I enjoyed reading this. I read the written version some years ago but I didn’t really enjoy it. Reading this graphic novel version made me realise that I must read the written version again, and this time read the rest of the series as well, because I didn’t fully appreciate the richness of the story when I read it the first time.

I think the graphic novel manages to catch the way the lives of the characters are intertwined and it does manage to convey the gist of the story. It isn’t perfect but it is certainly engaging. I liked the artwork and the brightness of the graphics, and I think this really brings the characters to life. It couldn’t have been easy to produce a graphic novel of such a complex story with so many characters but the artist did an excellent job.

It is also good to have a graphic novel of this book because it provides an introduction for people who may wish to know what the story is like without reading the book. I do hope that there will be graphic novel versions of the other books in this series. This is an excellent start.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Fans of Tales of the City (the miniseries, the series, or the novel) will enjoy this graphic novel adaptation of Maupin's beloved queer found-family story set in 1970s San Francisco. Newcomers to the series might be overwhelmed by the wide cast of characters and breakneck pace. If you go in expecting a queer soap opera in graphic novel form, you'll set your expectations well. The art is sweet and adds to the nostalgic vibes. Some plot points have aged less well than others (like, we really breezed by the whole 'child pornography' thing, didn't we?), but it's a fun addition to the Maupin oeuvre. Great gift for fans of the original!

A quick and pleasant read. The art style is very pleasing to the eye and simple. Not overly detailed to the point you can't focus but not too simplistic. The story in itself was okay, definitely intriguing and interesting but I do think the graphic novel format made it lose some of its intrigue. I often didn't really understand what was going on because scenes were changing left and right and some things were left unexplained and up to you to figure out. It was enjoyable to read but it just lacks explanation.

I'm very curious what the experience would be for folks who have not read the book or seen the mini-series. I think the art work in this graphic adaptation was well done. In some places I could really see the expressions and body language from the actors in the miniseries. I enjoyed reading it because it reminded me of the book and the show but I don't think it's really possible to capture the real magic of the plot of the book or the show with so little detail. It would be a nice companion book to go with the original novelization.

It’s ironic that I read this when I did, seeing as I just returned home to Cleveland after visiting friends in San Francisco. I really loved the art in this book — how the time period, the characters, and SF are all portrayed in beautiful fashion. However, I unfortunately wasn’t gripped by any of the characters / central plot lines, which affected my overall emotional engagement. The way time advances is also fairly rapid, which makes me think perhaps if I had preexisting knowledge of the source material, I would have enjoyed this adaptation more.

This graphic novel adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s classic, Tales of the City, Vol. 1 perfectly captures the vibe of the television series and books in this visual format. The artwork is beautifully done and in full colour, I thought it captured the vibe and times of San Francisco realistically. Isabelle Bauthian and Sandrine Revel depict the humour and mystery of the series and tell the story in a way you would expect from Tales of the City.

I enjoyed this graphic novel - it would make a great series as there were lots of stories to explore further and in depth with most of the characters. Highly recommend

I've watched and loved the Tales of the City Netflix adaptation, but have never read the original novels. I hoped the graphic novel adaptation would be an accessible way to introduce me to them, but unfortunately it felt kind of choppy and like I kept missing out on context. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters very well. That said, I did really enjoy the art work, and overall I did enjoy reading this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tales of the City Vol. 1 by Armistead Maupin, Isabelle Bauthian, and Sandrine Revel is an LGBT graphic novel set in San Francisco in the 1970's. The story revolves around Anna's boarding house, which welcomes misfits of all kinds. The tenants end up forming a "found family" together. According to the description, the book is a "humorous, heartfelt saga, between the summer of love and the appearance of AIDS."

Overall, Tales of the City Vol. 1 is a delightful graphic novel featuring LGBT characters. The description says that this graphic novel is a cult sensation that has been adapted countless times. Unfortunately, I've never heard of this story before now, but as a result, I was able to look at it with fresh eyes. One highlight of this book is the artwork. The different colors work very well together, and the artwork was pleasing to look at. If you're intrigued by the description, you can check out this book when it comes out in March!

This was my first foray into Tales of the City, but I know its a book that's been made into TV shows. The book has been on my radar to read for quite a while, as it's a queer classic. I'm glad I picked up this comic version as it was a really good introduction into the story. As this is the first volume in a series of many, it finished at a point where a few aspects are unresolved. I will definitely have to pick up the next volume to continue the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Dull, relied too much on awkwardness as a weak form of conflict, and I didn’t connect with the characters. The scenes are so short the narrative feels choppy. It was annoying how the framing of a lot of panels were obviously positioned so that something was happening “off-screen” that would lead to an awkward moment in the next panel. The original might be good but as a graphic novel adaptation this isn’t a winner.

I am a big fan of Armistead Maupin and Tales of the City. I have read all the books and seen the television adaptations. This graphic novel is a good introduction to the characters. It’s kinda like a Cliff Notes version. It’s short and sweet. Thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the advanced reading copy.

The Tales of the City is the graphic novel version of the book. The story went straight into the middle, which could be hard to follow if I wouldn’t know the original one already.

I did enjoy the different characters, their lives and struggles.

The graphic itself was really enjoyable as it gave me the old school comic book vibe.

The art was SO cool and fun. But, maybe the intended audience is people who are already fans of this series of books, or its resulting multiple series of television shows? Because as a complete newcomer, I generally found it really hard to follow and had no idea what was going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy. This review is for the graphic novel adaptation only.

The Tales of the City books were among the first fiction I read with openly gay characters and the first fiction I read with openly gay characters I found relatable. For those who have not read the series, this graphic novel adaptation may serve as a good introduction to the world of Tales of the City. However, this version is a highly watered down version of the original, although the watering down may to some extent be inherent in the medium. If you have read the originals, I recommend that you skip this.

I'm very unfamiliar with the source material and subsequently found myself struggling just a bit to get through this. However, once I got into it, I really liked it! I love the chosen family dynamics the graphic novel shows, and I'm definitely doing to go watch the Netflix adaptation. I love getting to read tidbits of queer history, and loved thinking about the context for this piece as I was reading. And the illustrations are beautiful!

As possibly the only person who has never read this book or seen any film adaptations, I thought I’d read the new graphic novel. It’s set in 1978 San Francisco, a time described as existing between the Summer of Love and the AIDS crisis. Mrs. Madrigal runs a boarding house, and her newest tenant is the naive Mary Ann, recently arrived from Cleveland. We learn that the other residents are of various sexual orientations, and each struggles in their own way. I can understand why it was successfully adapted to productions by BBC TV and Netflix—— an unabashed soap opera time capsule of late 1970's San Francisco. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Reading this brought back so many memories of when I first found Tales of the City. It was a short series on public TV and one of the few that showed not only gay people, but happy gay people.

This graphic book, which I read in English, stayed true to the original novel. And like that first book, I am ready to read the next volumes.

The art work was well done, a realistic style that captured the feel of the late 70s.

Thanks to @netgalley, Diamond Books Distributors, Armistead Maupin, Isabelle Bauthian, and Sandrine Revel for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

I read this with no knowledge of the existing source material which I think probably made my experience slightly worse, though it definitely is still possible to read with no previous knowledge about the story lines and characters. While I enjoyed the art style and some of the story lines, the characters in here are overall not good people and not particularly likable a lot of times which I struggle with. While I did appreciate that they were complicated people with full lives and flaws, it did make it harder to enjoy the story for me. Additionally, at times I found it a bit confusing in terms of what was happening and with who, especially given the number of characters we're following at once.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

Being a fan of the source material helps but isn’t a must to enjoy this book. I love the narrative and visual style.