• More Tales of the City

  • Tales of the City, Book 2
  • By: Armistead Maupin
  • Narrated by: Cynthia Nixon
  • Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (480 ratings)

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More Tales of the City  By  cover art

More Tales of the City

By: Armistead Maupin
Narrated by: Cynthia Nixon
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Publisher's summary

Inspiration for the Netflix Limited Series, Tales of the City

The second novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin's best-selling San Francisco saga.

The tenants of 28 Barbary Lane have fled their cozy nest for adventures far afield. Mary Ann Singleton finds love at sea with a forgetful stranger, Mona Ramsey discovers her doppelgänger in a desert whorehouse, and Michael Tolliver bumps into his favorite gynecologist in a Mexican bar. Meanwhile, their venerable landlady takes the biggest journey of all - without ever leaving home.

©1980 The Chronicle Publishing Company (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about More Tales of the City

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More Real City Life Captured by Maupin

Maupin hits stride in his second book with Mary Ann, the archetypal young single woman, continuing to loosen up in San Francisco in the seventies with the help of the residents of the Barbary Lane including the gay but fretful Michael, the slightly lost Mona, the carnally hungry Brian, and the extremely well adjusted but mysterious Anna Madrigal. These characters, their lovers, and friends make for a most realistic, funny, and charming portrait of gay and straight life in the seventies in San Francisco. The overall plot involving a nice guy with serious enigmatic phobias is the least reason for enjoying these books. The real reason to enjoy these books is to see the various character's lives intersect in the most unexpected ways and for them to treat each other with all the respect, dignity, and kindness that nice people of any sort deserve. (which excludes the dastardly Beachamp Day) The narration by Cynthia Nixon is the best so far. (I've heard four of these books now.) Nixon's tender voice is an excellent match for the gentle souls of this series. She reads with the perfect blend of narration and acting skills. Rachel Maddow's (oh and that's... "sweet but all-too-short") preface hits just the right note for this ground-breaking series that, rightly, treats being gay as a perfectly normal preference given to some people at birth. If you are considering this, be sure to buy the first book "Tales of the City" first. The whole thing makes far more sense when experienced in order. Not recommended for the close-minded or prudish with lots of frank sexual discussion.

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7 people found this helpful

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more from the culture wars

Armistead writes and his troop marches on through the tricky waters of the 70's Although written with humorous insight and wit, some of the pop culture references may be lost on less savvy younger readers

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2 people found this helpful

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Still in love :)

This is an excellent first sequel to Tales of the City! The characters still have stories to tell, and I’m happy to be along for the ride! I love their interlocking stories and their secrets! Such rich stories! I’m glad to see there’s more to tell :)

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1 person found this helpful

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Doesn't Disappoint

Superb performance and riveting to the end. The characters become your extended family, and you don't want to leave 28 Barbary Lane.

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Delightful!

I like the depth of the characters and the exciting storyline. I love hearing about San Francisco.

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Fun and Frivolous Fantasy

More Tales of the City has the same great narrator as the first book of the series. It's light, funny, colorful and heartwarming-- a good antidote to and respite from the serious realities of life. Since I am conservative culturally and politically, I was amazed at finding them entertaining, rather than offensive.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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So well read, it's like going to the theater!

What a treat to listen to Cynthia Nixon PERFORM all the parts, rather than just read them as so many narrators do! I lived in San Francisco when Tales of the City ran in the Chronicle each week so this is a walk down memory lane for me. I doubt it will resonate with a young reader (it's set in the 1970s and boy, have times changed) but the story is vivid, the characters quirky and appealing, and the reading, superb. This is light but very satisfying listening.

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How did I not know about this book

I’m just discovering the series, and I absolutely love it! There are parallels between now ( 2023 ) and then. Amazing read!!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Story and narration take a dive from book one

The lightly mysterious and quirkily entwined Tales of the City all continue, the soap operatic elements beginning to wear thin. The book is essential to the continuing plot (which does continue with fresh inspiration later)
However, this audiobook suffers further from the narration, whose languid commitment and superficial characterization occasionally but regularly grate on the nerves. The narrator is a gifted actress, but unfortunately oversells the campy dialogue and draws out the underwhelming, dated elements of the comedy. To be fair, Frances McDormand is a hard act to follow,
Future episodes have more interesting plots at least, if I recall correctly, so the book is recommended. Just not necessarily in the audio format.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Beloved

I’ve loved reconnecting with these characters. The stories are just shy of soap opera but in a wonderful way.

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