2007-07-02 
 

another fine tale

I received my first birthday gift this year about a week before my birthday from TNTP: a signed copy of Armistead Maupin's Michael Tolliver Lives. The inscription reads, "Happy Birthday Mikey!" (So very cool.)

Now, I know this will sound typical, but Maupin's Tales of the City books are a big part of why I ended up in San Francisco. I'd always felt a pull towards Northern California, but usually pictured myself at Berkeley. After reading the series, there was no doubt in my mind that I'd end up in San Francisco instead.

I've reread the original books several times each, yet always felt a bit unsatisfied upon finishing them. Mostly this is due to the fact that the final book of the original six, Sure of You, always left me feeling flat, as if there was a chapter or two left untold. Michael Tolliver Lives more than makes up for it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the original run. It takes place almost 15 years after Sure of You, but catches us up on important events that happened in the time between 1987 and today.

While I'm the sort of person who could have easily read this in one sitting, I forced myself to put it down on several occasions because it turned out to be exactly what I needed to be reading after the long interval. I wanted to savor each new piece of the story and live with it for a while before moving forward. Rather hard for me to do, but very worth it in the long run. I can close my eyes and see the characters again, a little more aged but no less loved.

And…that's all you'll get from me. Don't want to spoil anything

I would recommend reading at least one or two of the originals first if you haven't already discovered them. While I loved this addition and am now inspired to run through them all again myself at some point in the near future, I really can't judge how well it stands up on its own. I've lived here in SF too long and imagined interacting with the characters too often to really know if there's enough exposition in this latest edition to yank someone unfamiliar with the rest of the series into the book. (I believe there is, but –as you may've noticed– I'm a bit biased on this point.)

Either way, I say, "Go forth and read!"

I would like to add one quick note to the publishers. The correct spelling is Duboce Park….with a "C" not an "S". A minor distraction, but rather glaring to someone who lives in the Triangle himself.

Labels: dose of mikey, memory lane, random review, san francisco

* posted by me at 9:52 PM

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