Rating: 
Summary: Steinbeck's Ex-Classic
Review: The novel Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck, is about an expanding group of friends sharing a home. In the 1930s in California, off the coast of the Pacific Ocean, lives Danny, a twenty-five year old paisano (Spanish, Indian, and Mexican). He inherits two small cottages in Monterey, located in a place called Tortilla Flat, from his grandfather, who recently died. Danny finds old and new friends, who all come and live in Tortilla Flat. The bond of friendship becomes stronger as the men encounter poverty, romance, and alcoholism, but their contentment of having a roof over their heads is unexpectedly crushed. When tragedy strikes, it is blamed on the men's drinking problems. Even though the climax is exciting, the rest of the book is over one hundred pages of monotonous writing. Tortilla Flat should not be considered Steinbeck's finest novel and is not recommended to anyone because of uninteresting subject matter and repetitive conflicts shared by ever character.
Tortilla Flat's subject matter probably will not capture the reader's attention for very long. Throughout the book, the men continually sit in the house talking and drinking, otherwise they are contemplating ways to get money for wine. Although the characters' personalities are not similar, each person spent part of his life in the army and in jail. The main conflicts each man faces are alike, and their problems repeat themselves. All the friends are untrustworthy and will trade in anything for a small fruit jar filled with wine.
Rating: 
Summary: Tortilla Flat
Review: The book Tortilla Flat, by Steinbeck is a realistic fiction about three men and their friendship. Two of the men (Danny and pilon) inherited a house from one of their grandfathers just as the war against Germany had been declared. The third man (Big Joe) decided to join the other two in the army to help fight the Germans, but in the end they all got separated from each other.
I have read a lot of books about friendship and war so this book wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It was kind of predictable. I can relate to the character Danny because he is kind of stubborn and bossy, just like me. He wants things to go his way all the time because he thinks he is right and always tell Pilon what to do, and that is how I act sometimes. I wouldn't say it's a good trait to have, but it doesn't hurt every once in a while. For example, a quote Danny said was, "And you, Pilon, will cut the weeds and throw the trash in the glutch."(p.11) Also another example of his bossiness was something that Pilon said about his freedom, "My freedom will be cutt off. Soon I shall be a slave because of this Jew's house."(p.12) I think Pilon is saying that soon he will be following Danny's orders for the rest of his life and he will never be free. This book isn't for everyone becuase it moves kind of slow, but if you like to read about friendship and war then this is a good book to read. This book shows comradeship, love, and safety.
Rating:
Summary: Read it for school
Review: For school we had to pick a book by an American author to read over the summer and I picked this book. I thought that it was going to be really boring since it was written a long time ago and usually I read books that are new releases. And for the most part I thought the book was boring, but I also found myself likeing the book in other parts. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. However, I would not recomend this book to any of my friends because it's not a book that you would want to read for fun. This book just reminds me too much of books that You have to read in school. So the reason I give it 3 stars is because it didn't really interest me, but however was a good classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring you say?!?!??!
Review: When my father approached me and told me of Tortilla Flat, I assumed that the story would be heavy-going, based on characters with lives not worth knowing about. However, after reading the book for myself in just two nights, I found the characters amusing noticing their quaintness and eccentricity. The plot is certainly not the focal point of the book, it is indeed Steinbeck's genius that brings such stories to life with the autencity of the characters. It is difficult to explain a specific quality that makes this book such a fine read, I can only suggest that if Steinbeck appeals to you then this book is certainly one of his most delightful works.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, especially if you have lived in California.
Review: This is probably not the BEST book of Steinbeck's that I've read, but it's amusing in parts and kept me interested. It tells the story of a group of friends that are brought together when their friend, Danny, inherits a house from his dead grandfather ("viejo"). Each chapter after that is a mini-story in itself, all having a moral at the end of the chapter. While the book is somewhat sad at the end, I'm glad I read it. If you've been to the Monterey area, I highly recommend you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Steinbeck marinades Monterey in cheap wine
Review: This is more like a series of linked vignettes centered on the free-wheeling vagrant (with a home) communal that lives above Monterey. The Paisanos', headed up by Danny, lives are irrevocably altered once Danny is bequeathed two broken down homes from his recently deceased Viejo. Steinbeck's writing here is direct and the life lessons the characters stumble upon haphazardly seem profound. One of the most unique aspects of the work is how seeming dishonest thieving lifestyles are justified by the amoral moral code developed by the Paisano's. The whole story has a deep sense of place, with the run down Tortilla Flat sitting above Monterey coming alive bit by bit. I read the whole book on a 5-day backpacking trip, so it's a short quick read but one worthwhile. The only other thing that I've read by Steinbeck is "Travels With Charley" which I thought was fairly phenomenal. The writing style deserves a 5, but since the shortness of the book didn't allow it time to delve too deep beyond linked short stories I'm reserving my 5's for possibly some of Steinbeck's books yet to be read by me.
Rating:
Summary: simply superb
Review: Definately one of the better books in American liturature.
Rating:
Summary: Flat out terrific
Review: Danny and his paisano friends are Mexican-Americans living in Monterey, California. Danny inherits two houses from his grandfather and invites several of these friends to rent a room in one and then, later, in the other house. Danny being a very generous and kind person makes no effort to collect rent from his friends. Before long, several more friends are taken in. But one does not think of these men as mere freeloaders. Each one is well aware of Danny's generousity, and tries to repay Danny either in his own way or with the assistance of the other paisanos. This warmly appealing, colorful, and beautifully told novel recounts a number of the adventures of these men. Whether they are attempting to help a destitute woman with children suffering from malnourishment, or giving encouraging words to a young soldier whose wife abandoned him and their an infant son for a high-ranking officer, or merely drinking wine or scuffling with their fellow paisanos or with others, it is clear that these men truly love and look out for one another. They even form an ad hoc council to mete out severe punishment to one of their friends who is discovered stealing from them. My only reservation about the book is that Steinbeck tends to patronize the paisanos. He presents them as drunkards and slackers, who only work when they must raise some money for a special purpose. However, realizing that the novel was set in the 1930's when such stereotyping of Mexicans (and all minorities for that matter) was quite common, I was able to enjoy this wonderful book despite these minor shortcomings.
Rating:
Summary: Funny!
Review: This book is funny, endearing and very entertaining. Who would have thought Steinbeck could write humor so well? I love this book so much that I have forced everybody I know to read it. Another funny story he wrote is "Saint Katy the Virgin", which is about a pig. it's only about 12 pages long and I highly recommend it, you'll find it in his collection of short stories.
Rating:
Summary: Wine, women, song and tears
Review: I highly recommended this short novel but I would not do so for everyone. First of all, you must appreciate the novel being written in 1935 and the language spoken by the characters reflect that time period, rightly so. It only takes a short while to adapt and I found the story moving along at a nice pace as the personalities began to assume colorful portrayals. Steinbeck presents a group of men, or paisanos living in Monterey, California after the first World War. These are poor men, not especially motivated to work for a living and have a thirsty, never ending longing for wine. They circle around Danny, the fortunate one in the group, who inherited 2 small houses from his grandfather. Having no steady job, it makes sense to him to "rent" to his buddies. His buddies don't have jobs or revenue, either, so the compensation that takes place is in the form of companionship and the collective sharing of all foods begged from the back doors of groceries and restaurants. The hawking of whatever goods they come upon that can be bartered for the prized gallon of wine serves to be their highest priority. While seemingly desperate and pathetic, these men go to no end to rationalize their predicaments, twist truths and events to be self-serving and ultimately rewarding their endeavors by securing enough wine to satisfy them all. This can be quite a challenge, and the lengths they go to to fulfill their thirsty desires are hilarious. That the reader finds love and goodness in these fellows is reflected by the skill of John Steinbeck's writing. The book is a quick read and it was not long before I became fond and wiped away a few tears of sorrow and joy for each of them and the circumstances these men find themselves. The practise of their Catholic religion is random; they use it when they need it, commit small crimes in the name of it and dismiss the many restrictive "Thou shall not's" when seized in the throes of passion or inebriation. A greater sense of loyalty knits these men to each other. While women acquaintances come and go, the paisanos rely on each other and faithfully commit to one another. In spite of the inevitable drunken fights and arguments, the following morning beckons another day. All the sins of the previous day are (literally) forgotten and forgiven. In the dawn of the new day anything is possible, and the adventures these men get themselves into is pure comic entertainment.
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