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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I know I'm in the minority in liking this book more than many others in the series, but hear me out. The events in this book feel like they're the natural progression of character arcs that have been built since the very beginning. Michael, Brian and Mary Ann are exactly who you could see them becoming over the course of the previous five books. The Things They Eventually Do, while in some cases cruel, are exactly what I'd been expecting from the very beginning.
And that is delicious storytelling.
I appreciate when authors see that their characters are going to make terrible decisions and let them do just that, rather than trying to force them into being better characters who aren't themselves.
I missed the Barbary Lane setting even while enjoying the subplot of snide interior design critique; The Summit works for this in a way that the earthquake shacks do not. It took me a hot minute to get into the section in Greece, but ultimately that worked as well -- although it made me more cognizant of how much Mona has been missing.
My only real complaint -- now happily rectified -- is that the very, very last page didn't feel like an appropriate ending for a story that's so big and has meant so much to so many people. But luckily now it just makes for an appropriate ending for this particular book.
And that is delicious storytelling.
I appreciate when authors see that their characters are going to make terrible decisions and let them do just that, rather than trying to force them into being better characters who aren't themselves.
I missed the Barbary Lane setting even while enjoying the subplot of snide interior design critique; The Summit works for this in a way that the earthquake shacks do not. It took me a hot minute to get into the section in Greece, but ultimately that worked as well -- although it made me more cognizant of how much Mona has been missing.
My only real complaint -- now happily rectified -- is that the very, very last page didn't feel like an appropriate ending for a story that's so big and has meant so much to so many people. But luckily now it just makes for an appropriate ending for this particular book.
It's interesting that Sure of You was nearly Armistead Maupin's final chronicle in his famous Tales of the City series. This is not because it's not good; I actually like how - after taking his characters out of the city for most of the prior novel - he brings the focus back to San Francisco in this one (with a slight detour/trip for Anna Madrigal to Greece with Mona), but rather, Sure of You brings some really crucial decision making into focus for several of its main characters and results in more of a bittersweet ending than one might anticipate.
Mary Ann is offered a job in New York. Her marriage with Brian seems "iffy", even as they raise their adopted daughter, Shawna, together (to be honest, I really don't like Mary Ann too much after this one... her character has gotten decidedly more selfish and impulsive). Michael seems joyous in a new relationship, but the specter of his HIV status hovers over him as a persistent "what if" ghost. Even Anna Madrigal seems at-odds with whether she intends to spend her remaining days at 28 Barbary Lane. The final pages of this chapter feel a touch sad. Decisions are made, lives move on. In an ironic nod to the title, the characters seem confused, perhaps less surer of one another than they originally expected. It's intriguing to think of how this would have felt as "the end" of this marvelous series, had Maupin not decided to return to it almost 20 years later, with Michael Tolliver Lives, book #7. I'm relieved I can keep reading and not have to find out.
Mary Ann is offered a job in New York. Her marriage with Brian seems "iffy", even as they raise their adopted daughter, Shawna, together (to be honest, I really don't like Mary Ann too much after this one... her character has gotten decidedly more selfish and impulsive). Michael seems joyous in a new relationship, but the specter of his HIV status hovers over him as a persistent "what if" ghost. Even Anna Madrigal seems at-odds with whether she intends to spend her remaining days at 28 Barbary Lane. The final pages of this chapter feel a touch sad. Decisions are made, lives move on. In an ironic nod to the title, the characters seem confused, perhaps less surer of one another than they originally expected. It's intriguing to think of how this would have felt as "the end" of this marvelous series, had Maupin not decided to return to it almost 20 years later, with Michael Tolliver Lives, book #7. I'm relieved I can keep reading and not have to find out.
It's a slight improvement in some aspects from Significant Others, but it peters out at the end, turning a vibrant milieu into sheer melodrama. I'm slightly disappointed in how most of the characters wind up, even Mouse who with Thack become more of the stereotypical gay couple that kinda played into my self-loathing earlier in my life. Bet that as it may, I blew through the first six of these like Kleenex and will follow Maupin's series to the bottom of the box.
Another delightful tale of the city... Charming as ever, but sadder than the rest (like life, things come in waves I guess).
Interestingly (or not, depends on your view), I'd forgotten the trip to Lesvos. An island I have visited many times, and loved seeing here again.
Interestingly (or not, depends on your view), I'd forgotten the trip to Lesvos. An island I have visited many times, and loved seeing here again.
Another excellent book in the excellent Tales of the City series. Mary Ann grows more and more unlikeable as the books go on, but pretty much every character is interesting and likable. I love the different glimpses you get to spend with different characters, and how this one in particular focused on family and what it really means to be a part of one.
Finally, a book in the Tales of the City series that is not marred by a ludicrous and unbelievable plot! In the best possible way, Sure of You has hardly any plot at all: Mary Ann has the opportunity to kick her career into overdrive, but she must leave San Francisco and her friends there behind.
Sure of You was the final book in the series (until Maupin wrote a sequel twenty years later), and I think it's the perfect kind of book to end a series. The energy of the book comes from the characters, and the tension derives from our familiarity with them, familiarity that has been building across five previous books. Instead of a hyper-active plot with a big climax, the book ends on an inflection point in the lives of the characters. Maupin doesn't try to resolve anything or tie up loose ends. We learn some more about the characters, they learn some more about themselves, and then time flows on and disappears into the future.
So here's my scorecard for the 6 original books:
- Tales of the City (#1) - Great fun, very witty, broad social comedy.
- More Tales of the City (#2) - Fastest and most fun. Michael starts to become the emotional focus of the story.
- Further Tales of the City (#3) - My least favourite, if only because the main plot is ridiculous.
- Babycakes (#4) - My favourite. Best use of a non-San Francisco setting.
- Significant Others (#5) - Best structured.
- Sure of You (#6) - Most confident and accomplished artistic achievement.
Sure of You was the final book in the series (until Maupin wrote a sequel twenty years later), and I think it's the perfect kind of book to end a series. The energy of the book comes from the characters, and the tension derives from our familiarity with them, familiarity that has been building across five previous books. Instead of a hyper-active plot with a big climax, the book ends on an inflection point in the lives of the characters. Maupin doesn't try to resolve anything or tie up loose ends. We learn some more about the characters, they learn some more about themselves, and then time flows on and disappears into the future.
So here's my scorecard for the 6 original books:
- Tales of the City (#1) - Great fun, very witty, broad social comedy.
- More Tales of the City (#2) - Fastest and most fun. Michael starts to become the emotional focus of the story.
- Further Tales of the City (#3) - My least favourite, if only because the main plot is ridiculous.
- Babycakes (#4) - My favourite. Best use of a non-San Francisco setting.
- Significant Others (#5) - Best structured.
- Sure of You (#6) - Most confident and accomplished artistic achievement.
Probably the most emotional and “real” in the series so far. Maupin dials in to his biggest asset - the characters we’ve loved and followed from the very beginning. And he’s not afraid to let them get ugly.
Least favorite so far… Mary Ann is insufferable which is disappointing and everything is less sweet although there is still some of it. I did appreciate the Michael storyline but it seemed not quite complete or fleshed out
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes