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puffballmush's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A book with historical significance for the gay community, revolutionary for its time, but dated by its racial politics in a big way. Although it never quite shifts into bigoted, this treatment of race is just as flippant as maupins approach to gay sexuality - which is all very well, but for the fact that Maupin is white. He definitely needs to stay in his lane on that one - not sure of the point he was making, other than a punchline!
Fascinating and very gay for all its focus on straight relationships here and there - I will read the next one.
Fascinating and very gay for all its focus on straight relationships here and there - I will read the next one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
ericaw212's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
it was an easy read even though i didn’t understand 90% of the references. somehow i want to read the next 8 books in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape and Terminal illness
novella42's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Recommended to me by a bookseller who mentioned it got them through COVID when they were too scatterbrained to focus on reading. A couple weeks after that conversation I found myself unfortunately in the same position. I gave it a try (accidentally downloading the abridged version without realizing it) and found the lighthearted little vignettes of queer folks in San Francisco worked like a charm.
I was surprised how progressive it was for its time, and grateful for the glimpse into queer history. I'm a sucker for found family tropes and recognized Mrs. Madrigal in quite a few of my own friends.
It was also a reminder of a time in my life when some friends and I took a budget trip to San Francisco, sleeping on couches and eating dehydrated soup rations just to be able to see the city. I felt like I was there again. The city came through almost like its own character. It was the comfort I needed, with one exception.
There was one component of the book that was racist and which was not handled well. (Spoiler for this book and a little for book two as well.)The racism of the transracial character isn't really addressed at all, nor why it was problematic for her to take on a Black identity or appropriate a lot of Black culture and make a ton of money off it. It was good that Mona broke up with her, but she seemed mostly upset about the lie, rather than the act itself. Maupin seemed to have been a big fan of Black Like Me. As if transracialism was an easier way for him to write about racial issues than just including a BIPOC
character in the first place. When Maupin brings the character back in the next book, he doubles down on the lack of consequences, letting her off the hook entirely and painting her as still slightly exotic. It left a bad taste in my mouth and is the reason I took off a star.
As a side note, I was bored enough and nostalgic enough over the city setting that I found the 1993 miniseries streaming free online and watched all eight episodes in two days. It was *remarkably* faithful to the material, staying close to the author's writing in a way I think modern miniseries don't bother with. I want to read the rest of the series so I can then watch the rest, especially the 2019 Netflix miniseries with Elliot Page and a lot of the original actors.
I was surprised how progressive it was for its time, and grateful for the glimpse into queer history. I'm a sucker for found family tropes and recognized Mrs. Madrigal in quite a few of my own friends.
It was also a reminder of a time in my life when some friends and I took a budget trip to San Francisco, sleeping on couches and eating dehydrated soup rations just to be able to see the city. I felt like I was there again. The city came through almost like its own character. It was the comfort I needed, with one exception.
There was one component of the book that was racist and which was not handled well. (Spoiler for this book and a little for book two as well.)
character in the first place. When Maupin brings the character back in the next book, he doubles down on the lack of consequences, letting her off the hook entirely and painting her as still slightly exotic. It left a bad taste in my mouth and is the reason I took off a star.
As a side note, I was bored enough and nostalgic enough over the city setting that I found the 1993 miniseries streaming free online and watched all eight episodes in two days. It was *remarkably* faithful to the material, staying close to the author's writing in a way I think modern miniseries don't bother with. I want to read the rest of the series so I can then watch the rest, especially the 2019 Netflix miniseries with Elliot Page and a lot of the original actors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Abortion, and Alcohol
undeniableemg's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is like hearing the best gossip from your cattiest friends. It shows that no matter who you are, no matter your background or sexuaity or gender, we're all united in one thing: we all dread talking to our parents,
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
marioncromb's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, and Abortion
stephie17's review against another edition
2.0
This was not it. There was too many random plot twists thrown in within the last 20 pages that makes the plot unbearable and unrealistic. I was kind of disappointed and felt like there was a lack of LGBTQ characters. I understand it was groundbreaking at the time but we have better representation of LGBTQ relationships in today’s media. I would not recommend this poorly aged and badly written book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
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