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The Tortilla Curtain Audiobook
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(3.00) - 12,742 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this explosive and timely novel, T. C. Boyle explores an issue at the forefront of the political arena. He confronts the controversy over illegal immigration head-on, illuminating through a poignant, gripping story the people on both sides of the issue: the haves and the have-nots.
In Southern California’s Topanga Canyon, two couples live in close proximity and yet are worlds apart. High atop a hill overlooking the canyon, nature writer Delaney Mossbacher and his wife, real estate agent Kyra Menaker-Mossbacher, reside in an exclusive, secluded housing development with their son, Jordan. The Mossbachers are agnostic liberals with a passion for recycling and fitness.
Camped out in a ravine at the bottom of the canyon are Cándido and América Rincón, a Mexican couple who have crossed the border illegally. On the edge of starvation, they search desperately for work in the hope of moving into an apartment before their baby is born. They cling to their vision of the American dream, which, no matter how hard they try to achieve it, manages to elude their grasp at every turn.
A chance, violent encounter brings together Delaney and Cándido, instigating a chain of events that eventually culminates in a harrowing confrontation. The novel shifts back and forth between the two couples, giving voice to each of the four main characters as their lives become inextricably intertwined and their worlds collide.
The Rincóns’s search for the American dream and the Mossbachers’ attempts to protect it comprise the heart of the story. In scenes that are alternately comic, frightening, and satirical, but always all “too real,” Boyle confronts not only immigration but social consciousness, environmental awareness, crime, and unemployment in a tale that raises the curtain on the dark side of the American dream.
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"After this year's discovery of the long drug smuggling underground tunnel between Mexico and the USA, the very violent drug cartel wars of the border towns and cities, and my constant exposure to my fellow Mexican Paisanos for whom I do medical Interpretations, this book hit home in a way that few books do. It was an underbelly punch that had me gasping for air throughout the entire book and hoping for the best each time the parallel lives between the Gabachos and the Ilegales collided. If anything, this book is a fictitious account of a horrific reality that happens every day in this our USA. I applaud Mr. Boyle for writing such a gripping and real account of these two worlds. I recommend it highly and hope many more Americans read it and open their eyes to another way of looking at life and perhaps lend a hand to remedy the situation. 355 pgs."
— Saskia (4 out of 5 stars)
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“T. C. Boyle’s intimate connection to this story provides the precise character interpretation necessary for a high-energy and entertaining performance…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“A rich and moving novel about the price of the American dream by America’s most imaginative contemporary novelist.”
— Newsweek -
“A compelling story of myopic misunderstanding and mutual tragedy.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“A book to appreciate as we peer at the faces of strangers outside our windows and wall ourselves in.”
— Boston Globe -
“Boyle manages to address...issues in a nonjudgmental fashion, depicting the vast inequity in [the characters’] parallel existences.”
— Booklist -
“Lays 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.”
— Barbara Kingsolver, bestselling author of The Bean Trees
Awards
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Winner of the Audie Award for Best Narration by the Author
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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Winner of the 1997 Prix Médicis Étranger Literary Award
The Tortilla Curtain Listener Reviews
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" A wonderful story by an accomplished writer. This is his best. "
— Cinda, 2/7/2014 -
" The most teachable book about the challenges and tragedy of immigration that I have encountered. An insightful look at perspective, it manipulates the reader's attitude throughout. At times it could dig deeper and at other times it's a little forced, but still definitely worth the read. "
— Dave, 2/5/2014 -
" This book may be why I don't read any more T.C. Boyle books. He writes so well, but his endings are crap, especially in this book. It's so disappointing to get to the end of a book that you've put all this time in to and come away unsatisfied. "
— Mara, 2/1/2014 -
" Amazing story of all the barriers and difficulties that come along with crossing the border when all you long for is a better life. "
— Reina, 1/30/2014 -
" This is at least the second time I have read this book, and yes, the female characters are underdeveloped; and yes, Boyle can be a bit too aware of his adroitness with language; and yes, the novel is bleak in its outlook. I still love it. The topics are timely and Boyle's skill is undeniable. My 11th grade students need to read this book. "
— Joline, 1/19/2014 -
" Almost hard to read but very insightful. "
— Christine, 1/16/2014 -
" Good book, an eye opener. Can be disturbing but is a great contrast of life styles. "
— Marilyn, 1/9/2014 -
" This was great! Big T.C. Boyle fan "
— Adelyn, 1/5/2014 -
" Very interesting- touching on the whole illegal immigration issue with Mexico. A little slow at times and the ending drove me nuts. "
— Casey, 1/4/2014 -
" Wow, some serious drama in this book. I love Boyle's style--the way he'll end a book at exactly the right point. "
— Kurt, 12/21/2013 -
" Enh. You could do better. However, if you happen to come from a silver spoon environment, in which your only contact with Mexican and Latino immigrants is when they are serving you, then you should probably read this one. "
— Karina, 12/12/2013 -
" I thought it was great. I'm not sure when I started liking books like this, but I really enjoyed it now. It was well written with interesting characters, and physical descriptions I could easily picture. My only complaint is it didn't have an ending! "
— Pam, 12/10/2013 -
" Almost gave up on this 3/4ths of the way through. The action was dragging and it was a downer. I stuck with it and it picked up in the last quarter. "
— Gayle, 12/5/2013 -
" Topic is of all times and all places. Especially towards the end I couldn't stop reading, I just had to know how it would all end. "
— Thaliane, 5/3/2013 -
" Good but needed editing. repetitive, relentlessly sad, but compelling. "
— Dee, 3/25/2012 -
" Excellent look at the dichotomy of life in So Cal. "
— Kimldavem, 11/27/2011 -
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Tristan Jaramillo, 11/4/2011
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" An intricate plotline, a nice writing style, and it really challenged me to think about immigration in a different way. "
— Naomi, 8/24/2011 -
" Excellent and prescient story about Latino-Anglo collision. Hoping that Kevin Costner doesn't fuck it up on screen. "
— Misha, 6/27/2011 -
" Good book, an eye opener. Can be disturbing but is a great contrast of life styles. "
— Marilyn, 5/23/2011 -
" Raining shit storm. I wanted to murder every single character. (Does this mean it was well-written...is that the reaction Boyle wanted from readers?) "
— Mary, 5/12/2011 -
" An illegal immigrant family and a yuppie couple cross paths in the area around Topango Canyon in southern California. The book told the story from both perspectives and the reader feels for all the characters. It was a good book. "
— Susan, 5/7/2011 -
" in terms of craft this book is fantastic. but what he puts his characters through is unbearable. "
— Jessie, 5/5/2011 -
" I really liked the juxtaposition of the two worlds! Ironic and so sad! I liked everything about it! "
— Jody, 5/4/2011 -
" This book is so sad, I can't just sit down and read it. Great read and the ending provided a hopeful outcome after all. "
— Karen, 5/2/2011 -
" At the time I read it, I like it but more importantly, this is one book whose characters I will not forget. "
— Sheila, 4/11/2011 -
" I loved this book...great insights as well as characters that draw you in...of course, T.C. Boyle has a way of always doing a "good" job at what he creates even when they are totally different than other things he has written. "
— Jane, 4/11/2011 -
" Well written but sad. A total TC Boyle type of book. "
— Patrice, 4/10/2011
About T. C. Boyle
T. C. Boyle is an American novelist and short-story writer. Since the mid-1970s, he has published eighteen novels and twelve collections of short stories. He won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1988 for his third novel, World’s End, and Frances’ Prix Médicis étranger in 1995 for The Tortilla Curtain. His novel Drop City, a New York Times bestseller, was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award. He has also won the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, the Henry David Thoreau Prize, and the Jonathan Swift Prize for satire. He is a distinguished professor emeritus of English at the University of Southern California.