SOURCE: A review of Babycakes, in The New York Times Book Review, November 18, 1984, p. 32.

In the following review, Austin favorably assesses Babycakes, predicting that the book will win over some of Maupin's critics.

Queen Elizabeth has arrived in San Francisco; just as Mary Ann Singleton, television reporter, goes to cover the scene, one of the Queen's officers jumps ship. Mary Ann's husband, Brian, doesn't know that he's infertile, but Mary Ann does, so she decides to…. Thus begins Babycakes, and the fourth installment of Armistead Maupin's San Francisco saga careens beautifully on. People who haven't read his Tales of the City, More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City might initially be confused by the plethora of characters, but they should continue. Babycakes, unlike the Tales, preserves a sense of irony while making paramount the values of warmth and love. Almost a decade into their...