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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Tortilla Curtain is a great novel, but a tough one to get through. It tackles the difficult and complex social issue of immigration and shines a light on the dark side of humanity. It is uncomfortable but Boyle has a gift for storytelling and pacing that makes this a compelling read. It's a great book for a book club because it provides for a lot of discussion. It is the first novel I've read of his, but I will definitely be reading more.
Not an easy read, but I fully endorse everyone to read this book.
Also the unintentional poop jokes are hilarious
Also the unintentional poop jokes are hilarious
I could not get interested enough, I was just skimming to try and read it
Insgesamt wirklich sehr spannend geschrieben. Aber wieder so ein offenes Ende wie bei den Terranauten...
This was a really interesting book. It looked at a few months through the eyes of a fairly wealthy California family and two illegal Mexican immigrants who live in the canyon below them.
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Tortilla Curtain is a fictional telling of a year for two very different couples living in California. The first couple are of Mexican descent and are illegal immigrants. The other couple is a Californian yuppie type where the woman is the main breadwinner of the family.
I had heard nothing but great reviews before I read this story. Unfortunately, I didn't find it as stellar. While it paints a fairly accurate picture of what life can be like for these two very different sets of people, it almost draws it too far into the unreal.
I can believe that many unfortunate things happen to the Mexican couple, however, Boyle seems to string it along this much (and even he compares it to the trials of Job) and makes it quite unbelievable towards the end. With everything that happens, it literally does not make sense that this couple does not give up and therefore, in my opinion, makes the book unrealistic.
The other couple, while starting out interesting, soon falls into a character portrayal of being shallow and having no redeeming qualities. While most people are only out for themselves, I have trouble believing that the whole community and this couple are such terrible human beings. Surely Boyle could have included a glimmer of light somewhere.
The ending also leaves much to be desired as it seems very unfinished. It is almost as if the author himself had had it with the book and was giving up.
In all, while this book opens the eyes to the atrocities that happen to illegal aliens it becomes too fanciful and stereotypical to really reach out and grab hold of hearts for its cause.
I had heard nothing but great reviews before I read this story. Unfortunately, I didn't find it as stellar. While it paints a fairly accurate picture of what life can be like for these two very different sets of people, it almost draws it too far into the unreal.
I can believe that many unfortunate things happen to the Mexican couple, however, Boyle seems to string it along this much (and even he compares it to the trials of Job) and makes it quite unbelievable towards the end. With everything that happens, it literally does not make sense that this couple does not give up and therefore, in my opinion, makes the book unrealistic.
The other couple, while starting out interesting, soon falls into a character portrayal of being shallow and having no redeeming qualities. While most people are only out for themselves, I have trouble believing that the whole community and this couple are such terrible human beings. Surely Boyle could have included a glimmer of light somewhere.
The ending also leaves much to be desired as it seems very unfinished. It is almost as if the author himself had had it with the book and was giving up.
In all, while this book opens the eyes to the atrocities that happen to illegal aliens it becomes too fanciful and stereotypical to really reach out and grab hold of hearts for its cause.
Somewhat immature prose and symbolism but kept me entertained.
Also, people who actually learned something about privilege and were amazed by the way he portrayed the main white couple, Kyra and Delaney, are you serious? I learned way more about the Mexican-American border issues from reading like two articles on CNN and NY Times and talking to my Mexican roommate for half an hour. If you think he brought up some real hard-hitting issues about privilege and immigration that you didn't know about, I'm not sure what rock you've been hiding under.
Then again, if people are approaching this book with no knowledge I guess it's better than nothing...but watch the news or talk to someone from Mexico if you want to actually learn something. In my opinion, Delaney's characters represent a much too simple dichotomy to learn anything substantial from.
Also, people who actually learned something about privilege and were amazed by the way he portrayed the main white couple, Kyra and Delaney, are you serious? I learned way more about the Mexican-American border issues from reading like two articles on CNN and NY Times and talking to my Mexican roommate for half an hour. If you think he brought up some real hard-hitting issues about privilege and immigration that you didn't know about, I'm not sure what rock you've been hiding under.
Then again, if people are approaching this book with no knowledge I guess it's better than nothing...but watch the news or talk to someone from Mexico if you want to actually learn something. In my opinion, Delaney's characters represent a much too simple dichotomy to learn anything substantial from.
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Kjedelig bok uten noe ordentlig motiv. Slutten var dårlig, hva skjedd med Delaney? Boka virket uferdig, føler den mangler mye. hadde aldri lest denne hvis det ikke var pga skolen, 2/5