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Original Essays | April 26, 2012

Florence Williams: IMG Breasts

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When I set out to write a book about the natural history of breasts, I knew I'd have to answer some awkward questions about my book topic. At a... Continue »
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14 Local Warehouse Literature- A to Z

The Tortilla Curtain

by T. C. Boyle

The Tortilla Curtain Cover

 

Awards

Winner of the Prix Medicis Etranger
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Topanga Canyon is home to two couples on a collision course. Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher lead an ordered sushi-and-recycling existence in a newly gated hilltop community: he a sensitive nature writer, she an obsessive realtor. Mexican illegals Candido and America Rincon desperately cling to their vision of the American Dream as they fight off starvation in a makeshift camp deep in the ravine. And from the moment a freak accident brings Candido and Delaney into intimate contact, these four and their opposing worlds gradually intersect in what becomes a tragicomedy of error and misunderstanding.

Review:

"A compelling story of myopic misunderstanding and mutual tragedy." Chicago Tribune

Review:

"Succeeds in stealing the front page news and bringing it home to the great American tradition of the social novel...A book to appreciate as we peer at the faces of strangers outside our windows, and wall ourselves in." The Boston Globe

Review:

"What Boyle does, and does well, is lay on the line our national cult of hypocrisy. Comically and painfully he details the smug wastefulness of the haves and the vile misery of the have-nots....Red-blooded Americans of every stripe will find themselves rooting for Candido and America, right up to the rip-roaring deus ex machina ending that screams out that we are all in this together." Barbara Kingsolver, The Nation

Review:

"This highly engaging story subtly plays on our consciences, forcing us to form, confirm, or dispute social, political, and moral viewpoints. This is a profound and tragic tale, one that exposes not only a failed American Dream, but a failing America." Booklist

Synopsis:

From the author of The Road to Wellville comes his most controversial novel yet--a deeply moving story of the men and women who risk everything to cross the Mexican border and invade the American dream. "Succeeds in stealing the front page news and bringing it home to the great American tradition of the social novel".--The Boston Globe.

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About the Author

T.C. Boyle is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels and has published seven collections of short fiction. He received the PEN/Faulkner Award for his novel World's End and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction. His stories appear regularly in the New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, and Playboy.

Visit his Web site at www.tcboyle.com.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 8 comments:
Michael in Berkeley, September 1, 2011 (view all comments by Michael in Berkeley)
T.C Boyle, an author I knew previously knew only by reputation, has gifted us not only a 'message' novel but an incredibly topical story as well. Alternating chapters between wealthy Los Angelenos with their white wine and gated communities along side stories of the mostly Mexican men and women driven north by poverty and the desire for a better life. Among intersecting worlds, there are no easy answers, mortal ambiguities abounding....a narrative that just plain moves...a book I am eager to get back to and finish. I will be reading more of Mr. Boyle's work is this one is any indication of his talents. Highly recommended.
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Anne McCloskey, January 2, 2011 (view all comments by Anne McCloskey)
Regardless of your feelings on the controversial subject of immigration, this is a must read book. It follows the lives of two couples in Southern California, a wealthy suburban dwelling professional couple and Mexican illegal immigrants trying to get work. When their lives intersect, the story becomes so compelling.
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Ivan, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by Ivan)
A fantastic, thought provoking book. It does a masterful job of showing both sides of the immigration issue, from the perspective of upper-middle class Americans as well as dirt poor immigrants.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780140238280
Author:
T. C. Boyle
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Author:
Boyle, T. Coraghessan
Author:
Boyle, T. C.
Location:
New York, N.Y.
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Mystery & detective
Subject:
Married people
Subject:
Los angeles
Subject:
Mexicans
Subject:
Illegal aliens
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Mexicans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Fiction.
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Married people - California - Los Angeles -
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
1996
Edition Number:
Reprint ed.
Edition Description:
Mass Market
Publication Date:
September 1996
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
368
Dimensions:
7.78x5.07x.72 in. .56 lbs.
Age Level:
from 18
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » German » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z

The Tortilla Curtain Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$5.50 In Stock
Product details 368 pages Penguin Books - English 9780140238280 Reviews:
"Review" by , "A compelling story of myopic misunderstanding and mutual tragedy."
"Review" by , "Succeeds in stealing the front page news and bringing it home to the great American tradition of the social novel...A book to appreciate as we peer at the faces of strangers outside our windows, and wall ourselves in."
"Review" by , "What Boyle does, and does well, is lay on the line our national cult of hypocrisy. Comically and painfully he details the smug wastefulness of the haves and the vile misery of the have-nots....Red-blooded Americans of every stripe will find themselves rooting for Candido and America, right up to the rip-roaring deus ex machina ending that screams out that we are all in this together."
"Review" by , "This highly engaging story subtly plays on our consciences, forcing us to form, confirm, or dispute social, political, and moral viewpoints. This is a profound and tragic tale, one that exposes not only a failed American Dream, but a failing America."
"Synopsis" by , From the author of The Road to Wellville comes his most controversial novel yet--a deeply moving story of the men and women who risk everything to cross the Mexican border and invade the American dream. "Succeeds in stealing the front page news and bringing it home to the great American tradition of the social novel".--The Boston Globe.

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