Customer Reviews

Tortilla Flat

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Tortilla Flat is about several men who decide to live in a house all together and are a little to fond of wine. Several hysterical adventures follow. Beautifully written to upmost comic effect.

If you enjoyed books such as Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING or McCrae's CHILDREN'S CORNER, then you'll love TORTILLA FLAT. Tortilla Flat is truly one of Steinbeck's many masterpieces -- funny, touching, and exciting all at once. The novel is about Danny, a paisano from Monterey, his friends, and all of their crazy drunken antics. The stories in Tortilla Flat are charming and hilarious. Some of the best include the tale of Teresina Cortez, who fed her nine children solely tortillas and beans, and the chapter about Sweets Ramirez and her vacuum cleaner. The main characters are lovable too. Who could forget the child-like Pirate, the ingenious Pablo, the kind Jesus Maria, or the sharp Pilon? I would definitely recommend Tortilla Flat to anybody who is not offended by excess alcohol. This is a book that everybody should read!

Steinbeck simply cannot write a bad book. I thought his GRAPES OF WRATH was one of the most powerful and moving tributes to mankind ever. The only book that I've enjoyed more than this one is Jackson McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. This book is funny, endearing and very entertaining. Who would have thought Steinbeck could write humor so well?

I read about half of this book and just could not keep enough interest to finish it. While the writing is wonderful, there is just not much development of the story. Halfway through the book we have the same characters in the same place doing the same things. I suppose that's a theme of the story itself, but it was just a little too hopeless for my taste. If you want vintage Steinbeck, read 'The Grapes of Wrath.'

Pulitzer Prize winner, John Steinbeck is a classic master storyteller. Born in 1902 and died in 1968 he exemplified diversity in storytelling as "Tortilla Flat" demonstrates freshness to the ear.

The story's main character Danny becomes an heir to two homes, but his paisanos in the small town of Tortilla Flat convince him to "rent" one home to them. Paisanos are of Mexican, Indian, Spanish and assorted Caucasian blood. None of his friends can pay rent; they live off the benefit of others. Steinbeck ingeniously plays out a humorous story of camaraderie, loyalty, wine, women and more wine.

The paisanos share a philosophy that boasts good honest intention leading to a justifiable need for wine instead. The plot continuously unfolds with humor, wit, bonding, hospitality, visions, treasure, ethics, scheming, greed and evil. The friendship of all men evolves and slowly disintegrates as they separate.

Their philosophy is a departure from the socially conventional: Pilon, feeling guilty about owing Danny rent money, takes a job, earns two dollars in a day, and intends to pay Danny some rent, but he is swayed by the power of wine. He says "If I give him hard money, it doesn't express how I feel toward my friend." He buys and indulges a present of wine for two dollars and tells Danny it cost five dollars.

To get eggs, Pilon knows of neighbor, Mrs. Morales' chickens. He feels if he tears a hole in his fence, the chickens would like to nest in his tall grass. If they didn't pick her apples, they would spoil anyway.

When the house Danny rents to his friends burns, the men move in with him, and soon the story compounds as they scheme and entice more friends in.

Drinking cheap wine is a priority among the group as money is a chief problem. But with their loyal friendship they share laughs, music, more women, more wine, pets, and stolen or borrowed food.

The story is wonderful and Steinbeck book's are always page turners. He fills each page with critical vivid diction and brilliant prose.

Steinbeck's most famous classics include the novels, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Winter of Discontent, Cannery Row and the Wayward Bus. Some of his very successful short stories are The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony, The Moon is Down, etc. There is an extensive collection of non-fiction such as his journals: Travel with Charley, Sea of Cortez, Russian Journal. His stories were often set in California, his birthplace.

Read this, it is extremely enjoyable! ......MzRizz

I loved The Cannery Row and had the common feeling of joy and satisfaction after getting through a masterpiece as well as of regret that the book cannot be read again with the same satisfaction and interest. Thank goodness, there is Tortilla Flat. Very close to the sprit of the Cannery Row, it speaks about homeless guys who find a home (2 actually). Their life changes and now they are faced with the common world troubles: responsibilities, greed, and neighbours. The simple life of a homless was seems quiate attractive after you finish. Good read.

Great MBA book - good humor and story. Simplicity and simple people are always appreciated. There is more wisdom in common sense than in any finance book. Get this one.

"Tortilla Flat" tells the story of a group of friends who spend their time drinking wine and doing little else - except for thieving, cavorting with various women, and occasionally fighting with each other. Yet through all of these adventures, and some mishaps, they remain the truest of friends. They have formed a bond that even their conflicting desires and greedy natures cannot break.

After returning from WWI, Danny (the main character and leader of the gang) finds himself an heir to two houses from his grandfather. His friends quickly take up residence in first one house and then in Danny's house. They look out for each other, these six grown men, who vacilate from wisdom to foolishness, and bcome better men for having such friends.

As usual, Steinbeck's prose is at times sparse, at other times poetic. His characters are vividly drawn, and their sometimes larger-than-life antics are alive. "Tortilla Flat" may be hard to get into at the beginning of the novel, but once you've entered their world, you won't want to leave it.

This is a fable set in John Steinbeck's beloved Northern California. What it's all about are friendships and the dynamics of interpersonal dealings between immortal characters. Immortal in that every generation has their Pilons and Dannys, and of having things that you can hold in your own hand versus things that cannot ultimately be bought or sold. The appeal is due in part to the parallels in our own lives and the people in our lives. In every Steinbeck novel is a little gift of insight. This has many.

Tortilla Flat was a very humorous book, and I started out thinking I had found a new favorite. However, after about the half-way point in the book, I started to feel as if the story was going nowhere. It lacked a certain building tension that I usually feel when reading a truly great novel -- one that puts its claws into me and won't let go until I reach the dramatic climax of the story. So, it is a tough story to rate because the characters and their episodes are truly humorous, but the plotline gets to be too much of a diary and not enough of a building crescendo.

So, to tell you a little bit about the book, the story revolves around a group of people called paisanos living in/near Monterey, CA. A group of these paisanos lives their lives eschewing anything that smacks of responsibility, living in the woods and spending any money they come across on wine. This might seem tragic, but they seem to love their lives and have no compulsion to change.

The protagonist is Danny, who inherits two houses from a relative and ends up sharing the houses with his paisano friends. Steinbeck develops incredible characters with subtle humor in everything I have read of his, and these are no exception. They are drunkards, thieves, and fighters, yet they also adhere to a certain moral code with ferocity. The most humorous recurring episode is the rationalization of any wrong behavior. You can see their resolve eroding as they come up with some bizarre explanation of how their action actually benefits someone else. A great example is when Pilone steals Big Joe's pants in order to teach him a moral lesson...and if he gets some wine out of the deal, what harm is done?

Anyway, I want to rate this book higher because it is extremely humorous throughout, but I am only giving it a three because of the lack of build-up and because I thought the ending was lacking.

I am constantly amazed by Steinbeck's characters. His dialogue is so fresh and real, and the people who populate his seaside town are so vivid and different, that I can't even think of what to compare it to. I know everyone talks about the King Arthur parallel, but I could care less. I'm wrapped up in these lives regardless of grand themes and overarching motives. I leave that to the critics and the professors. Did I feel something, that's my only criteria. And I did.

Check out Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden for Steinbeck's best. Also check out Pastures of Heaven (a personal favorite).