"A cultural touchstone that has enlarged our understanding of the varieties of human behavior.... Seen at last in its entirety, 'Tales of the City' remains an immensely readable accomplishment that wears its significance lightly.... Entertains, illuminates and – as always – leaves us wanting more." – Washington Post
"What makes Tales of the City so resonant is Maupin's ability to draw broad, human lessons from the particularity of his characters' lives. This is why it has struck such a chord for close to forty years.... An elegy – for San Francisco, for its characters, for a way of life." – Los Angeles Times
"Whatever age we are when we read these books, we're all getting older, so it's hard – maybe impossible – not to insert ourselves into their fictional world. AIDS, cancer, and old age have done their worst, but these characters will survive forever.... Who could ask for anything more?" – Slate
"These final days of his San Francisco friends and lovers, gay and straight, are seriously moving.... Maupin deftly illustrates how far America and the pioneering Anna have come, and nearly forty years into the series, his writing remains wildly addictive but is deeper and richer." – People