Babycakes by Armistead Maupin

"Maupin's San Francisco saga careens beautifully on." —New York Times Book Review The fourth novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s best-selling San Francisco saga. When an ordinary househusband and his ambitious wife decide to start a family, they discover there’s more to making a baby than meets the eye. Help arrives in the form of a grieving gay neighbor, a visiting monarch, and the dashing young lieutenant who defects from her yacht. Bittersweet and profoundly affecting, Babycakes was the first piece of fiction to acknowledge the arrival of AIDS.

Mary Ann is a lot harder to connect with in this book. Her actions in this book are a far cry from the Mary Ann of the first three Tales of the City stories. Still a great read if you're in the mood for a well-written San Francisco soap opera.

J'ai lu les fameuses et sympathiques Chroniques de San Francisco d'Armistead Maupin quand j'étais encore un jeune adulte, et j'avais pris énormément de plaisir à les lire. Je les recommande à tous les lecteurs qui aiment rire et être ému par un livre !

I am such a fan of Mister Maupin and his series of Tales of The City novels, however I felt that this one in the series just fell short and seemed rushed. While it was nice to get to leave SF again in this tale, I felt as if some of the plot line was just stretching it too far. A little too much coincidence for my taste. I still very much love reading about the lives of the Barbury Lane residents, yet my opinion on some of them has changed considering certain events that take place. I feel that Maupin did his job at sucking me into their lives, as now a once favored character of mine I just can't get behind anymore, and of course the always heart string pulling stories of Michael Tolliver will keep me hooked until the series is complete. Not my favorite, but wanting to continue the series without missing a step.