Rating: 
Summary: Another winner for Boyle
Review: For this being my favorite author, it is pretty embarrassing to be reviewing his book from 1997 or 98 so late in the game, but hey, there's been three kids born in that time and a bunch of other stuff.I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I know this is distressing to at least one member of my personal review list but so goes it, for as much as we agree on, we disagree just as much. This book is the one where Mr. Boyle tried to become more socially aware in his writing (at least in my opinion because I truly don't believe he meant to do so in "East is East"). There are two unfolding stories in this book, which of course intertwine; the stories of the Mossbacker's (forgive the spelling), an unabashedly yuppie couple in the heart of Southern California, and that of an illegally immigrated Mexican couple, Candido and America. Some felt T.C. was too harsh on the liberals in his not so subtle bashing of the yuppies. I think some of those who felt so were pissed that he told their dirty little secrets. He does seem more interested in the immigrant story line at times. This would be my one complaint, I didn't find the story lines equal in interest or worth, even though they were meant to be. This wasn't like "The Road to Welleville" with 30 story lines where some had to be more important than others; with only two they need to be more even in importance. Many didn't like that he didn't take a specific side in the Prop 187 issue which was a major political topic at the time. I don't think it was his place to. I think he wanted people to think about the issue in ways maybe they hadn't. I know I did. The book did have his usual verbal wizardry and humor, black as usual.
Rating:
Summary: Not a pretty read at all
Review: The Tortilla Curtain was unpleasant, not at all a fun read, but well worth the effort anyway. By the first quarter of the book I seriously considered not finishing it: I read for fun, and this wasn't fun. I found myself loathing the smug self-satisfied, self-congratulatory, insular upper-class white Americans who soothe their liberal consciences by recycling, and telling themselves that in so doing they have made their contribution to humanity. They were so alien to me, so cold-blooded and translucent that I did not and still do not give a damn what happened to them. The Mexican couple were however so painfully written that I identified with every agony they endured. I persevered with the book because I cared about them. They are the ones that made me glad I finished it. I can't say I put it down with a satisfied sigh, but I can say that it was brilliantly paced and executed.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Beginning Left Unfinished
Review: For the first 354 pages, this is an absorbing novel of two families living in Topanga Canyon in California. The characters are well-drawn and interesting, except for Jordan, the son of Delaney and Kyra Menaker-Mossbacher, who is completely cardboard, and Socorro, daughter of Candido and America, who is only a few weeks old by the end of the book. One can hardly expect much character delineation of an infant, but Jordan is old enough to be a real person. Kyra is a champion real estate salesperson, very driven, who loves her work perhaps more than her family. Delaney is a nature writer who wants to be laid back, but doesn't quite make it. He would have voted for Ralph Nader, but hesitated to admit to his neighbors that he hadn't voted for George W. Bush. Candido, in his thirties, and his beloved seventeen-year-old wife America are illegal immigrants from Mexico. The novel nicely contrasts the affluent lifestyle of Delaney and Kyra with the abject poverty of Candido and America, who seek honest work, and work hard when they can get any work, but are repeatedly cheated and robbed of what very little they have. After 354 pages that would have rated at least 4 1/2 stars, Boyle apparently ran out of steam, and halfway thru page 355 he just stopped writing.
Rating:
Summary: The haves and the have-nots
Review: In a compelling contrast between the economic density of the "haves" and the ever-changing paucity of the "have-nots", this author very skillfully contrasts the lifestyle of the Mossbachers, a family who lives within a gated community, and the much less fortunate, the migrant worker, looking for a place to work and sleep, out of sight of the authorities. Of course Candido and America Rinco are illegal aliens, who in desperation are living just down the hill from the Mossbachers. The homeless couple try to create some kind of a shelter for themselves, while Candido attempts to find work. While crossing a street, Candido is struck by Mossbacher's car, but he disappears into the brush. Now Mossbacher must agonize over whether this 'accident' was planned and if he will be sued for everything he owns. It is a stunning contrast in reality, but if you live like a Mossbacher, you probably won't like this book as well as a reader who sees the faces of the workers and is concerned with moral responsibility more than the price of a lawyer. This is a very powerful story as every nightmare that can happen to the down and out, does happen, and the people behind the gates are not so safe, after all. Someone has to tend their gardens and kitchens and children.
Rating: 
Summary: Subtle and haunting
Review: As an avid T.C. Boyle fan, I had high expectations of this book and it did not disappoint. It is the story of several intersecting lives but primarily those of the Mossbachers and the Rincons. The tapestry of circumstances grows larger and more complex as these couples gradually come to despise and fear what their counterparts have come to represent. Delaney could have been written as a caricature but Boyle allows the doubts and passions of this secure upper-middle-class Topanga resident to lend depth and breadth to someone in whom every reader has at least some flicker of recognition. Although I live on the other coast of the country, the omnipresence of domestic workers and landscapers with brown faces is as true here as it is in Boyle's fictional Southern California. Making their stories not just sympathetic but also complicated lends reality to these faces without sinking into condescension. I really appreciated that about the novel and found the ending surrealistic but thematically genuine. I was reliving the reality of the book for days afterward and thought about myself in many of those characters for a long time afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: There, but for the grace of God...
Review: Recommended by my friend Monica (a fellow bibliophile whom I met on a book chat board), "The Tortilla Curtain" has to be one of the saddest tales I've ever read. The parallels between Delaney + Kyra and Candido + America are stronger than the differences. So often, near-similar events happen to both couples. However, what seems like tragedy to the privileged first couple is NOTHING compared to the agonies faced by the second couples. Their lives come so close to one another, and indeed they meet -- but they never overlap to the extent that Candido and America will ever enjoy the fortune of Delaney and Kyra. (Incidentally, I don't know if it's the author's intention, but according to babynames.com "Delaney" means "Descendant of the Challenger" and "Kyra" means " Ladylike." I couldn't find a definition for "Candido," and America's name is simply cruel irony, as you'll learn when you buy this book.) And just when you think it can't get any worse. . . it goes beyond your imagination. And you just KNOW what's going to happen to the baby. The scariest thing about this story is that it's probably based on truth. This book was dark and miserable and not at all entertaining. You know what? Neither is life. I read this book when I was as low as I thought I could ever go. Above all else, this book will open your eyes to what you have -- and to what other's don't have. Unless you're a darned fool, "The Tortilla Curtain" will make you VERY grateful.
Rating:
Summary: not especially uplighting...
Review: As a Freshman at a college in PA, I was given the "Tortilla Curtain" as my first college summer reading experience. Just looking at the cover and reading the back made me feel this wasn't going to be my speal... I always find something to enjoy in every book I read, no matter what faults I may find, and this book was no exception. The Suject matter, theme, general point, yada yada were all quite good, the writing was well done, characterization though description and action especially good...It was just the story it'self didn't appeal to me, it was too dark and blunt for miss melissa in her fairy tale land of hope and inspiration....I was expecting something on the lines of finding inner strength and the dispelling of some racial conceptions and misconceptions... "The Tortilla Curtain" on the other hand took a more realistic approach, and covered the more outward aspects of life...sort of a "This is life, don't deny it's there.." feeling as opposed to the usual "This is life, what can we do to change." I sense that this book wasn't meant to be a lesson, but more of a look at life, a life that some of us dont see, or that we just avoid...it makes you feel gulity, even if your not a "yuppy" or a hater...because the transformation of Delaney could be any of us, we are all capable of it...and thats the point of the novel, to scare us, to get us thinking..about ourselves, our world...to see life for what it is, not just want we want it to be.
Rating:
Summary: True to life
Review: As a resident of Topanga Canyon, if found this book to be disturbingly true to life. Although perhaps a bit dated in the portrayal of the yuppies, the "curtain" between the canyon/valley residents and the invisible underpopulation is very real. The ending was a bit disappointing and it was difficult to find a truly sympathetic character, but overall the book succeeds and a eye-opener for the Valley white population.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: The Tortilla Curtain was an amazing book. It's a wonderfull story of life in Southern California, from two perspectives. The typical white suburban family, and a family of illegal mexican Immigrants. Details the fear and racism that abounds in this country. It also has a very interesting subplot with the coyotes. This book was a required summer reading for a college course, and I was skeptical to read it, but when I picked it up and began to read it I loved it. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book gives a great description of modern life in Southern California. From the perspective of both a middle class family and a family of illegal immigrants. Boyle is very successful in illustrating just how ridiculous and out of touch with reality most of us really are. My only real complaint is the lack of a plot, instead Boyle concentrates on describing and developing his characters (which really isn't such a bad thing). It's much like real life, not much ever really happens. But don't let that stop you from reading this, it is really worth your time.
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