Inspiration for the Netflix Limited Series, Tales of the City
The sixth novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s best-selling San Francisco saga.
A fiercely ambitious TV talk show host finds she must choose between national stardom in New York and a husband and child in San Francisco. Caught in the middle is their longtime friend, a gay man whose own future is even more uncertain. Wistful and compassionate yet subversively funny, Sure of You is the pitch-perfect sixth novel in Armistead Maupin’s legendary Tales of the City series.
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"Here is where Maupin starts to get all sentimental on us - and I just love it! We also get what the "Tales" books have never had before - a villian that we can boo and hiss at. And what do you know? It's Mary Ann! The book is a wonderful study in how relationships change and how we all develop over time. The Mary Ann in this book seems a million miles away from the young ingenue that we met in "Tales 1" and yet she IS one and the same. Michael really comes into his own in this book too; no longer an idealised Gay icon, but a real flesh and blood man with all the insecurities and conflicting loyalties that we all must contend with. The "Tales" books have come of age and just continue to get better from here on in!"
— Mark (5 out of 5 stars)
“An extended love letter to a magical San Francisco…I know I’m not the only one who was up until 2 in the morning with Sure of You, promising myself to stop after just one more chapter.”
— New York Times Book Review“A quietly understated small masterpiece.”
— USA Today“An unprecedented portrait of the agonies and absurdities of modern urban life. The funniest series of novels currently in progress.”
— Times (London)" The campy wackiness found in the earlier books is pretty much gone but it's still great storytelling with characters you love, creating important and moving moments as they continue to grow up. "
— Matty, 2/17/2014" This book was more grounded, and I liked it better because of it. Mary-Ann and Brian have really become unlikable but believable characters. "
— Mace, 2/10/2014" I re-read this series about every 2 years or so. Never ceases to make me laugh or cry. I love all these characters. "
— Sara, 2/2/2014" other reviewers on here have already said it: needed more plot, mary ann's actions weren't in character (debatable, admittedly-there were signs in the previous novel), needed more plot. "
— Lucy, 1/31/2014" Much better than the previous book, in my opinion. Still very much a soap opera, and that's why I like it. "
— Laura, 1/14/2014" I can't give this a four star because Maupin has nearly killed off my favorite character. Maybe after I read "Michael Tolliver Lives" I'll be able to revise this rating to a four. Before that 2008 revelation though, I was heartbroken. "
— Lorraine, 1/2/2014" I was reminded of why I cared about these characters in the first place. What felt like a true tale told simply and well. "
— Sarah, 12/24/2013" this book wasn't quite as fun as the others. it ties everything up nicely but the story doesn't quite end happily. "
— Erica, 12/22/2013" Great ending to the series (6th of 6 in series) "
— Colima, 12/20/2013" The best way for newcomers to San Francisco to get to know and love the city. Highly entertaining series you won't be able to put down. "
— Zoe, 8/25/2013" See my review of this series under "Further Tales of the City" "
— Stephen, 4/10/2013" While the first three books in the Tales in the City series were, for me, the best, there's something about a Maupin book that is like no other. "
— Martin, 9/29/2012" This one is more somber as the characters of the series finally grow into adulthood and have to make adult choices. It's bittersweet but well worth the read. "
— Kariann, 5/14/2012" I enjoyed this a lot -- I hadn't seen any of the TV productions nor read any of the books since the very first series on PBS -- and Maupin hadn't lost his touch! "
— Dottie, 3/6/2012" An easy read, that brings back lots of the memories of the first four times I read the Tales of the City series. Doesn't quite scratch the itch, but it's nice to catch up with some old "friends"! "
— Christina, 2/18/2012" The campy wackiness found in the earlier books is pretty much gone but it's still great storytelling with characters you love, creating important and moving moments as they continue to grow up. "
— Matty, 5/16/2011" I love this series. This book was more melancholy than the others. It made me sad. "
— Mandy, 4/17/2011" More fun with the weirdos of San Francisco. "
— Barbara, 1/18/2011" My favorite in the series since the first TOTC book. More character development than crazy story lines (which I still love in the other books!), and realistic in how people change and grow. "
— Diane, 12/15/2010" Il était temps que ça se termine. L'ensemble tournait en rond. "
— La, 11/29/2010" Fantastic, but goddamn it Mary Ann is a bitch. We'll see how I feel about her after I read the new book... "
— Tom, 11/15/2010" more drama than anything on bravo "
— Emmanuel, 9/2/2010" I liked the the first two or three of the series better, but this one was still fun to read and better than the one where the women are camped near the what-cha-ma-call it Grove -- the Men's exclusive hideaway. Didn't care much for that one. "
— Dvora, 8/28/2010" Comme un feuilleton télé mais en livre ;)J'ai préféré le 1er et le 7e mais il faut aimer.. "
— Géraldine, 2/28/2010" So here we are, with what was presumably meant to be the last book in the Tales of the City series, and it wraps everything up quite nicely, although I am enough of a softie to could have wished for a happier ending. Another excellent read. "
— Stig, 9/24/2009Armistead Maupin is the author of numerous novels, including the highly popular Tales of the City series. His novels Sure of You and The Days of Anna Madrigal made the New York Times bestsellers list. He was the 2012 recipient of the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Pioneer Award. In 2014 he was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree by the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. Three miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three novels in the Tales series. The Night Listener became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette. He was born in Washington, DC, in 1944 but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he served as a naval officer in the Mediterranean and with the River Patrol Force in Vietnam. He worked briefly as a reporter for a newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, before being assigned to the San Francisco bureau of the Associated Press in 1971.