hold together, and despite the hilarity, it was all just a bridge too far for me, but I may evaluate this differently once I've read more of the series. Perhaps it was important to see Didi et al more fleshed out. The issue all of these characters have is that they fall into caricature relief when they are not front and center. I think this one may have simply been a blip, and honestly those years were horrible. The characters remain beloved to me, and I thought the ending was actually perfect. The kids are growing up, and with Rock Hudson featured here (along w/ the Reagan admin) I know we're headed to much less carefree joy and darker themes ahead. So I will keep reading and if necessary adjust my rating/review after I've finished.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances McDormand is the perfect narrator for Tales of the City which never lets too many pages go without the waft of a lit joint. Further Tales continues to delight. These books are so much fun to listen to on audiobook whether you hear the originals from author Armistead Maupin or the updated versions with hip celebrity readings. Love, love, love this series. My absolute favorite.

[Stefan Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ocena više jer se glavni zaplet odvijao oko Didi! Nek mi je živa i zdrava! <3

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO FUN. i’m so invested in these characters and so happy there are 10 books i get to enjoy

[LenaRibka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible

I am even ready to sacrifice my Friday glass of wine for more Tales of the City ( IF I have to make a choice). How good I have both. Still 6 installments to go. And my new wine rack.

And BTW, Barbara Rosenblat is amazing. I've never enjoyed female narrators, but she is so damn perfect, I don't want another narrator for this series.

Addiction gets a completely different meaning.

[Yaroslav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this is what happened. I finished reading the third book (and the first trilogy). It was interesting. It was useful.
I will definitely continue next year (because all 9 are on the shelves).
But it will be different, because during the first three books I watched the old series, and some plot lines were sometimes mentioned.
From now on, everything will be a clean slate.
See you at Barbary Lane 28.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series more with every page! This got really suspenseful near the end and all the curious plot lines somehow fit within this universe of lovely characters

Update 18.9.23: Such a good book. I just love all of them so much, peak found family 🥰

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was better than the first two, had more intrigue and surprises!

[LavenderPoodle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep rereading and rereading all the Tales of the City books, and I still give them full 5 stars everytime 'round!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

While these books are really about personal relationships between these wonderful characters, you do also get a thrilling story to go with each one. I'm enjoying this series much more than I ever thought I would because the writing is just so engaging.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

UNREAL. So clever. Pure entertainment at its finest.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining read. But I had seen the movie so knew what was coming. I shouldn’t have done that but still a great story. He has quite the imagination. I hope the next one is as good.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Ann and DeDe chase after a religious manic, Mouse meets Hollywood royalty, and Brian falls in love....

All under the watchful (and wonderful) gaze of Mrs Madrigal.

We also meet the awful (and hilariously snobby) Prue, the religious (who doesn't just go down on his knees to pray 😅) Father Starr, and there's a cameo from the lovely (in my opinion) Dr Jon Fielding...

Brilliant as always! But sadly lacking Mona.

[Matty Lapointe-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book plays much better (for me) than the film adaptation I watched years ago when I saw all the Tales movies in order even though I'd only read the first book. There's a certain edge to camp that seems to be hard to get on screen but is still quite charming in text.

That said, I don't think this book is quite as strong as the first two, and the simple reason for that is that the world changed. The first chapter makes it very clear that it's the 80's. 1981 to be specific. And, especially for the unique and quirky inhabitants of 28 Barbary Lane, it's a darker world. Part of that has come with age, they've grown; older as well as apart in some cases. This is also the first of the books where the mystery/villain involved is as sinister. Although it's never revealed if Luke, the charming/crazy/mysterious man who lives in the woods really IS Jim Jones, the fact is he's potentially associated with the REAL death of 900+ people. While revolting, the cannibal cult in the second book is probably the most innocuous of the evil groups in the first three books because they were only eating body parts which had been amputated legally and (one assumes) with the owner's permission (for the parts to be amputated, not lunched on). With Norman as a child pornographer in the first one, it's certainly a dark spin the reader does not expect and not something to be lightly dismissed, but the shadows of 900 dead people ups the ante pretty steeply. Plus his death is a shot in the head, much more intense than Norman's Disney-esq death of falling off a cliff.

There's also the added darkness of Brian and Michael being brutally gay-bashed toward the end of the book. This is the first time in the series there's ever been a real (and physical) cost for the main set of characters, and it's not nice.

Of course there's still some delightfully fun, classic Tales moments. The brief affair with the classic Hollywood celebrity referred to as _____ _____ (a thinly veiled reference to Rock Hudson), the bitchy A-Gays, some very romantic moments with Mary Ann and Brian and Michael and Jon, and even a news reporter held captive in the basement. And while Mary Ann's arc seems to be continuing on a steady rise, DeeDee's drastic change over the books from spoiled socialite to strategiezing, risk taking, mother and fighter is quite rewarding.

Ultimately the book holds up pretty well. It's an enjoyable ride of mystery and fun adventure. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books, especially since their plotlines are still a mystery to me.

Come to think of it, if the characters from the first book could have rated the world they were to inherit in the 80's, they probably wouldn't have given it all 5 stars either....

[Max Zumstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell deeply in love with the Tales of the City series when I read the first two installments as required reading in my Gay and Lesbian Lit class last semester. Maupin's prose is sparse yet surgical, his dialogue is lively and enjoyable, and he's able to create the type of characters that actually make me give a shit what happens to them; something that perhaps dazzles me more than it should as I spend so much of my time reading books where characters and plot are more-or-less secondary to theme. In short, I thought I had finally found the crazy book series I could connect to the way people connect to Young Adult series titles.

Which is why I was pretty saddened that the third installment, Further Tales, felt more like a slog than anything else. There are still occasional glimmers of the light-on-its-feet brilliance of the first two books here and there, don't get me wrong, but something about this one feels unfocused in a way the last two never did. It's almost as if Maupin wasn't sure where he was going with it while it was being serialized, so he would just keep spinning his wheels for installments at a time reiterating the predicaments of his characters over and over until he could think of what to do next. What's more, the book feels so far removed from Barbary Lane and one of the main characters is the new and incredibly difficult to care about Prue, when it could have just as easily been a pre-existing character we already have a relationship with as an audience like Frannie. Also what the fuck happened to Mona in all of this?

Great, my criticism has been reduced to fanboy complaining. But really, the book is mostly just a drag. I'll still be moving on to Babycakes eventually, as I'm interested in how the Tales series takes on something like the AIDS crisis (if it does at all), but as of this last book I'm sorry to report that I'm really in no big rush.

It's not exactly awful, but it could have and should have been a hell of a lot better.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I continue my 2013 re-read of the Tales of the City series, I am guessing I will have to say less and less about it. Obviously I enjoy it very much, and while I recall the series "tail"-ing off at some point -- and thought it may have started here with the 3rd installment -- Further Tales of the City -- such was not the case. Although I had some trepidation at the start as I did not recall having fond memories of the emergence of Prue Giroux and the whole Guyana subplot, but alas it all charmed me in the end (even if it seemed to be at the expense of Mrs. Madrigal taking a bit of a backseat in this one).

So while the story has moved into the 1980s, it is still zipping right along. Very easy breeze-y reading as I read this one at the fastest clip yet, ~70-pages a day (tho my fellow Tales fans realize that is not that hard to do!). I feel a change a'coming and as I said I am not sure it is for the good, but I look forward to reading the next book in August.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

This starts off as a bit of a frustrating installment. A few years have passed from More Tales and there's some re-arranging of the main characters' lives as they previously ended from being happy couples. This is all about girl-power with Mary Ann teaming up with DeDe Day (and to a lesser extent, ditzy social columnist Prue Gireaux) as they investigate the mysterious happenings of a charismatic cult leader who might have survived the real-life Jonestown massacre in 1978. Michael Tolliver sadly gets shunted into the background for most of the book as he attempts to recuperate from his breakup with Jon Fielding by sleeping with anything that moves. It feels like the weakest installment yet as the central mystery is the most far-fetched so far and feels much less like an ensemble of intertwined lives as it used to be. And where in the hell is Mona?

[Mark Sassu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck!! Fuck!!!!!!!! Fuck.
I was enthralled even more than the first two books! The series is an amazing view into life in San Francisco in the 70s/80s but this book definitely leaned more into the current events around the publishing dates. Cannot recommend it enough to those interested in LGBT+ culture, 70s & 80s counterculture, and just reading in general.

[Charlotte Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another comfort re-read. A minor character takes centre stage as Prue, a society columnist falls in love with a homeless man who lives in the park who turns out to be more than he seems.

[MAPS - Booktube]

Encore un ajout d’une montagne de personnages . 😅

Au départ je me suis demandée s’il fallait être défoncée pour comprendre de quoi.
Jcomprenais rien.

Les intrigues commençaient et on passait à d’autres personnages rapidement.

Éventuellement ça déboule avec une intrigue complètement ébouriffante.


Le personnage ***… jcomprends pas.

[Senne Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Further Tales of the City' is the most focused and suspenseful instalment in the series so far, all while giving its characters and storylines their usual charm and humour. It's a fun, easy-to-read little book that doesn't take itself too seriously and ends up all the more enjoyable because of it.

[Issy Dudley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this one with the preconception that the series was going to be getting worse, but I actually enjoyed this one more than the 2nd book. It’s one of those where it’s hard to rate because it’s hardly groundbreaking literature, but it is very funny and easy to read. Also thankful that I managed to read half of it during a BTC shift as think I would’ve struggled to put it down otherwise!
The snappy chapters, humour and hilariously outlandish stories just keep coming… now I have to buy the next ones…