[.ca] Maybe the Moon (ISBN 0060924349)

tales of another city!:
This book was great! Armistead Maupin definately did it again! For someone known for his quirky tales of life in San Francisco he nailed the quirks of Hollywood perfectly! And just like the imfamous denizens of Barbary Lane, Maupin has created some of the most intriguing characters in print! The main character is simply to die for! This is definately a gem in Armistead's crown!

This is truly going to be one of my favorite novels!:
MAYBE THE MOON by Armistead Maupin Armistead Maupin does a change of scenery from San Francisco, which was the center of his six books collectively known as TALES OF THE CITY, to Los Angeles with MAYBE THE MOON, Armistead Maupin's first full-length novel. Although TALES OF THE CITY had been written first, these books started out as newspaper columns and have a distinct feel to them. They are more lighthearted and the characters are not fully developed. MAYBE THE MOON is indeed a novel, the story of the life of a spirited woman who learned to deal with a type of disability. It was with great pleasure that I read this book and got to know the character that was Cadence Roth. Cadence Roth is a pint-sized person, legally classified as a dwarf, and although she is a very small person, her personality definitely is not minute or diminutive. In fact, she packs a punch and from such a little human being, she can shock others with her foul mouth and assertive ways. Maupin starts the novel with a blurb from a review: Mr. Woods (1981) C-112 m. ****. It's the start of a movie synopsis from the movie critic Leonard Maltin's book "TV Movies and Video Guide 1992 edition". Thus, the novel begins. Told via her journal, we are thrown into the world of Cady Roth, whose claim to fame was the starring (anonymous) role in the 2nd highest grossing movie of all time, MR. WOODS. She played an elf that befriends a young boy, but because of the type of role she played, she is behind a mask the entire time. The real world never learns who the actor behind Mr. Woods really was. She is forbidden to do any publicity for the movie except in costume, as the director feels the audience would lose the magic if they saw who actually played this beloved movie character. While other actors build their careers upon a breakthrough role, Cady is doomed to have this one big character haunt her till the day she dies. And so Cady lives on in frustration. She finds whatever work is available, which is not very much since the average movie doesn't usually call for a character that is less than 4 feet tall. She at one point breaks down and takes a job with a small group of people who entertain the rich and famous at parties held in towns like Beverly Hills. She dresses up as a clown, making children laugh at birthday parties and bar mitzvahs. References to THE WIZARD OF OZ are often made, as she relates to other dwarves who have been exploited or made it in the world of show biz. Her mother had a very important role in Cady's life, helping her become discovered and then pushing her on, making sure that her daughter's dreams were fulfilled despite the handicap of height. When her mother passes on, Cady is devastated but eventually hooks up with a new best friend, Renee, who latches on to Cady in a welcome way and the two become roommates and best friends for life. Cady's life seems to be on a downward spiral, as the jobs with the entertainment company become scarce, and there doesn't seem to be any hope in her securing an acting job, but she does not give up. When news that there will be a big Star Studded tribute in honor of a major anniversary of the release of MR. WOODS, Cady feels this is her last chance at being recognized. What happens on this big day leads to the climax of the book with an ending that I did not expect, although there were hints of it throughout the book. MAYBE THE MOON is probably Armistead Maupin's best work yet. The story of the life of Cady Roth touched me in many ways, and indeed I feel envious that Maupin knew the woman that this book was inspired by. Whoever she was, she was indeed a very special person. A story about people overcoming handicaps and differences in a world that abhors such people, MAYBE THE MOON gets five stars from me.

Oh, triple wow:
Armistead Maupin has been one of my favorite writers since way back when his Tales of the City was serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle. I read all of them and then just kept going, reading everything he's ever written. Maybe the Moon is one of his most poignant and one of his best. For this masterpiece, we have a change of venue from SF to LA, and instead of the broad humor with which Maupin painted the characters in the Tales series, he's delved deeply into the development of his protagonist, Cadence Roth, a dwarf. Although teensy, there's nothing small about her personality, a personality that is thwarted only by the fact that she rose to movie fame wearing a highly-recognizable costume in a famous sci-fi movie - and by contract she's forbidden from revealing her real ID. We follow her from one career disappointment to the next, and her personal life isn't very hopeful, either. In spite of a bit of a shocker ending, Maybe the Moon (great title, very apt) is really a paean of hopefulness for people who are different, and you end up smiling thru your tears.

Haunting:
I read Cadence's story with much discomfort. I felt sorry for her (though Cadence didn't at all feel sorry for herself) and wanted to be finished with the book though I didn't want to stop reading. The end absolutely stunned me. I just didn't see it coming and I was saddened and outraged and couldn't get Cadence off my mind for a few days. Cadence is probably the most unforgettable character I have ever met in my reading. I listened to Maupin's Tales of the City books on tape and though I enjoyed listening to them more than I enjoyed reading Maybe the Moon, the latter book, without a doubt, made a huge impact on me.

Fantastic:
This is one of the best fiction books I have read. As an average sized person, I found this extraordinarily enlightening as to the difficulties and prejudices that little people go through each and every day. It was one of the most unique love stories ever and it really, truly made me feel the full gamut of emotions. If you buy one fiction book in your life, this is the one.