The Days of Anna Madrigal

A Novel (Tales of the City)

By: Armistead Maupin

Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Inspiration for the Netflix limited series, Tales of the City

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

The Days of Anna Madrigal, the suspenseful, comic, and touching novel, follows one of modern literature’s most unforgettable and enduring characters - Anna Madrigal, the legendary transgender landlady of 28 Barbary Lane - as she embarks on a road trip that will take her deep into her past.

Now 92, and committed to the notion of “leaving like a lady”, Mrs. Madrigal has seemingly found peace with her “logical family” in San Francisco: her devoted young caretaker Jake Greenleaf; her former tenant Brian Hawkins and his daughter Shawna; and Michael Tolliver and Mary Ann Singleton, who have known and loved Anna for nearly four decades.

Some members of Anna’s family are bound for the otherworldly landscape of Burning Man, the art community in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert where 60,000 revelers gather to construct a city designed to last only one week. Anna herself has another destination in mind: a lonely stretch of road outside of Winnemucca where the 16-year-old boy she once was ran away from the whorehouse he called home.

With Brian and his beat-up RV, she journeys into the dusty troubled heart of her Depression childhood to unearth a lifetime of secrets and dreams and attend to unfinished business she has long avoided.

©2014 Literary Bent, LLC (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

Excellent Interpretation

Mulgrew's style is engaging and heartfelt. Performs characters' voices spot-on. Maupin ties up the loose ends of his previous works with many of the same characters. Offers extra insight into the Tales characters. The Tales characters escapades could end here, but please don't let them!

Wonderful! A worthy ending with beautiful beginnings on the horizon.

Once again we're taken on a journey down the highway of Barbary Lane, with off-ramps to others that somehow intertwine with each other. Mr Maupin is wondrous in his talent at weaving the not-so-simple lives together. Pay attention as the past always find its future amongst the " logical a".
I truly hope this is not the end as there's so much more to look forward too!!

One of the best stories I've listened to!

if you don't shed a tear or two listening to this, you have no heart. Anna's story is riveting. The way individual storylines are wrapped up while opening the door for new adventure is beautiful. Kate Mulgrew is THE PERFECT choice for narrator.

Great backstory on a beloved character

Tremendous storytelling and excellent character development. Loved this one! Not sure how you continue this series.

Excellent reading

My first audiobook and still packed all the emotional punch of the book. I have read the entire series and enjoyed hearing this one as much as I did reading the others.

One of Armistead Maupin's Finest

I so thoughly enjoyed this book. It made me laugh & it made me cry. Being from the City back in the 70's I have made every attempt to follow the 28 Barbary Lane crew over the years & this book was exceptional! It is a must read. Thank you dear Amistead for helping another lost soul, remember his past, present & future.

5 🌟 ANNA!

I read these books back in the '70s when they were new, fresh & exciting.

Funny thing is, they still are. And this book in particular glows with a rosey, loving light.

Having Kate Mulgrew,
-best narrator since
Jane Entwhistle,
voice Anna Madrigal
was a brilliant decision and a spiritual experience.
Especially in the end when Anna bestows her blessings on
Brian Hawkins and also when she's describing the monarch butterfly.

I cried so hard during this book,
but it was always
Tears mixed with Joy.
Like Dolly Parton said in
Steel Magnolias,
the best emotion.

It reminded me so much of my youth.

I'm so happy Armistead wrote this book and I fervently desire that there are more books to come.

Not just because
Armistead Maupin is one of the best writers ever,
but because I really want to know what happens to
Shawna's baby and Shawna
and I want to know what happens to
Brian and Wren
and I want to know what happens to
Michael and Ben,
and
Jake and Amos.
And Mary Anne...

Friends old and new.

But most
especially Michael Mouse,
as he holds a special, tender place in my heart.

When Armistead had
Michael have a seizure in the book,
I was sure he was going to be leaving us,
I was so relieved and so twistedly, hilariously amused, when
Mary Ann Singleton
was the first face he sees as he comes out of his death tremors.

In fucking Burning Man, of all settings.
Probably the Least likely
place you'd expect to see
our sweet naive Cleveland expat Mary Ann Singleton.

Only Armistead would have put Mary Ann in a dusty
pink & white candy stripers uniform and have her be there,
the first thing Michael Mouse sees when he wakes up.

Sheer Brilliance
Sheer Inspiration
Sheer Armistead

A gorgeous
warm, cozy fire blending
of the
present with the past.

All of them have become family to me.

One of the definitions of
bless
is to endow someone with a particular cherished thing
or attribute.

In this case,
bless you Armistead
for realizing and cultivating
and developing your unique gift.

Your particularly cherished gift
is your ability to put
pen to paper
and
bring emotions to life.

Bless you Armistead,
in the most faithful sense of the word,
for bringing these people into our hearts and minds and consciousness.

The world is an
infinitly better place
with you
and
your words
and
your imagination
in it.


david henry

🌞

I’ll miss them

Finishing this series is bittersweet. I love these characters and their intertwined, imperfect lives. They are real and flawed and heroic. This story fills in some gaps and sends our beloved friends into the void where we can imagine the rest of their lives. By the way, if you’ve seen the Netflix series, don’t expect to find those stories here.

My only issue is with the narrator. I usually love her work, but in this book, she made most of the dialogue sound snide, to the point of annoyance. I felt that detracted from the tone of the characters and gave them a negativity that I’m not convinced should have been there.

Great Read

Omg this is a great read and final chapter in the Tales of the City series. Can’t wait for the Netflix series tomorrow night.

I miss Armistead Maupin's voice

What made the experience of listening to The Days of Anna Madrigal the most enjoyable?

Excellent last book, but I miss Armistead's voice.
The whole series is like following a family of friends through the past thirty years. A wonderful account of a part of American history.