Author: John Steinbeck
Length: 208 pages
Tortilla Flat
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Description
“When Danny returns to Tortilla Flat in Monterey, California, after the First World War he moves into a small house left to him by his grandfather. One by one, various ne’er-do-wells are drawn to Danny’s house—lured in part by the appeal of a rook over their heads, in part by Danny’s generosity and the camaraderie that springs up around him.”
Janet Dore –
“It is a fact verified and recorded in many histories that the soul capable of the greatest good is also capable of the greatest evil.”
I am a huge Steinbeck fan. “East of Eden” and “Grapes of Wrath”are high up on my list of favorite books.
But, this one was tough. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but my goal to read every one of Steinbeck’s books—and, I won’t lie, the short length of the book—powered me through to the end.
The quote above perfectly encapsulates the theme of this book.
“Tortilla Flat” is a deep dive into the lives of a group of dysfunctional alcoholic friends—Mexican paisanos (countrymen) living in the Hispanic neighborhood of Monterey just after the end of World War I.
The first detraction/distraction was the use of formal English (“thee”, “thou”, etc.) in the dialogue. WTH?
You have to dig really deep to like any of the characters. I never made it there…even with the couple characters that were potentially likable.
These are men who abhor responsibility far more than struggle, who choose to live a hand-to-mouth existence, and whose morals are based purely on their personal opinions and justifications.
And, they are masters at justifying anything and everything.
Every time you’re happy that they catch a break, they find a way to totally screw it up…and, they don’t care who they take down in the process.
If you’re looking for a tragic tale, you’ve found one in “Tortilla Flat.”
Only a discussion with Steinbeck could make me go higher than a 3-star on this one…but, unless I come across a genie, my rating stands.