Further Tales of the City (Tales of the City #3) (1982)

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by Armistead Maupin



Set in 1981, shortly before the shadow of AIDS cast its pall over the world, Armistead Maupin’s lovable cast of characters carry on in a novel that mixes grounded personal stories of heartache and discovery with absurdist developments that would strain the credulity of a soap opera fan. 


Armistead Maupin


The core friendship of Michael and Mary Ann becomes more distant in this book as their lives take different trajectories, Mary Ann becoming more career-oriented and less emotionally available while Michael explores his identity and pursues relationships in the gay capital of the USA. 



This estrangement will become more pronounced in future books, a rather heart-breaking choice by Maupin, but one related with sensitivity and honesty. 



Anna Madrigal doesn’t have much of a presence this time, and she is missed. 



This book could be criticized for having an uneven tone, but I think that Maupin has achieved a rather magical balance between closely observed human drama and surreal fantasy.



"More Stories from San Francisco" (Spanish)

"Return to San Francisco" (Italian)

"New Stories from San Francisco" (Portuguese)

"Other Chronicles of San Francisco" (French)


"Even More Stories from the City" (Dutch)

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