Tales of the CityTales of the City
Score Classic
What it's about
A young secretary leaves Cleveland for San Francisco and tumbles into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, cutthroat debutantes and Jockey shorts dance contests. The saga that follows is manic, romantic and outrageous.
Why it's worth reading
It's on PBS's Great American Read. It's a manic, romantic and outrageous portrait of a city, and a landmark of gay fiction.
You'll love it if you liked
A Single Man
Another Country
The Bonfire of the VanitiesGood to know
It began as a newspaper serial, so chapters are short. It's the first of many books.
By the numbers
- Readers61 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller31 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Funny, Uplifting
If you like this, read next
Breakfast of Champions
Portnoy's Complaint
A Modest Proposal
A Confederacy of Dunces
If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries—What Am I Doing in the Pits?
Infinite JestExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Tales of the City worth reading?
Yes. It's on PBS's Great American Read. It ranks #1,694 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 66.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Tales of the City about?
A young secretary leaves Cleveland for San Francisco and tumbles into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, cutthroat debutantes and Jockey shorts dance contests. The saga that follows is manic, romantic and outrageous.
How long does it take to read Tales of the City?
About 7 hours (268 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Tales of the City?
If you liked it, try A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood, Another Country by James Baldwin or The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.