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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
An interesting exploration of two couples living very different lives in an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles. While Delaney and Kyra fit the "limousine liberal" stereotype to a tee, Cándido and América, undocumented migrants from Mexico, have nothing and are camping in a canyon outside Delaney and Kyra's gated community. The book purports to be a satire, and certainly Cándido's name and dogged pursuit of a better life in spite of horrific setbacks harkens back to Voltaire's Candide. Some parts, especially those skewering the gated community's denizens and their slide into outright racism, were very funny. But América, in particular, (though Cándido also sees his share of misfortune) seems to exist solely to have misery upon misery heaped upon her, and this treatment by a white male author rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps the book is just dated, having been written in the mid '90s, but nothing here seemed particularly groundbreaking or provocative - it's by now pretty clear that many white people will sacrifice their high-minded moral positions to keep their creature comforts, so what's new here? However, the book is lyrically and grippingly written.
The Tortilla Curtain was an eye-opening novel. Boyle does an amazing job creating protagonists on opposing sides of the conflict. He tells Delaney and Candido's stories in a way that makes the reader sympathize with them, no matter what side of the conflict they are on. However, Boyle also describes other characters, antagonists, who he illustrates are similar to Delaney and Candido in their situation, but have taken up detestable means of solving or attempting to solve their problems. In all, Boyle does an excellent job in creating well-rounded and complex characters to illustrate the immigration controversy prevalent in the U.S. today. I found myself frequently moving back and forth between sides, and in the end, I had no idea how I felt on the subject because I sympathized with both sides so strongly.
If your life situation includes crossing paths with immigrants to the US in a daily/regular way, you may find this oversimplified; however, if your is not this way, you may find that it opens your eyes, mind and heart in unexpected ways.
Be aware... neither family life is a pick-me-up.
3+ stars
Be aware... neither family life is a pick-me-up.
3+ stars
I started this last night for the library book discussion on November 19. So far, so good! :-)
UPDATE: Some recent comments about this book have said it's a little dated, and although there may be some aspects of this book that may be different today, the main issues are still the same. Yes, it is a sad, upsetting story but this is still happening now, although I like to think there are more social service agencies available to Latino immigrants than what was available in the book (which was none--at least that was mentioned). The story was a fast, compelling read and the ending will knock your socks off and was interesting to say the least. I'm curious to see what the book group members have to say about this book.
UPDATE: Some recent comments about this book have said it's a little dated, and although there may be some aspects of this book that may be different today, the main issues are still the same. Yes, it is a sad, upsetting story but this is still happening now, although I like to think there are more social service agencies available to Latino immigrants than what was available in the book (which was none--at least that was mentioned). The story was a fast, compelling read and the ending will knock your socks off and was interesting to say the least. I'm curious to see what the book group members have to say about this book.
read this book in school. The story was ok, but i really don't like TC Boyle's writing style.
Depressing, descriptive and probably more interesting to me because I live in LA County. I don't know how to feel about this book, but I was entranced by the telling-from-all-perspectives.
This book started strong: a harrowing incident sets the stage for racial and socioeconomic divided protagonists. The innate feelings of the privileged couple may check the reader’s unconscious biases. As the story progresses, the structure of the book feels messy and the plot is diluted with repetition. What is the author trying to show? Recommended to me after American Dirt, I felt AD was a stronger, slightly different portrayal of this subject matter.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book starts out slow and builds the two main characters in exquisite detail. Stick with the book and you will find the story to excellent. As a sketch of human characters, I felt the author did a superb job of giving insight into the human condition. The ending is particularly powerful.