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

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

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 5,508 ratings · 149 reviews

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.

Paperback, 271 pages

Published 1988 by Black Swan (first published January 1st 1982)

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Aug 03, 2012 Nicole Gervasio rated it 4 of 5 stars

This one might be the slowest of all of the books so far to get into, but once it picks up its force, it really does-- full-throttle. I was honestly really disappointed in the beginning of the book, because Maupin unexpectedly leaps ahead three years in all of our characters' lives. So, many of the story lines left hanging in the previous installment remain suspended. It's as if he got bored with moving so slowly with them... but, more likely now that I think about it, he probably just wanted li...more This one might be the slowest of all of the books so far to get into, but once it picks up its force, it really does-- full-throttle. I was honestly really disappointed in the beginning of the book, because Maupin unexpectedly leaps ahead three years in all of our characters' lives. So, many of the story lines left hanging in the previous installment remain suspended. It's as if he got bored with moving so slowly with them... but, more likely now that I think about it, he probably just wanted license to incorporate and fictionalize a few current events that were going on at the time of the book's publication.

For example, we suddenly learn that DeDe, who purportedly has not left Guyana after her escape with D'or at the end of the second book, was present for the infamous Jonestown Massacre. Maupin weaves the story of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple in San Francisco into his kaleidoscopic gay otherworld in a way that makes a political point about cult mentalities but also demonstrates compassion for the women who were wooed by his charisma.

There is also much more violence attached to the crimes that happen in this book than in the previous ones, as if Maupin is starting to get antsy with sugarcoating gay life in San Francisco as a wonderland of society parties and underwear-dancing contests. We witness a hate crime and various kidnappings that require a lot of uncharacteristic bloodshed to work out.

However, less accessible-- maybe for today's readers, at least-- is the entire subplot surrounding a wildly famous but closeted male actor named _____ ______. Whereas I was able to figure out which female actress he was referring to in the first book when he mentioned plastic surgery (Remember, violet eyes and a tracheotomy? Elizabeth Taylor!), there really weren't enough clues in this one to have any sense of who it was. It seemed like there wasn't meant to be, which made it a kind of frustrating, skippable inside joke.

I also wasn't totally sold on DeDe's complete character transformation or Mary Ann and Brian's newfound ardor. Both seem way too abrupt, probably just because Maupin's deliberately cut corners by skipping several years, in which the reader is just told to trust that these changes happened. So, while a few years is certainly enough time for these developments to take place, it can feel really alienating for a reader without further insight into these characters. I was also a little disappointed with D'or's complete absence (though not necessarily Mona's-- I kind of find her extremely annoying sometimes), and I'm looking forward to her hinted-at return in the fourth book.(less)

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Mar 26, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh dear! Has the shine worn off? Again, I loved this book when I first read it, but found it a tad disappointing this time round. It is the final "Tales" book to have been made into a TV series and I think it is this that it suffers from. Armistead Maupin wrote the screenplays for the adaptations of the first three "Tales" books and was very hands-on in the production. That meant that, in the TV version, he got to improve on the bits that he hadn't got quite right. It is beautiful to see how the...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Matty Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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...more 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....(less)

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Apr 20, 2011 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, doorway-character, california

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Skostal rated it 4 of 5 stars

By book three, Maupin's characters are our characters. We come to love them as if we lived on Barbary Lane. Even with the Pac Heights characters larger than life, we care about them, as well. It's fun to guess which characters are based on real SF figures, and which are Maupin's own creation. LIkewise, how wonderful if there were a women's version of Bohemian Grove. Maupin's imagination is unequaled. By this point in the series, you are willing to entertain anything with him, such as Jim Jones s...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. With Further Tales of the City Maupin's epic tales starts to dwindle. But that's not a take on how great a tale it is.

It follows Tales and More Tales the the books that kick off Maupin's epic literary gay soap opera. But to me it suffers the classic sophomore slump. It just doesn't measure up to it's predecessors.

This Tale starts off in 1981. Mona (one of the best characters from the first two books) has moved to Seattle and not at all in this Tale. Michael has, again, broken up with Jon, and w...more With Further Tales of the City Maupin's epic tales starts to dwindle. But that's not a take on how great a tale it is.

It follows Tales and More Tales the the books that kick off Maupin's epic literary gay soap opera. But to me it suffers the classic sophomore slump. It just doesn't measure up to it's predecessors.

This Tale starts off in 1981. Mona (one of the best characters from the first two books) has moved to Seattle and not at all in this Tale. Michael has, again, broken up with Jon, and working in a nursery and part of what he calls the Green-collar Gays. Mary Ann is a B list local TV star giving bargains and tips between the movies of the week and also involved with former playboy Brian.

The story centers on two central stories. One being Michael's revolving door of a sex life. From a local cop to a true blue cowboy and an established movie star known only as ____ ______ (it's bee generally discussed that ____ ______ is Rock Hudson and mirrors Maupin's brief affair with the matinee idol). A good part of the book and really like Michael's letter to Mary Ann while on tour with the San Francisco Gay Men's Choir. Personally I feel this would be better if Mona was around. But, that's just me.

The nest primary story centers on Dee Dee Halcyon Day, her twins Anna and Edgar, and partner D'orothea having escaped and survived the Jim Jones massacre in Guyana. The actual survival isn't much of a stretch. It's the added 'twin' of Jim Jones twist that I think Maupin goes too far out there. Apparently the 'twin' died in the mass suicide and Jones wasn't there. This story climax's with an Alaskan cruise where he who may or may not be Jim Jones may have or may not have kidnapped Dee Dee's twins.

The cruise does unite both stories by re-introducing Jon to the story. Plus it has Mary Ann have her 28 Barbary Lane cohorts kidnap and keep prisoner in the basement her journalistic rival Bambi!

Also for the may times I've read this book I still can't understand the point of gay bashing both Brian and Michael near the end

I give this 4 1/2 stars(less)

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Jun 30, 2009 Sabrina Chapadjiev rated it 4 of 5 stars

you know- I'd give this book a five stars if it really shook me to my core. I like books that really make me completely question myself, that rattle something deep inside. This book is not that. This book is fucking hilarious. Witty, smooth, an absolute portrait of SF living in the very early eighties/late seventies, but even much more than that. This one was way out there with the sudden intense mystery stuck in the middle of the book that unravels into what is, hilariously, a gay threes compan...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: keeper, second-hand

After all the angst chez Picoult, I was in the mood for some honest-to-God bitching. I started reading this series while at uni and, bizarrely, reading this felt a bit like catching up with a bunch of old uni mates: a mix of nostalgia and awkwardness, not quite remembering exactly what happened to everyone, little snippets of conversation going over your head. This was made even more confusing because I've already read Babycakes, so it was like hearing about how these old friends' fiances propos...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've read the first six books in this series of "Tales of the City" twice...I have them in the Omnibus version "28 Barbary Lane" and
"Back to Barbary Lane," the first 3 books in "28 Barbary Lane" and the second 3 books in "Back to Barbary Lane" and I will most likely pick them up a third time for further indulgence into these characters. I rarely read a book twice, but for some reason these characters seem like real family and friends to me...Anna Madgrigal, Michael Mouse, Maryann Singleton, Mon...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really struggled with this one. It starts like 3 years later & two of the main characters are just gone... What? And wait Mary Ann is dating him? What? She hated him! I don't get it! I felt very excluded from the little world I had felt a part of in the other 2 books - from the start of the book! That isn't the way to keep me interested in a book, let alone an entire series!

I'll admit, it did get better 2/3ds of the way in... The chase was good and intriguing (though the premise of or for...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Joanne hale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Simply facinating!

Original story-line, using our favorite characters Michael (mouse), Mary-Ann, Mrs. Madrigal, Jon, Brian, and the complex on Burbery 28.

Once again Maupin does it, bringing history, and real life incidents into a fictional story is utterly perfect, and interesting! i was on the edge of my seat for this one,

following DeDe back from a horrible incident, and how it follows her back to america even after she left it behind. Mary-Ann following the story, right behind Dede getting he...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What strikes me most about Maupin's prose is that with some of the plot you can see what's coming, but not in a ho-hum, predictable way. More like a "cover your eyes because the moon and stars are gonna collide" kind of way. :) He can write like that for chapters at a stretch, and then all of the sudden you'll get a complete surprise out of nowhere that trumps everything and solves it--all in one neat, impossible but comprehensible scene.

I'm going to miss his writing...going to take some time o...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Shane rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was disappointed because: not enough Anna Madrigal (my favourite character, hopefully I spelled her name right); not enough San Francisco (this one goes to Alaska); the storyline was a bit waaaaaay-oer-the-top; and I read this without reading part 2, because it wasn't available, and it contains spoiler alerts.

And: all of the above are pretty much my own fault, because I wanted TotC III, so I had unfair expectations of this one. No worries, I also hated "Empire Strikes Back" at first until I co...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This wasn't my favorte Tales of the City book BUT having said that, I think part of the charm of the first two books is learning about 28 Barbary Lane and the comedy of the characters figuring each other out. In this book, it takes the reader down some darker avenues and I was fully engaged the whole time. Maupin is a stellar writer and I give this one four stars. I feel like at this point, all of the characters are fully dimensional and developed characters and that Maupin stays loyal to their...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Wichard Fella rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, classics, gay, comedy, favorites, drama

I absolutely fell in love with these books from the first one, Armistead Maupin did an amazing job of creating a world full of awesome characters with comedy, drama, suspense all rolled into one.

One cannot help but love most of the characters, except the odd psycho or two. I feel sorry for Mary- Ann though, she seems to have to keep a secret at the end of each book. I love the way he describes each chapter with a headline, really funny and smart!

In the third book, Mary Ann is on a big story, h...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Jean Marie Angelo rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Tales series has been on my "to read" list for years. I am glad to have finally finished the thrid book in the series. These books are delightful and nostalgic for me. Maupin writes in a fast-paced, witty way, and peppers the narrative with political and cultural references to the 1970s. Of course I am drawn to these books — I came of age during these years. By the time I gradulated college in 1980, San Francisco famous for being a gay haven. It is wonderful to relive the disco age, the Vill...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Geoff added it · review of another edition

Are you sick of the Tales of the City reviews yet? I hope not! I’m just finishing up Babycakes and should have a post for Monday. Then you get a brief break while I reread Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle in time for the November 8th release of the fourth and final novel, Inheritance.

I read Further Tales of the City before deciding to go back and restart the series. Thus, I’m posting out-of-order, which is a big hypothetical no-no in my blog mind, but I didn’t want to start posting with b...more

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Sep 18, 2007 _inbetween_ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've started reading this weeks ago :/ not letting myself start another book before I finished this (and, well, not having the money to buy myself what I want), I'm feeling extremely frustrated. I don't want to continue reading it, despite knowing it'll go quickly, and that what I always hate in the first third will get better. But even after Mouse changes his stance from "yay, gay, non-monogamous relationship and daily sex with gorgeous other men" to "meh, why don't gays date" for no reason fro...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Jeff Silvey rated it 4 of 5 stars

The third book in the series, this one is much more descriptive than the earlier works. By now the stories are not as much about the city of San Francisco per se, and are more about the characters, but anyone who has read up to this point shouldn't have an issue with that.

The story itself is inherently more exciting than the last book, with more danger and a little violence. The visceral nature of such stands out in stark contrast to the lighter comedy of the series as a whole, in a good way.

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Oct 19, 2012 Marco rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english, fiction, lgbt

The calamity-prone residents of 28 Barbary Lane are at it again in this deliciously dark novel of romance and betrayal. While Anna Madrigal imprisons an anchorwoman in her basement, Michael Tolliver looks for love at the National Gay Rodeo, DeDe Halcyon Day and Mary Ann Singleton track a charismatic psychopath across Alaska, and society columnist Prue Giroux loses her heart to a derelict living in San Francisco park.

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Mar 24, 2011 Gregory Orr rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love everything related to the TALES OF THE CITY saga. I have read all of them. They are about friendship, being on your own, fucking up, making mistakes, getting it right and moving on. These books were huge for me when I was in my late twenties-early thirties. Settled around an aparment complex in the late 70's in San Fransisco. The characters have all stayed with me for years. I recommend ANYTHING by Armistead Maupin.

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Oct 17, 2012 S rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another fantastic book from Maupin in the `Tales of...' series. You could read this book on its own but it is much better if you have read the previous two. All of the favourite characters are back, the residents of 28 Barbary Lane, Anna Madrigal's children and new faces in more tales of their day to day life. If you liked the other books, you will like this one also. A good, funny, heart-warming read.

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Nov 18, 2010 Sean Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

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Oct 07, 2010 Laura Williams rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 10, 2013 Myrna Stephenson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love the characters! The description of the various people in the story are priceless. The stories that
the author has created don't compare to anything I have read. Living in the bay area and familiar w/
San Francisco makes it that more interesting. Even tho the exploits were
created some 30 yrs ago., they still are up to date. I am anxious to read the next.

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Jan 15, 2011 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Maupin's set of characters continues to charm, offend and engage you in their life tales. Some seriously interesting, can only happen in San Francisco scenarios, Maupin weaves together the character's lives in a way that always gives you a little "a-ha" moment. I'm 3 books in and intend to read anything he's written. Go pick one up today.

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Aug 10, 2012 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica, fiction

Didn't know what to expect at all from this book. I chose for a genre challenge; lesbian/ homosexual literature, not a genre I've read much, if anything of. But the story was interesting, well-paced, funny at times and well-written. Reminded me somewhat of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, but maybe somewhat more accessible. Not sure it'll make me read the other books in the series, but still, most enjoyable.

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Jun 29, 2010 Kendra rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Tales of the City series of books makes me so happy. I love the world of 70s and 80s SF Maupin paints as much as I like the City today. This is a quick, fun read and irresistible if you love the characters Maupin created. Also, for an indulgence, the writing is good; not like the crap that passes for chick lit so often these days.

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Jun 01, 2010 Valeriane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: roman, série

Mary Ann, présentatrice télé, vit toujours au 28 Barbary Lane. Elle rêve d'un poste mieux placé sous les projecteurs, mais ne sait comment faire pour gravir les échelons.
À cette époque survient un nouveau suicide collectif à la secte de Guyana. Malheureusement, Dede Halcyon y était parti avec ses deux jumeaux asiatiques, Edgar et Anna, ainsi qu'avec sa compagne D'Orothea...
Cet évènement va être un tremplin pour la carrière de Mary Ann....
Pourquoi? À vous de le découvrir...
Nouvelle arrivée da...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Margaret M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Just finished this up June 16, 2012 after setting it aside to read some other things. I have read Maupin's other "Tales" serial novels. He is an excellent writer - realistic dialogue, characters. I have been to southern California, but his reads make me want to visit San Francisco, and see all the places described.

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About Armistead Maupin

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 19...more

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“She told me about the cop. And the movie star, and the construction worker. You're not having a life Michael, you're fucking the Village People one at a time” — 5 people liked it

“If I had my way...We would lock ourselves away from that madness out there...” — 3 people liked it

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

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