The Tortilla Curtain
by T. Coraghessan Boyle
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Book Reviews of The Tortilla Curtain
Book Review: Controversial At Best!
Summary: 3 Stars
The members of Turning Pages Book Club agree that the first 100 or so pages of "The Tortilla Curtain", certainly draw you in, however the over dramatization of the landscape could have been cut short. The story however, is relevant today with the immigration situation and the continuance of racism in the United States.
This story however tragic until the bitter end, could have been less of a melodrama and more of a factual story where two families from very different walks of life parallel instead of coming in contact so brutally violent and continuing in that same vain until the end.
The immigrant couple America and Candido, whose only dream was to come to the United States to have a better life than their families in Mexico; the life they suffered through in the Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles was hardly the answer they were seeking, instead their dream became a nightmare.
Then you have Delaney and Kyra the professional, snobbish white couple, along with their son, neighbors and friends who reside in a gated community next to Topanga Canyon, who demonstrate all of the negative sides of humanity, specifically what greed and being self centered ultimately does to people; they are so hung up on keeping the immigrants out( except when they need them for cheap labor to clean their homes,yards or other domestic duties), that they build a wall to enclose themselves,which indicates that they have lost site of what being genuine humane means!
This book if nothing else shows us the negatives of greed and inhumanity by man, when Delaney offers Candido $20.00, after he runs him over in a and then goes to his lawyer friend to make sure that Candido (that crazy Mexican, does not try to sue him. This is tragic in it self that he did not try to offer a fellow human being empathy, medical attention or clean clothing, a ride? I know that communication was suppose to be a problem, but it is not a problem when you are using the immigrants for cheap labor, so why is it a problem when they need the help, such as food, housing or better clothing? Anyway, I know this is a fictionalized story based on very real situations that are evident in our society today, so if nothing else this book will make you think-What if I was in their place what would I do in this situation? If I were Candido and America would I go home to Mexico? If I were Delaney, Kyra and their neighbors in Arroyo Blanco Estates would I be more understanding of the living conditions of the immigrants and try to help them? I ask this question because the issue of illegal immigration is real in the United States, so we have to decide to be humane, ignore the situation or be hostile!
This book is an example of the society we currently live in which is racked by greed,economic and racial divide which breeds mistrust among mankind,however,this is very unhealthy for all human survival!
Book Review: A Better Sort of Unwashed Horde
Summary: 5 Stars
The Steinbeck epigraph that precedes this novel is apt; Boyle is a true heir of the Steinbeck tradition. It's all here: the slangy language; the hard luck; the jarring, ugly, inhumanity that pops up in lovely, fragrant California. But Boyle also adds an element not present in Steinbeck: the comical antics of those in L.A. who may be termed The Fortunate Ones. Here is the Realtor who treats dogs like people and vice versa. Here is the Realtor's husband, an effete Sierra Club type who, when not inflicting granola and fiber bars on his son, is typing precious essays on nature topics reminiscent of Boot's "Lush Places". Steinbeck didn't have a lot of empathy or sympathy for the Fortunate Ones, but Boyle wades right in and finds out what they're all about. Then he juxtaposes what they're all about with the endless struggle and misery of the Not-so-Fortunate Ones, achieving an effect that is often grotesque.One of the main themes of Tortilla Curtain is the unwashed hordes washing over California, both underpinning and undermining the society that has evolved there since Mexico "ceded" it to the U.S. The historical irony that a courtly and gracious society was overrun by unwashed hordes of mostly poor Americans in the 19th century lends color to this 20th century narrative. Here, where the camino real has been transmogrified into Camino Realty, vegetarians and activists eye the dirty people from the leather confines of their luxury vehicles and fret about property values and environmental degradation. The dirty people, neo-Joads, sleep on the ground at night John Muir style and loiter by day at the labor exchange, wondering how fate can be so lopsided. A young woman dreams for "one of those houses...a clean white one made out of lumber that smells like the mountains, with a gas range and a refrigerator and maybe a little yard so you can plant a garden...nothing fancy, no palaces-just four walls and a roof. Was that so much to ask?"
Yes, it is, comes the answer from the owners of the palaces, the Arroyo Blanco Community Association. The answer to the threat of the unwashed hordes is a security wall and a security gate to keep out all unwashed hordes and wild dogs. It is to be built by contractors employing unwashed hordes. And they damn well better not loiter near the wall after they've finished building it.
Of course this is fiction and one can't draw too many conclusions about the immigration problem from a highly entertaining story crafted by an artist whose mastery of his medium ranks with Berger and Updike. But one message is inescapable: sweet, gentle people who come illegally to the U.S. to work (and, yes, to eat and sleep and have babies, too) are not as great a threat as, for example, those who come to bring dangerous drugs or take flying lessons. They ought to be treated like people, whether one welcomes them or sends them back.
Book Review: The Tortilla Curtain Closes on Parallel Lives that Intersect!
Summary: 4 Stars
T.C. Boyle's "Tortilla Curtain" forces a look at the issue of illegal immigration through the eyes of the down-on-their luck Mexican couple, Candido and America Rincon. The conflict begins immediately when Delaney Mossbacher, a nature column writer on the way to recycling, runs over Candido with his luxury car on the opening page. One cannot but help to feel sympathy for Candido who is now unable to work. On top of that, the young wife is pregnant and the couple has been living in Topanga Canyon in third-world conditions. Out of desperation, she decides to look for work as Candido recovers. Unfortunately, the couple's fortunes, despite Candido's ability to work again, seems to down-spiral further and further as their fate is left at the mercy of "gringos" who may or may not stop to pick up Candido for work. In addition, the couple is constantly weary of being picked up the INS or facing threats from unsavory transient characters within Topanga Canyon.
The Rincon story is a perfect stark contrast to the life and troubles of Delaney and his second wife, Kyra, a workaholic realtor. The Rincons are struggling to eat and find shelter on a daily basis like the wild animals surrounding them, while the Mossbachers have worries, like keeping the dogs safe from coyotes, that seem pedestrian by comparison. Boyle's technique of showcasing parallel lives is an effective tool in painting a vivid portrait of two very different groups of people who live so closer together, but are miles apart in their everyday reality. Ironically, without being preachy, the novel reveals that ultimately, the two couples are striving for the same goal of security, but obviously, the issue is on different levels for the two disparate couples. Kyra just had a dog eaten by a coyote, so she wants a fence around their suburban paradise while Candido wants to provide an apartment for his wife who is quickly getting closer to the delivery date.
"Tortilla Curtain" falters a bit when the writer's presence becomes noticeable. Occasionally, the storyline gets dragged onto the pages of the novel, verging on the use of the "deus ex machina" ploy of ancient theatre, thus keeping the plot points moving forward, although in an artificial way. Overall, "Tortilla Curtain" works because Boyle's writing flows freely and the story, for the most part, does run unencumbered and sparks truths about these two cultures that are becoming increasingly uneasy in each other's presence, but have also become increasingly entwined with each other in a love/hate symbiotic relationship. Boyle captures this essence within the two couples as their parallel lives draw closer and closer together till the climatic end which is overblown and feels more at home as a coda for a box-office movie.
Bohdan Kot
Book Review: chicana reader finds it horrible
Summary: 1 Stars
I picked up this book because most of the reviews on here seemed to be positive. I am the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents that moved here some 24 years ago and therefore have a certain affinity for books written about the immigrant struggle. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and am a 22 year old, college educated (University of Miami alum) woman with a degree in English Literature so I have read my share of books.
This novel seemed interesting because I had yet to read a book about the immigrant struggle with the interjected perspective of upper-class, white people. I thought this book would be humorous, tragic and uplifting all at the same time --- boy was I wrong! It started off interestingly enough and was able to capture my attention. As I kept reading, however I found that the white couple were increasingly annoying and the Mexican couple were completely hopeless. The only reason I kept reading was to find out what kind of happy ending the Mexican couple would have but it never came! I didn't expect them to end up living in a 3-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills, but my lord!! They couldn't catch a break! I know there are a lot of people out there that have tragic lives once they move to the U.S. but this was overdone and the series of events were truly unbelievable. Just when you thought something good was coming for them, something terrible happened. Towards the end it became extremely predictable and dull. Still, I kept reading with the hope that the last few pages would contain some light and of course, I was dead wrong again! Now, I don't read books to become severely depressed about things but I understand that sometimes it is necessary to show the gravity of the situation. However, the sad (VERY VERY sad) events that take place in the Mexican couple's life, teaches nothing. There is no point to it. It makes the anti-immigrant statement that maybe Mexicans should just stay in Mexico because it is inevitably impossible for them to make anything of themselves in the U.S. It makes Mexicans seem stupid for moving to "el Norte" and portrays this poor couple as a nuisance.
I could write a much longer review of this book but I have come to the point where if I kept writing I would want to include specifics and I don't want to spoil the reading experience for anybody who has yet to read this novel. Although I implore you not to do so. It is a waste of time. But if you REALLY want to read a novel that has heart and portrays the immigrant struggle in a way that few novelists have ever been able to acheive, pick up Victor Villasenor's "Rain of Gold". It is THE most touching novel in this genre that I have ever read. Truly beautiful.
This was the first T.C. Boyle book I have read and will probably be the last.
Book Review: real or not?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is TC Boyle's masterpiece..
This is a book that has and will elicit a lot of criticism.
This is a book that many people will be offended after reading it. Some might call it "full of racism and xenophobia",some might argue that is over-exaggerating the real lives in california(and may be overall in US).
This is a book that is easy to read because is written by a great story teller and a powerful wizard with great skills in keeping your waiting till the end. You might predicted a happy fairy tale ending or a horrible tragedy for this book but either way you will stay under his spell till the last word to wonder at the end;
"is being white or Mexican a privilege or disgrace in this book?!"
This is a story of Cándido and América; two Mexicans who have entered the United States illegally and who are dreaming of different life from their miserable one in Mexico. Meanwhile, they are homeless and camping in the Topanga Canyon in LA area.
This is a story of Delaney and Kyra, two whites who live in same area in their own house..Kyra is a successful real estate agent while Delaney is a writer for an environmentalist magazine.
The two couples' paths cross unexpectedly when Cándido is hit and injured by Delaney who was driving in that area. For different reasons, each man prefers not to call the police or an ambulance,and Delaney soothes his conscience by giving Cándido "$ 20 blood money," explaining to Kyra that "He's a Mexican." From that moment on, the lives of the two couples are constantly influenced by the other's.
Through the book;the Mexican couple will suffer in a horrible ending tragedy; they will struggle for jobs and food,they will face hunger,mistrust,rape,insults,physical abuse,fire and starvation...
The white couple will turn into two babbitts (as Sinclair Lewis might love to call the current american way of living with irresistible tendency of merging with the materialistic herd) under the power of conformity, and the vacuity of middle-class American life, in the context of storming mistrust and insecurity of their society;they will lose their human side and pre-existing principles..
This is a novel that has many events that won't bore you in any sense..This is a novel of real depiction of the unfortunate real american life in southern california,in northern california and in any other state .
We live in a society of materialism.. There was and is huge racial mistrust...This is all told beautifully in Tortilla Curtain.