Mary Ann in Autumn
 US first edition cover | |
| Author | Armistead Maupin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Tales of the City |
| Genre | Novel |
| Published | 2010 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 0-06-147088-0 |
| Preceded by | Michael Tolliver Lives |
| Followed by | The Days of Anna Madrigal |
Mary Ann in Autumn (2010) is the eighth book in the Tales of the City series by San Francisco novelist Armistead Maupin. It was released on November 2, 2010.
In the novel, Mary Ann Singleton returns from New York City with a need for support and a secret that she needs to share with Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver.
Mary Ann in Autumn is the third book in the series to be written as a novel rather than as a serial.
Plot summary
Mary Ann Singleton Carruthers flees her luxurious life in Darien, Connecticut for San Francisco, seeking solace from old friend Michael Tolliver. Reeling from both ill health and her husband's infidelity, she asks Michael if she can stay in his guest cottage while she recuperates.
Meanwhile, other former Barbary Lane residents show up in the novel: Mary Ann's adoptive daughter Shawna is seriously dating for the first time; Anna Madrigal has mostly recovered from the stroke she had in Michael Tolliver Lives; Michael's assistant, Jake Greenleaf, wrestles with his attraction to a closeted Mormon missionary who is involved in the movement to "cure" homosexuals; and Jake, a pre-op female-to-male transsexual, despairs of ever saving enough money to pay for surgery. Ironically, his dream of having a hysterectomy is the same nightmare that Mary Ann is facing.
As the novel progresses, Dede and D'Orothea show up to help Mary Ann with her recuperation, Shawna befriends a homeless junkie prostitute, Jake makes a startling discovery, and a threat from the past comes back to haunt the former Barbary Lane residents.
External links
- Mary Ann in Autumn at ArmisteadMaupin.com
- "Back to the City" by The New York Times Sunday Book Review
- "As his characters reach middle age, Armistead Maupin has got his mojo back." The Guardian.