Michael Tolliver Lives: A Novel

When I first heard that Armistead Maupin was writing MICHAEL TOLLIVER LIVES, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. Maupin would say time and again that MTL was not going to be a "Tales of the City" number 7, and I was not happy about that. Reading and enjoying all six TALES OF THE CITY books (1-3 being my favorites), I wanted more! Well I decided to give MTL a chance, and I'm glad I did. I LOVED it! Although it isn't a TOTC #7 book, there are enough appearances from familiar characters of "Tales..." that would keep even the most die hard fan satisfied. And these appearances are not random, gratuitous pop-ups; they push the story along and allow the reader to reconnect with the characters, particularly Michael Tolliver. The story begins in the current day--some 18 years after we last heard from the people of "Barbary Lane"--and gives us a sense of how much the world has changed, how much these characters have changed, and how much we have changed, ourselves. I'm not going to give out the plot, but in the last book (SURE OF YOU) Michael Tolliver he was preparing to die from AIDS. And since that didn't happen, he now has to face life like any other person getting older...finding a way to grow old gracefully. The MTL book ties up any loose ends that might have left readers hanging from TOTC book #6, SURE OF YOU. And it does so very nicely. Unlike the "Tales..." books, MTL revolves around the main character Michael Tolliver and is written in first person. Action follows a linear sequence, whereas "Tales..." had events happening simultaneously. I know I shouldn't be comparing, but it's hard not to. Aside from different layout/structure styles, Maupin's writing is still engaging and intimate and right on. MTL had me wrapped up in it, just as TOTC did when I first read it. There were moments that had me in tears. I don't think you have to read the other six TOTC books to enjoy MTL since there is enough backstory provided to make sense of certain events/characters. But I wonder if it changes the emotional impact? Maybe not, but I'll never know since I know these characters so well. And if you are a "Tales..." fan wondering if this book is worth reading, trust me it is. Despite Maupin saying this is not a sequel, it's enough of one to make us long for more.

Maupin's "Tales of the City" novels had an undeniable impact on my life. I was a closeted college sophomore when I checked the first three books out of the Springfield, MA library in the Fall of 1990. I had a feeling I was coming late to the "Tales" party at that point but was instantly taken with 28 Barbary lane and its inhabitants. I was so square at 19 that the thought of a pot smoking landlady made me vaguely uncomfortable; I don't miss those days or my old rigid self. At the age of 22, the landmark PBS miniseries had me spending my tax refund check on a ten day vacation to San Francisco so that I could check out the city Maupin immortalized on my own. Any misgivings about a pot smoking landlady were gone. So now, thirteen years after I read the last book in the series, I was over the moon to see "Michael Tolliver Lives." But after reading two negative critic reviews, I was worried. Could this book measure up to my memories? Yes, and then some. "Michael Tolliver Lives" is different than the previous novels in the "Tales" series; this is one man's, first person narrative, unlike the multi-character structure of the other "Tales" books. But "Michael Tolliver Lives" is as wonderful, moving and beautiful as anything Maupin's ever written (quick plug for "Maybe the Moon.") Here are the characters we know and love. Times have changed, but Mouse and Brian and Anna Madrigal, the pot smoking landlady (and some others, but that'd be ruining the surprise) are here and take no time making us love them again. As the title implies, this is Michael's (aka Mouse) tale. Mouse is as sharp as ever and his wry observations make you realize how much you've missed him. In this book, we learn more about his family: his mother, his brother, his sister in law, and see Michael come to an even deeper understanding of the role he's played in his family's life, and outside of it. This part of the book was one that stayed with me; some of Michael's thoughts are exactly where I have been at times, and that recognition really got to me. (Another nice moment of identification for me is when Michael cites the scene in "Poltergeist" when JoBeth Williams feels her daughter's soul move through her. I thought I was the only one who appreciates that scene.) The novel also reflects the crazy times we live in, as Maupin has always done from the hedonistic 70s to the Reagan 80s to now. It's nice to know that we're all in this together. It's been indescribably wonderful to catch up with our old friends (I've grown to love the pot smoking landlady immensely and wish I'd "known" her personally) and see how they've been surviving. In these post-9/11 years, we need our friends from Barbary Lane. And here they are.

I won't go as far as to claim that Armisted Maupin's Tales of the City books are the reason I upended my life and moved to San Francisco eight years ago--but they were surely a factor. Maupin captures the spirit of San Francisco like no one else, and his books are truly dear to me. Several years ago, in a tremendous act of willpower, I tucked away Michael Tolliver Lives for a "rainy day." That day, of course, has come, and it's such a comfort to visit with these old friends. Like myself, they are older. Michael "Mouse" Tolliver is in his mid-fifties and Anna Madrigal is eighty-five! In the pages of the book we get updates on all of our beloved former Barbary Lane denizens, but as the title suggests, this is really Michael's show. Like his creator, he is now married (legally) to a much younger man, and is living with HIV--an eventuality he'd never considered years ago when AIDS was a death sentence. As for further details of the plot, they're essentially irrelevant. This book is all about character. And Maupin's insight into these people is just as deep--and as deeply affectionate as it ever was. Now, clearly I'm a hard-core fan, and reading this book gave me great joy at a time when I badly needed it. That said, this latest volume is not a favorite. Perhaps because Michael's life so closely mirror's Maupin's, I felt like parts of this book smacked of self-justification. Also, and this isn't exactly a complaint, but this book seemed a lot more gay than I remember the rest of the series being. Or rather, more graphically and explicitly gay. I don't really care, but readers who aren't fairly open-minded might not want to go there. I'm pretty open-minded, and I could have done with just a bit less detail. Small complaints aside, I was thrilled to reconnect with these dear friends and discover I loved them as much as I ever had. Maupin is a magical writer with boundless heart. I will read absolutely anything he writes. Happily, I won't have to wait quite so long for my next visit. Mary Ann in Autumn, a Tales of the City novel, will be published in November!

Michael Tollier is back and we Maupin fans welcome his return with open arms. He is now fifty-five, a long-time surviver of HIV because of the drug cocktail-- his former lover Jon was not so lucky and died several years ago-- and has a much younger lover Ben whom he first ran across via the internet, one of the best ways to meet men in the new millennium. He is in fact Ben's husband since they were married at City Hall in San Francisco. All the characteristics of Maupin's fiction that we adore are here: his ability to take the mundane and give it meaning; his making exotic characters (tran- and pansexuals, for example) representatives of all of us; his making us smile at the foibles of both gay and straight characters and then gently sending us a little bombshell-- fundamentalism eats on itself, homophobia is wrong, and our families are those we chose, not the ones from which we sprang. Maupin embeds his characters in the here and now with references to Netflix, "The Passion of the Christ," Peter, Paul and Mary, Terri Schiavo, the Promise Keepers-- and I kid you not-- the transexual porn star, Buck Angel. And, yes, Virginia, there really is a funeral wreath with plastic flowers of course with a telephone attached and a banner that reads, "Jesus Called." I have seen one with my own eyes. Mr. Maupin gives enough background about the previous lives of Michael and his friends-- some are gone and some are missing-- to inform a whole new generation of fans and to convince them to read the previous six volumes about 28 Barbary Lane and to remind those of us who eagerly read them all as they were each published how much we missed this family so real to us-- Brian, Mrs. Madrigal, Mary Ann, Jon, Michael et al. Reading MICHAEL TOLLIER LIVES was a bittersweet experience for me since I could not call up Ralph and Pierce and Ken and Robbie and Judd to tell them to run out and buy Maupin's latest, that it would make their Sunday afternoon, since they all perished, along with the fictional Jon, in the first round of awful deaths from AIDS when we as a family took care of our own.

As a rabid fan of Maupin's writing, I have read and reread the Tales books over the years. Something about the characters and the story touches me deeply, and the descriptions of the city really bring it alive. But on every reread, I always skipped the last book, because I was so disappointed in the ending - I really felt betrayed by what the characters did, because their actions in the last book didn't seem in keeping with their personalities at all. So thank you, thank you, thank you Mr Maupin for giving us a more nuanced view of their actions, and giving us an idea of what they are all doing with their lives, after all these years. The whole cast is here - though Mary Ann, is, disappointingly, across the country and only marginally involved in this story (though we do get some insights into her actions all those years ago) - but Michael, Brian, Anna Madrigal, and a whole cast of new characters are here. I loved the look into Michael's new relationship, into Brian and Mary Ann's daughter's life, and I loved meeting Mrs Madrigal's new friends and seeing the way she is spreading her legacy to a new generation of San Franciscans. This is highly recommended for fans of the series - but do read all six of the originals before reading this one - otherwise you will have the last books spoiled for you.

Over the years I've read most all of Armistead Maupin's works. He is truly a great writer....nothing pretentious or grandiose about his style....just an ever evolving & intertwining cast of characters leading us through the things that make life interesting. My favorite literary device is the stunning and delightful way he brings his characters together. He has a wonderful way of making the stories interactive - in that he will introduce a character by name, and allow us to imagine what that person might be like - then introduce the person into the story for us to discover (for example) that we hadn't even guessed the sex of the character correctly. It has always made reading his books like walking into a surprise party. This book is an absolute home run.

Even with moments of contentment and bliss with family, it's not easy to become old, and more awful still to know that if you leave the place you love you can never return. Those seem to be the recurring themes of "Michael Tolliver Lives!" People expecting a trip back to the Barbary Lane of the 1980s are going to have an experience similar to bumping into an old friend from that period - everything's changed and both of you aren't quite comfortable with how the other one (and how you!) looks. Maupin did a wonderful job of planting our feet firmly in the early years of 21st century America, and San Francisco in general, in MTL. He's seen enough in the past 20 years (read or see "The Night Listener") to let us off with sweetness and light in this novel. MTL is not a three-kleenex read - far from it! His returning characters have depth and perspective and help Michael through the storyline with style. His new characters are drawn with love - generally toward Michael, but certainly shared among one another. There's a lot of humor, almost to the point where the book should have a public transit/restaurant/breakroom advisory stating "This book will make you laugh out loud at inopportune moments". And then there are tears, followed by a re-cementing of the bonds of the narrator's invented family, both biological and created over time. What I most like about Maupin is how good-natured he seems to be. He demonstrates in his writing that he knows his audience. While the academics of today may sniff and scoff, the academics of a few decades from now are going to be studying every word Maupin has written for deep insights into the culture of San Francisco and the United States. Way to go, Armistead! The above paragraphs were written on Sunday, June 17 and constitute my review. My original comments written BEFORE I read the book follow: *NOT A SPOILER!* I haven't even opened the amazon.com box yet! Here are a few observations about the modern novel, which may seem a little negative, but are indications of the literary form's strength. First, I'm not an English major. However, I do read reviews and bestseller lists and hear a lot about what people want when they pick up a work of fiction. For argument's sake, let's divide them into two groups - those who like literary works which stand on their own, and those who like serial works made up of novel-length works which stand on the shoulders of their predecessors. An example of the former is (and I'm just looking around my writing chair) "Oryx and Crake", by Margaret Atwood. Examples of serial fiction would be the Harry Potter series, the work of Armistead Maupin, or John Updike. I've enjoyed Maupin, J.K. Rowling, and John Galsworthy ("The Forsyte Saga" - the "Barbary Lane" of early 20th century England). In the Friday, June 15, 2007 issue of the Los Angeles Times, Maupin was on the front page in one of their occasional "Column One" features. In the last few lines of the article, Maupin is asked a question which he answers in both a coy and leading manner (read the article if you want a spoiler). He suggests that there *will* be another book in life of Michael and his friends. The commonality between Galsworthy and Updike is that they wrote their own series books in threes and killed off their main characters at the end (with kindness, of course). My guess is that Armistead is going to have great fun with the next book, and then, somewhere around 2011, is going to give Mouse his quietus in a third and final volume. There are thaws in my theory, of course. I'm not in Armistead's head, and English literature, American literature (and Proust himself!) have many examples of serial works which don't divide neatly into threes. But, at the same time, it seems to be a tendency. I'm going to open the mailer this afternoon and start enjoying myself. I've been along for the ride since the very beginning in the Chronicle (just after the Pacific Sun) and I'd like to see a lot of smiles (and some well-warranted tears) on Maupin's readers' faces.

I am so glad Maupin because Michael is the one character that really mattered to me. Oh, the rest too but I know people like Michael, so deserving of love and affection and everything good in this world. There were scary parts but in the end, all is good. I don't know if Maupin went through similar stuff, I always felt Michael may have been Maupin's alterego, so I'm glad he ended the whole series with happiness and contentment. I do not like unhappy endings. And Maupin, as always, did it so gracefully (unlike Rowlings who's ending was so abrupt I think many of us felt we got dumped out the back of the truck) and with so much love. It also took me back when Burning Man was not the worldwide event it has become, when it was more then the "let's build a bonfire at the beach" stage but not the circus it is now. Also nice to see the characters aging--it ain't all fun but it is life. Thank you for letting Michael be the ending of the series and to end the whole saga in such a kindly, loving manner. I hope Maupin's own life has been like this too.