THE TORTILLA CURTAINT. C. Boyle ~ BOiPod
Personal Rating: 3/5
Yearly Count: 77
This is another author that I was a tad bit curious about and then happened to stumble upon the book on CD, so I snatched it up. I can now cross his name off my 'wanna try authors' list.
The Tortilla Curtain was running under the "just okay" mark for most of the book, but thankfully it picked up towards the end. The book concentrated on and revealed the attitudes, perceptions and prejudices of people on both sides of the Mexican border by illuminating two specific families. Unfortunately, I believe it gave a decent characterization of what transpires between Mexican immigrants and Americans.
Interesting--was it nonfiction or fiction? I know this is such a hot topic everywhere, but we certainly feel it a lot living in Texas. Hubby is from a border town and so has an even stronger opinion than I do. :) We don't talk about it often...
ReplyDeleteOut of curiosity - What does it mean when you write "Reselved"? Was this a library book or one that put back up before finished? Always wondered, just now asking.
And thanks for your words of wisdom...
Interesting concept; it's too bad it sounds like this book didn't quite do it justice.
ReplyDeleteI know we don't agree on most books, Joy and this one is no exception. I implore you to give this one another chance, only this time read the print version. Maybe the narrator wasn't up to snuff, or maybe you had an abridged version.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the finest novels I've ever read and I know lots of people agree that it is a modern classic. Consider trying again...for me...pretty please?
Trish ~ The book is fiction.
ReplyDelete"Reshelved" means I began it and liked it well enough, but knew I wasn't in the mood for it. For one of them it was just a couple of pages. I don't buy books very often, so almost all of the books I read are from the library, making me at the mercy of when the "holds" come in. Sometimes, I just don't feel like reading them at that time, but certainly want to on a later date. They are literally "reshelved" at the library. :) I'm glad you asked.
My wisdom even boggles my mind sometimes. LOL :) LOL
I haven't read T.C. Boyle in a long time, but I remember liking some of his short fiction. This sounds like an interesting topic, at least. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteHeather ~ It may have, but not for me. :)
ReplyDeleteKookie ~ Well, the narrator was the author, so I don't think he was the problem. I actually kept listening because of him. :) Nope...not abridged.
Oh, Kookie, you said the magic word (or is it the evil word?), "classic". Don't you know that classics and I clash!?! And, I gave it a 3 ... that's a great rating for a classic from me!!! Now that I have the psychological damage of knowing it's considered "one of those", I think I should stop while I'm ahead.
Gentle Reader ~ Maybe if you know ahead of time that it's sort of slow and ... well, slow, then you could appreciate the story more.
ReplyDeleteKookie ~ I just checked these stats out and thought you'd be interested:
Barnes & Noble: 11 comments with an average of 4 stars.
Amazon: 227 comments with an average of 3.5 stars.
Jason and the Money Tree is a Black and White children's book published in 1974. I'm I getting warmer?
ReplyDeleteMaggie ~ That's not it, but thank you so much for trying. It's not a black and white book. We just remember a "scene" when the pages were dark. It could have been night. ???
ReplyDeleteI read Boyle's Talk, Talk and didn't really care for it. After reading your review of Tortilla Curtain, I think I can easily pass it by.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this book when I read it several years ago, while living in a community with a large Mexican population. It rang so true to what I was seeing around me.
ReplyDeleteSo often I think, whether books do or don't seem "relevant" to us has as much to do with us and where we are (literally and figuratively) and it's a beautiful thing when they intersect, isn't it? But it doesn't happen all the time.
Came here via Semicolon - will come back again!
Booklogged ~ And I think I'll pass by Talk Talk. :)
ReplyDeleteDiana ~ I'm so glad you stopped by! I look forward to your return. :)
In response to your comment: ABSOLUTELY! I LOVE when that happens, too. I remember reading certain books when I was newly married and when our children were young (grr...that statement made me feel old) that touched my heart deeply. If I were to read them now, I know my thoughts would be different. I probably would think they were "pleasant" versus "right on target" reads. There truly are so many variables that go into a successful read.
I'll pop by your blog soon.