Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin

A fictional account of life in 70s San Francisco. I don't know anyone who hasn't enjoyed this book and rushed to get the next one in the series. I loved the charaters (who doesn't love Michael?), the setting, the sense of history (Jonestown, the emerging gay movement) and the short chapters - which I meant I finished it far too quickly. Seemingly a light easy read but so much more. Laugh-out-loud too - fantastic.

Frivolous, easy to read and hard to put down. This first in a series of books is compelling reading. The characters and events are both ridiculous and totally believable at the same time. On first reading, the coincidences seemed unrealistic but as life has gone on, I have realised more and more that life is full of strange coincidences, if not as far fetched in this delight and its sequels. Based in San Francisco in the 1980s it highlights some of the issues of the time but is funny and poignant. Read and enjoy.