Maybe the Moon

by Armistead Maupin

Maybe the Moon, Armistead Maupin's first novel since ending his bestselling Tales of the City series, is the audaciously original chronicle of Cadence Roth -- Hollywood actress, singer, iconoclast and former Guiness Book record holder as the world's shortest woman. 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 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 it 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.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Gay, Queer, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, The United States Of America

303 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

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

[Eve Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The stage manager's brow creased ever so slightly, so I added: 'I need somebody...you know...' I widened my eyes and left the sentence unfinished as if to suggest that the stage manager could easily imagine the sort of personal, unmentionable services a person like me might require.
'Right', he said, nodding, not really wanting to know."

Having finished Maybe the Moon I am left with a gaping hole.
A vast nothingness.
Thus preventing me from starting any new novel any time soon (short stories are fine because you don't invest as much).

I need to pretend for a while that I don't live in the real world where life happens.
Which is pretty weird since the story is very much tied to real life and the current events around '92 when it was first published.
Do I need to mention it's based on a real person?
I don't think I do.

Oh! Chocolate, I need chocolate!
That's what's missing from my review.

Needless to explain the experience was an emotional one?

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been curious about this author, so when the book ended up on my apartment building's "share table" I picked it up. My honest reaction was that every character was a total stereotype: feisty, wryly humorous dwarf, ditzy blonde roommate, gay best friend, vicious agent, self-loathing closeted gay young actor, gorgeous and nice love interest. Reading the reviews here, though, and learning that Cadence Roth, the main character, was based on a close friend of Maupin's, an actress whose best-known role was inside the E.T. suit, I feel like there's more to it, perhaps. A light-as-air Hollywood satire, a very quick read, and more touching with retrospective knowledge.

[Timothy Juhl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare treat, Maupin's homage to his funny friend, the dwarf who's greatest acting job was inside the ET costume.

If you can lay your hands on a copy of this, you won't be disappointed. Maupin crafted a simple story based on his friend's life and her desire to be taken as a serious actress and desperately yearning for love and a life beyond the famed anonymity of having played one of the most endearing film characters ever created.

[Vic Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in the collection of a friend who had stocked her books with us temporarily. It tore me to shreds. It is an incredibly moving story that held me entranced from the very start. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever felt an outsider at one time or another. A marvellous book.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I was not expecting that ending.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just got extra bummed out after learning this is based on a real person's life (Tamara de Treaux). I had a lot of fun with this one, found it on a second-hand book sale and it surprised me.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Armistead Maupin. He has a real love affair for the inner lives of freaks and weirdos, without making them pat or saccharine. In this one, he tells the story through the diaries of Cadence Roth, a 31 inch actress whose one claim to fame was working the elf suit of an E.T./munchkin from Oz hybrid in a syrupy sweet blockbuster called Mr. Woods. She gets some very depressing showbiz-adjacent jobs in the Valley, fights with her agent, lives in reluctant harmony with her best friend and roommate Renée, and dates a typically sized man named Neil.

This is something David Sedaris would be all over, but also shows some real heart and longing in its characters, as bizarre as they all are. I liked how brash and bold Cadence was and her sad and sweet relationship with Renée. especially the part where she says sometimes I'm the mother and sometimes Renée is. That kind of chosen family bond they have was really quite strong despite the fact that they are complete opposites (Renée is enchanted, completely unironically so, by Mr. Woods and winces every time Cadence swears.) There were a few moments where Cadence muses in a resigned kind of way about how she can never really have the success she wants and deserves because of her size. It wasn't poor me, it wasn't preachy activisty, it was just perfectly, perfectly done.

The ending was so effective I thought. The conversation between the director and screenwriter, missing the mark while trying to force a person's life into something narrative and totally bastardizing Cadence's story really gave the diaries more weight.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a former world's shortest woman who once starred as an elf (in a bodysuit) in the second highest grossing movie find happiness in Hollywoodland? The answer lies partly in the title, and I'll say no more about that.

Maupin takes a risk writing as the world's former shortest woman in epistolary form, and at times I found it a bit distracting thinking about the research and effort he put in to create this character. But overall, he created a wonderfully engaging character with a sense of humour I could relate to - and more so than in his "Tales of the City" series, Maupin brings the caustic and snarky social critique - this book reminds me of Merle Miller's "A Gay and Melancholy Sound" in that respect.

Okay, MtM isn't as warm and fuzzy as Tales, and I'm not quite sure this book earned all five stars, but four stars wasn't enough, and I suspect when I reread this one, 'twill be even better.

UPDATE: I just found out that this was based on Maupin's friendship with the actress Tammy De Treaux, who appeared uncredited as E.T. - and finding this out makes this story all the more poignant and awesomepossum:
http://web.archive.org/web/2006030420...

[Karschtl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da ich von Anfang an wusste, dass es sich bei Cady um Tamara de Treaux handelt, las ich das Buch immer im Hinblick auf Fiktion vs. Realität. Überlegte ständig, welche Dinge vielleicht komplett erdacht sind (Ist 'Elliott' wirklich schwul? Im echten Leben ist er immerhin 2x verheiratet gewesen.)

Aber egal wie viel Maupin hinzugedichtet hat, und was davon wirklich in Tamaras Tagebüchern stand, die reale Note verleiht dem Roman auch neben all der Komik eine gewisse Tragik wenn man sich denkt, dass es Tamara sehr oft so gegangen ist wie es Cady beschreibt, sowohl im privaten Bereich als auch beruflich.

Alles in allem ein sehr sehr schönes Buch mit vielen Stellen zum Schmunzeln. Und zwar trotz der wirklich nicht witzigen Erlebnisse von Cady, und trotz dem traurigen Ende.

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cadence, a 31 inch tall young woman, writes a journal while struggling to “make it” in Hollywood. As always, Maupin’s characters sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. I’m still thinking up ideas for Cady to help her get jobs LOL. This book is different from Maupin’s beloved Tales of the City because it’s told solely from Cady’s point of view. I wanted it to go on and on.

[Liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd. Very odd. I've enjoyed most of Maupin's books, but this one--not so much.

[Fikri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Maybe the Moon is billed as a loosely biographical story of Tamara De Treaux, who played E.T. — and who almost never gets credited for it. It is a rare book that stars a dwarf protagonist, and does it well: from the everyday microaggressions and logistical challenges of living in a world (literally) not built for you, to the overarching one of trying to be taken seriously for your skills and not just for your body. Cady is sharp and punchy and takes no shit, and she’s brilliant. It is also almost as rare that a man writes a woman’s sex life genuinely well.

The book also addresses issues of queerness and race (albeit with an all-male gay/POC cast of characters). The gay dudes are all dicks, but believably so, and the spectre of the then-recent HIV/AIDS crisis in the background is heart-wrenching. An inter-racial relationship highlights some interesting interplay of race, disability and gender dynamics — so it’s not straightforward to “pick a side” (of the privileged oppressor, of your fav, whatever) and instead you’re called to embrace them all as flawed humans.

I didn’t enjoy this book more because aside from Cady, almost all the other characters felt like two-dimensional caricatures; Renee, in particular, was hard to spend time with despite her obvious importance. The pacing also wasn’t great — had to force myself to keep reading through the first half or so. It picks up towards the end, towards a conclusion that frustrated me (in a bad way) and a post-script that enraged me (in a good way). But would overall still recommend.

[Mowey Godoyzki · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The idea of this tiny, ambitious, infuriating, lovable woman who is both enslaved and ennobled by an icon of popular culture is one that seems completely fresh to me. At the same time, it’s old fashioned and highly moral in the best sort of Dickensian way. There is, as well, a liberal feminist subtext that suits me to a T, as you no doubt recognized when you sent it to me.”

that was part of the Screenwriter’s reply to the Director’s letter who would film Cadence Roth’s autobiographical movie after her demise at the end of the book. but first it would be apt to tell you who Cadence Roth was before the movie would be made.

Maybe the Moon chronicles the life of this 31-inch tall woman who was a struggling actress and individual through her series of diaries which would later become a manuscript. Cady had the smarts and deadpan humor which are likely the reasons why you’d stick and grow with her by the chapters. it’s amazing how the author has put a heroine like Cadence against a backdrop as consuming and cut-throat as Hollywood. because in that way he showed us how difficult it was for a dwarf like Cadence to be seen for who she was. if anything, the book channeled different issues like prejudices and stereotypes in an entirely unique and arresting version. although i must say he achieved a sort of a two way punch here when he included Jeff and Callum Duff as a gay couple.

but nonetheless, it was Cadence Roth and the paths she took that will get you drawn to the book. the psychology of this novel is well communicated. the attacks on bigotry here are pristine and you could tell the author wanted to hit some nerve with his references. the prose is moving, and the characters tug at the hearts and souls in an affecting and heartbreaking way. Maybe the Moon was the title of this book, which echoed Cadence’s entire struggle in life towards the impossible. this made me want to watch Mr. Woods and see if i could look at Cadence Roth and actually see her. she made us realize how she’s no different from us and that her flaws and hurdles was common to all human suffering. she’s us.

this is both happy and sad. and i gave it a 3.5 stars.

[Shannon Yarbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the diaries of Tamara De Treaux, the little person who played the alien in the movie E.T., Maupin's Maybe the Moon is a fun read. I'm not completely sure what liberties Maupin might have taken but I had read that Tamara and Spielberg had differences because Tamara told reporters she was E.T. and Spielberg thought she ruined the magic of the film by doing so. All of that plays out in the book and there's a fantastic scene where the lead character, Caddy, plans to take revenge on the director. I'd love to know if that really happened.

The book is written in diary form and follows Caddy's every day life involving her roommate, coworkers, a gay friend, and a later love interest. In typical Maupin style, it's written in first person so it's a quick and easy read and it's very easy to connect with the main character. There's not really a lot going on here other than Caddy's struggle to want to be recognized as an actress and not just a little person. Those difficulties really come to light and made me want to learn more about Tamara and her struggles. I also found it interesting that the character who would be based on Elliot from E.T. is gay in the book but there's no indication of that in real life though maybe Tamara speculated in her diaries. Like I said, it's fun to guess how much is true!

I've loved everything else I've read by Maupin so I'm glad to finally add this one to the list.

[Louise Hartgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about this book on a Chinese cookery show, of all places, and was intrigued. What would it be like to try to make a life and career in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood, standing just 31 inches high? What kind of person would it turn you into?

So I had to find out, and even though I had moments where I was just this close to screaming, I am not sorry I did. Cadence Roth has an ego about twice as big as she is, and a large chip on either shoulder. She is fiery, feisty, filthy-mouthed when she has to be, and my gosh she's fun to read! In spite of her many infuriating ways you just can't help loving her and wanting her to succeed. Unfortunately we are not reading a fairytale, this is Hollywood in the real world, and things have a habit of going awry, and I have to say that sometimes Cady does herself no favours.

The book is written as a series of diaries. It has moments of laugh out loud fun, some romance, a fast-moving, wittily-told story and a very unexpected ending. I found the book as a whole both moving and thought-provoking, it gives you a very good picture of life at the bottom of the Hollywood ladder. My one wish is that I could obtain it in audio format!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rooting for her all the way, I wanted her to get on that stage and sing in front of Hollywood and be seen for who she was. I found the ending sad and a little bitter. Especially the letter from the writer about how he would excise her story.

Now, this is how I would have ended it. I'll be brief.

Jeff creates a diversion so she can get on stage with Renee, who has her moment in the limelight in front of all the stars she idolizes.
Callum (that was his name?) realizes he's been an arsehole and introduces her onto the stage properly, then gets back with Jeff, and comes out of the closet.
The director guy, is suitably chastened when she sings her song about him forgetting her. Ditto her agent.
She gets her singing career with her guy at the piano.

HAPPY ENDING!!

That wasn't so hard, was it?

I know this story was based on the author's friend Tamara who actually played ET, so there is an element of honoring her memory with the truth. But, the book is not presented that way! All I can say is Gah!

[Osvelio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet, little read. I can’t lie, but I’m a little sad that my time with Cady Roth, a 31 inch tall (well, short) person has come to an end. The strange thing is, however, that I feel this character will linger with me for awhile. She has spirit, gusto, and gumption, and she has taught me that in order to achieve greatness, you must believe in it and take risks. Not to mention that we don’t read, see, or hear about characters like Cady all too often in literature and cinema. An enjoyable read.

[Davie Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Semi-autobiographical tale about the dwarf who wore the rubber suit that brought a very famous movie alien to life; Armistead Maupin was friends with the woman on the inside of "E.T." Overall, a pretty enjoyable book, and completely readable in that candid, pages fly-by way, as all of Maupin's books and stories are. But recommended only for those who would be able to read an explicit interracial dwarf sex scene without squeamishness.

[Martin Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight this was! When one of your favorite authors takes a leap (in this case, out of his familiar Tales of the City neighborhood) and asks us to come along with him as he ventures into new territory, you hold your breath and hope it's going to be okay. This novel was a whole lot more than "okay." It was one of those (rare) novels in which the characters lingered with me for months after I finished it.

[Matthew Trickett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maupin fictionalises the life of his friend, a special actress with dwarfism, telling his readers her story, an almost impossible dream of becoming a star in roles that don’t involve being completely hidden in a sci-fi character’s suit. Funny and very sweet. But somewhat gushy at times. However I did enjoy reading a very different and unfiltered book about the romantic life and sexual experiences of a little person. 3.5/5.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Cadie Roth, a 31-inch tall dwarf who's an actress and singer, but unrecognized and uncredited for her greatest role "Mr Woods" (think ET). Her struggles ( and triumphs) to lead a normal life - to be happy,m in love, sad, pissed, in control, dependent - are tastefully (and sometimes hilariously) treated by Maupin. The plot is weak, but I like his writing.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story narrated by a female dwarf actress. I've never read anything that conveys in a believable way what it feels like to be such a person, and in this case does it with humor and with no self pity. The ending was a great surprise and a marvelous critique of the way 'different' people are made uninteresting by Hollywood.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hard to rate, as initially I absolutely loved this book. I thought Cady's voice was so strong, her character was amazing, I liked the other characters, and the story clipped along, but somehow by the end I just wasn't as engaged as I had been to begin with.

[patti · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me mad when I was done because I realized while I was reading it I could have been reading something else that was actually good.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved listening to the audiobook read by the author. Love love love this story. Honest, genuine, and heart felt.

[Johan D'Haenen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat is er mis met dit boek? Er zit geen vaart in... niks... en inhoudelijk stelt het bitter weinig voor.
Armistead Maupin weet veel, hij zit propvol met weetjes, en dat toont hij maar al te graag in dit werk. Op zich is daar natuurlijk niets mis mee, maar als je die weetjes voortdurend gebruikt als motor of als draagkracht om je gedachten uit te beelden, dan verlies je de aandacht van je lezer omdat die zich zeer weinig of niets kan voorstellen bij wat hij/zij leest.
Indertijd had ik bij verschijning de eerste vier delen van "Tales of the city" gelezen en er ook van genoten... nu, zo veel decennia later, verveelt hij mij.
Neil Gaiman zei ooit dat wat de waarde van een verhaal bepaalt, de vraag is "And then... what happened next?" Wel, die vraag heb ik mij bij dit boek nooit gesteld, gewoon omdat er eenvoudigweg niets gebeurt, waardoor mijn aandacht voortdurend afgeleid werd... nul concentratie, nul focus.
Maar goed, ik heb mij er doorheen geworsteld... soms was er een opflakkering, maar dan weer verzonken we in een eindeloos heen en weer over would-be filmsterren, hun relaties en seksuele frustraties.
Dit allemaal gezegd zijnde, het einde van het boek maakt veel goed... de frustraties van "a person of diminished growth" die wanhopig op zoek is naar erkenning en tot het pantheon van de grote filmsterren wil toetreden bereiken een climax en komen tot een onverwacht einde. Toch kan ik mij niet van het gevoel ontdoen dat het hoofdstuk "The screenwriter's reply" van de kant van Armistead Maupin niets anders is dan een rationalisering, een verklaring, rechtvaardiging voor het ganse boek... meteen wordt ook de wind uit de zeilen genomen van alle "politiek correcte" pilaarbijters die dit boek en alle andere artistieke producten waarin dwergen of midgets figureren uit de handel zouden willen nemen.

[Nancy Fresco · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, Maupin creates memorable, flawed, complex characters and places them in situations that range from deeply real to slightly over-the-top. This story, published in 1992 and thus presumably written in the early 90s, at first seems to step away a little from the themes of gay culture that center Maupin's other work, but then shift squarely to that theme. This in itself is not a problem; Maupin is at his best when he's writing close to his own heart. But the tone of the story seems to become co-opted, almost against the author's will, toward the darkness and pessimism that he was undoubtedly feeling at that time, due to the AIDS epidemic, the loss of so many of his friends, and the apparent slowness of progress in the gay rights movement. The parallels between these struggles and those of the main character, Cady, who is straight but has an extreme form of dwarfism, are obvious -- but end up feeling overdone. Cady is a better character as a quirky voice of hope and determination than as a sad metaphor.

[Andrew Chidzey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with Maupin’s writing through his well known Tales series chronicling the life of Anna Madrigal in the liberal San Francisco. To my knowledge this is one of only two books Maupin has written outside that series which in itself is a real shame. Vastly different to Tales, this novel chronicles the life of Cady, a dwarf struggling to be accepted in 1991 Hollywood. As usual Maupin’s brilliant prose enables him to create a cast of characters that the reader quickly associates as their own close friends. Comical and emotional with a sad yet realistic ending involving Cady’s death at 30 this story is one that challenges us to think outside our own world of normal in order to realise that life, in all its forms, is uniquely valuable. One can only hope Armistead will wrote a few more novels for us yet!

[Sara Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the most perfect books for my interests - it's a partly autobiographical novel based on the author's friendship with Tamara De Treaux, the 31 inch tall actress who spent time inside the E.T. creature suit, whose name is changed to Cadence Roth in the book. It's such an insanely strange book because they had to change out all the names from E.T. so for example they call Spielberg a different name and even the character names like Elliot are different. Even E.T. is called Mr Woods! But yeah it's a really sad, heartwarming, funny, bizarre and inspiring story. Thank you to my friend Kevin for alerting me to it!!

[Derbhile Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This was Armistead Maupin's first book after several Tales in the City Series. I wanted to like it, because Tales of the City gave me a right giggle. The pacing was very slow, but the character kept me engaged. I should have been delighted by an ending that delivered a twist, and a purely happy ending would have been pat. But I felt I had been gypped, like everything I had been reading up to then had been a lie. It's this nasty taste in the mouth that has prompted my 2.5-star rating.