Tuesday, October 11, 2011

It's like meeting an old friend

I'm reading the final installment of Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series. It's called "Mary Ann in Autumn". I started reading it today and it was like slipping into a comfortable old jacket.

Maupin's writing is instantly interesting. He doesn't beat around the bush. In fact, there are no bushes. It's non-stop fun. I confess that he influenced my writing -- greatly. I like the informality, the ease of story-telling and the injection of humor into just about everything. I hope people will describe my novels with similar phrases. Army, you helped a ton.

As for the read, it's so damn comforting to be back in the world of 28 Barbary Lane. I'm sure Maupin also felt this when he began writing the book. It's like meeting a group of old friends (the ones you'd like to see, not the other ones).

Anyone else beguiled by this series?