Sure of You: A Novel (Tales of the City, 6)

Mary Ann Singleton first saw San Francisco at 25, everyone fell in love with the midwest transplant, but then when fame and ambition made her betray those closest to her ... she ran to New York and away from it all. It was characteristic of the ultimate lesson of the 80's. While the Tales of the City characters galavanted around in adventure during the 1970's ... the 80's greed and ambition transformed TV star Mary Ann into a cruel yuppie. Ending the saga ... culiminating in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and Mary Ann abandoning all those who supported her throughout the years. Tales began and ended with Mary Ann ... and it was all just bittersweet.

The residents of 28 Barbary Lane first came into my life in 1991 and they've remained firmly amongst my favourite literary characters of all time. Having read several reviews of "Sure of You" expressing feelings of disappointment and betrayal, I felt I had to chip in with my "twopenny" worth. The evolution of all of the main characters (guided by Maupin's prodigiously talented hand) is achingly believable and, I for one think that, as an epilogue, "Sure of You" hits exactly the right notes. The many Mary Ann fans out there who felt particularly let down are maybe in need of a reality check. Look at what has happened to these people in the 12 tumultuous years from 1976 to 1988. How can we realistically expect the warm, cosy, fun-loving and uncomplicated world of the "20somethings" in "Tales" to be untouched by the passage of time as they approach middle age. Mary Ann, in spite of flashes of good, was always an essentially selfish character (very early on she dropped the flaky, but undeniably good-hearted, Connie like a hot potato once she had no more use for her and her apartment). She only really began to warm to Brian once she found out he was an ex-lawyer giving a very early indication that social standing meant a great deal to her. By book three she was well on her way up the greasy pole and woe be-tide anyone who crossed her. The lusty, heart on his sleeve, happy-go-lucky Brian seemed always pre-destined to be left behind in her wake. None of these observations are to her credit but nor do they make her a monster, just a believable human being of the "ambitious, go-getting type" - a type, incidentally, often highly prized by a Society where people who don't achieve materially seem to be routinely referred to as "losers." Mary Ann achieved fame and fortune and I should hazard a guess that those two things change people for the worse far more often than for the better. I absolutely agree that the last installment made for uneasy reading, but to rate this excellently written book as a one star turkey just because you don't like the direction of the story and development of the characters seems a little absurd. Well done Armistead Maupin for so effectively holding up a mirror to our collective faces. Let's not blame him if we don't like everything we see in it. In any case Michael, Mrs M and Brian are as likeable in the last book as they are in the first - Brian perhaps more so. I only hope Michael Mouse made it (I suspect, however, that it was unlikely that he would). The Tales Anthology is not a fairy story with a happy ending (watch the Wizard of Oz if you want that). It's simply a brilliant series of books with some of the richest characters and best dialogue ever put into print.

Reading the 'Tales of the City'-Series was such a wonderful experience I could easily repeat it as much as I could. Maupin's style is so great and terrific, it's strange I hadn't heard of him that much, before I read it.The characters are surely some of the best ones ever created in literary history. The developement of the storyline is so surprising and unexpectable it's breath-taking. The twists and turns are so effective, because you seem to know the characters so well, and never had thought... well, you have to explore the secrets by yourself. I have never seen such a developement of characters. The same persons are totally different in the last book than in the first one. It's great.I won't rate every book differently, although they are very different. But they are so great alltogether and so well-connected it's hard to tell them apart.This is wonderful stuff!

I really hated to read this book because I never expected to hate Mary Ann, I liked her, I identified with her, hoped to go to the big city one day and see all the wonders. After reading this book I read the whole series again , there is no break, it was all possible from the first page, but I never expected this, how could Maupin do this to me. I cried over some books but over this I cried in anger. Only a truly great author can do that to you, but I'm going to kick him for that where it hurts, if I ever meet him.

In _Tales of the City_ Maupin allowed us to fall in love with an extraordinary cast of characters. In _Sure of You_, we come to the inevitable, heartbreaking conclusion at the end of all love affairs--that many of these characters are not, and possibly were never, as worthy of our affections as we first surmised. Is this a disappointment or a revelation? Whatever it is, it's not what you'd expect from Maupin. His character development in this novel is nothing short of masterful, but for obvious reasons, the overall effect isn't quite as breathtaking as his superb _Significant Others_. _Sure of You_ isn't my favorite book in the series, but it may be the wisest.