If Tales of the City was amusing, More Tales of the City was even better.I give Mr Maupin 5 stars for this volume this time, for his incredible imagination and his sensitivity towards life . ( )

I can't really believe it's taken me this long to find these gems, but sometimes it's the ones that lie undiscovered under your nose that prove the most surprising. These books detail the lives of a motley band of individuals who live in San Francisco on Barbary Lane under the watchful eye of the matriarchal Anna Madrigal. The pluses and minuses of these stories all stem from the fact that they were initially serialisations in a regular newspaper column. It makes them an addictive doddle to read - each book is divided into bite-sized chunks that have an element of self-containment mixed with a splattering suspense that leaves you wanting more. The characters are skilfully drawn and quickly come to life and become much-loved friends - a testament to Maupin's skill as a writer. They are each a little window onto life in San Francisco at the time - an interesting documentation of society there.

I guess, should you choose to, you could level the criticism that the interlinking storylines are all-to-convenient and readily wrapped up .... but I didn't find it problematic. It is an inherent quality of the original media they were published in and you have to allow for that format. I'm just glad to see them put together as a book so that they can be enjoyed by everyone. I think that if you cannot overcome objections to plot and structure, then these books were probably never meant for you. Personally, once I found them, I couldn't put them down and I'll certainly be looking forward to the next batch. ( )

As with Tales of the City, this is very much a book of its time and setting. On the other hand, I was living in the Bay Area at the time, and I remember the book being serialized in the SF Chronicle, so it's nicely nostalgic, and Maupin is an entertaining writer. ( )

Relationships expand and deepen in the second of Maupin's series, just as addictively readable as the first. ( )

More Tales of the City maintains the standard set in the first book as the coincidences become more bizarre and the characters reveal more of their secrets. Of the latter Anna Madrigal has some real shockers; but there is a shock of a different kind in store for the adorable Michael Tolliver; and yet another for the insufferable Beauchamp. But before that Mary Anne and the Michael go on a cruise together and neither returns empty handed. We meet some new characters and some of the old ones play a bigger part.
Very funny and entertaining, with some amateur sleuthing which involves several of the residents of 28 Barbary Lane keeping us guessing to the end, this is a most enjoyable read. ( )