‘Tales of the City’ by Armistead Maupin

Tales of the City, the first volume in the critically acclaimed series written by American novelist Armistead Maupin, is nothing short of a riot. Originally published in serial form in the San Francisco Chronicle, the novel of 1978 follows the prudish Mary Ann Singleton from her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, all the way to the Bay Area where she hopes to start a new, more exciting life. As Mary Ann settles into life in San Francisco she encounters hordes of colourful characters with whom her life becomes intertwined. There is Anna Madrigal, her oddly maternal landlady, the doyenne of 28 Barbary Lane; Mona, the spaced-out hippy neighbour; Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver, Mona's best friend and occasional roommate; Brian Hawkins, another resident of 28 Barbary Lane and a well-known womaniser; and then there is Norman Neal Williams, the skittish recluse who lives on the roof in what is affectionately dubbed the 'pentshack.'

And yet, for all the many, many characters we encounter over the 240 pages that make up Tales of the City there is not one that is quite as important as the city itself. San Francisco, particularly the San Francisco of the 1970s, is so vividly and sympathetically depicted that I found myself growing nostalgic for a time that I am not even old enough to remember. Imagine speed-dating in Safeway and being welcomed at your new crash pad with a freshly rolled joint and you'll have  some idea of the liberated way of life that followed on from the infamous Summer of Love. Nothing is taboo or off-limits in Maupin's San Francisco, not even vitiligo or packs of rollerskating nuns. While things have no doubt changed since the seventies, San Francisco still maintains its irreverent charm and free spirit, and reading Tales of the City had me wanting to dash back to the City by the Bay - I was fortunate enough to visit the area last April.

In terms of style, Tales of the City is predominantly dialogue heavy, written in short, sketch-like bursts in which the emphasis is on humour above all else. These short vignettes, which alternate from focusing on one character to another, are entertaining in the most immediate, funny bone-tickling way. Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City is all about instant gratification; it is electric and uproarious, and every bit as engaging as watching a sitcom.

This piece was originally published on alisonlaurabell.tumblr.com in February 2012.