Tales of the City

January 3, 1994
Maupin's alternately playful and sentimental tales depict an all-too-easily satirized population of transients and toffs living in and around San Francisco.

March 21, 2022
Bauthian and Revel (Glenn Gould) take on Maupin’s classic story of queer folks and alternate lifestyles in 1970s San Francisco in this lush graphic adaptation. Mary Ann Singleton, freshly transplanted from Cleveland, Ohio, moves into eccentric Anna Madrigal’s boarding house. She lands a job as a secretary for stern Edgar Halcyon, head of the advertising firm where her neighbor, Mona Ramsey, works. Edgar, terminally ill, launches an extramarital affair with Anna while Mary Ann becomes involved with Edgar’s son-in-law. Another neighbor, Michael, dates a closeted gynecologist who chafes at Michael’s more open sexuality. Mona leaves the boarding house after her model ex-girlfriend arrives from New York to rekindle their romance. The comics bring the entangled ensemble to life through their shifting relationships, growing secrets, and painful moments, all the way to the melancholic but hopeful climax. Those unfamiliar with the original may miss some key elements in the condensed version, though Bauthian maintains the novel’s slice-of-life feel. Revel’s art carries the softness of pastels but with clean outlines, and her artistic color choices add appealing layers. Whether an old fan or newcomer to Maupin’s characters, readers will be hooked on the drama, even if they might go back to the original to fill in more details.

April 29, 2013
Maupin’s tale of young Mary Ann Singleton, who relocates to 28 Barbary Lane in 1970s San Francisco at a time of great upheaval, is as engaging and relevant today as it was when it was first published (in 1978). In this audio edition, Frances McDormand skillfully narrates Maupin’s classic novel—which was originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle and is the first in a series of eight books. Her performance is lively and theatrical, which suits the tone and style of Maupin’s prose perfectly (the book was made into a television miniseries in the 1990s). MacDormand’s pacing is excellent, her delivery is colorful and inspired, sounding controlled but not restrained. The narrator never forces the material; rather she allows the author’s work to speak for itself.