Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

21 reviews

marioncromb's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Interconnected stories, easy read, being in serialised chunks. Vibrant picture of San Francisco. Some of the end twists are a little... i don't even know. But mostly its fun, although some heavy stuff does happen
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katiemack's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I hated this when I first started reading it--Armistead Maupin's style involves overly snappy dialogue and dropping as many San Francisco references and '70s activities into his chapters as he can--so at first it was difficult to keep going. In spite of this, I ended up getting sucked into the lives of the characters (except Mary Ann and Brian, both of whom are repulsive in different ways), and I have to give Maupin credit for creating a compelling, soap-opera-esque atmosphere that enmeshes everything and allows for a more readable flow.

This book ended up being fun but dated; I feel like I'm too young to fully enjoy it. 
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hmih's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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acoffeeandagoodbook's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 
This is a light, fun, fast read, perfect for the heatwave we're having!

The chapters are short and snappy, with much of the storytelling relying on snappy dialogue. There are a lot of characters, and I found it tricky to remember who was who and how they were linked to everyone else at times. Despite this, many are funny and enjoyable to read about, if they aren't always likable. These are characters with flaws that make them real.

I had a good time but found the plot thin. Not much happens until the very end, I assume setting you up for the next in the series.
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nerdysread's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I didn’t like the pacing and I really disliked the characters 
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helen___'s review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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deezy's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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armaget's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


This primarily gives me nostalgia for back when I was scared to read any books with sex, drugs, or gay people or I'd get in trouble. All those books felt like a fever dream, (there was one about New York City, one about New Hampshire ((or a certain hotel there)),) but this gave off the same vibe. So, hazy and kind of forbidden fruit, though now it's just regular fruit I guess.

Still, it really does feel like a book I'd totally forget most details about in a couple of years, except for maybe some fond memories. But now that I indeed know that books about sex, drugs, and gay people won't kill me or make those around me kill me, I don't know if it will have that same appeal later on.

Also I think the humor was hit or miss for me, because I tend to interpret subtle dark humor as incredibly depressing. And the character arcs all ended abruptly and kind of sadly (there are sequels but I don't think I'll be looking out for them) and so I don't know, it was ok.



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jessicastrasser's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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kingaw's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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