Tortilla Flat

by John Steinbeck

Tortilla Flat

by
John Steinbeck

book data

6,480 ratings, 3.77 average rating, 421 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		23%
4		37%
3		30%
2		6%
1		1%

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published

February 1999 by Recorded Books (first published 1935)

details

Audio Cassette

characters

Danny

isbn

0788729284 (isbn13: 9780788729287)

description

John McDonough's reading of this marvelous Steinbeck novel is not without its flaws, but they don't much diminish the charm of the performance. Tortil…more

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Sep 16, 2007

Sarah Null rated it:

(review of isbn 0140042407)

bookshelves: american-as-apple-pie, californian, owned

Read in June, 2009

Much has been said about Steinbeck's apparent portrayal of Mexican Americans as lazy, amoral drunkards in Tortilla Flat. Some say Steinbeck was racist; some say he was just a product of his time. Which is right I do not know; Steinbeck may very well have been racist (he also uses "jew" as a slur and in several of his books uses unflattering stereotypes of Chinese people). I know nothing of the man's personal beliefs about race and it is a common fallacy to suppose an author always agr...more

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14 comments

Jul 23, 2007

Roddy rated it:

(review of isbn 0140042407)

bookshelves: literature

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: Everyone

I learned from this book that I continue to love Steinbeck. I despise the idea that he (like hemmingway for that matter) is sometimes considered a "simple" writer. Here's my opinion: Using flowery prose to add weight and impart meaning on a vaporous story is not great literature. A substantive story, containing meaning and moral, simply told IS great literature. This is what I run into every time I read Steinbeck. Hemmingway too. Simple construction - departing every so often to show o...more I learned from this book that I continue to love Steinbeck. I despise the idea that he (like hemmingway for that matter) is sometimes considered a "simple" writer. Here's my opinion: Using flowery prose to add weight and impart meaning on a vaporous story is not great literature. A substantive story, containing meaning and moral, simply told IS great literature. This is what I run into every time I read Steinbeck. Hemmingway too. Simple construction - departing every so often to show off that yes, they know EXACTLY what they're describing - for the most part just recording the story as they would an event that really happened. They don't need a $2 word every couple paragraphs, they need maybe three per book. Besides, none of the characters would know the word, so why would you use it to describe them? What are you, better than your subject? I think the point Steinbeck constantly makes is - no, you're not. The characters are interesting and simply made, archetypes almost. I've heard its a Camelot tale and I can see it. They even use "Thou" and "Thee" in some parts. But it never seems heavy handed, you can almost see the characters realizing they're playing a part and stepping up to do it. Like Cannery Row, its about a lot of down on their luck guys, and the people of the town about them. Some richer, some poorer, all with their own little story. And Steinbeck seems to love the little side stories. Thankfully, he's so quick with his pen they're like brief tangents that come, then go once you've gotten the point of them. He never departs from our subjects for more than a couple pages, never spends 5 pages describing a rock or a particular tree, or even any of the men or the home they live in. A story that makes your throat tighten at the end, and makes you wish...well, you're supposed to read it. But the desire to keep things as they are is a very strong one in real life, Steinbeck makes you feel that desire and sense of loss in the little world he creates, and it takes him less than 200 pages to do it. (less)

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Jul 27, 2008

King Dinösaur rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

bookshelves: all-time-favorites, classic

Read in August, 2008

I'm steadily working my way through Steinbeck's oeuvre and, so far, enjoying every minute of it. I like the style of "Tortilla Flat", although I'm not sure I understand the reason for it - as when the characters lapse into dialogue that includes "thees" and "thous". When this happens it lends the book a strange fairy-tale quality. Otherwise, Steinbeck tells the meandering story of a group of paisanos, friends living together in the newly-acquired house of the for...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

3 comments

Jul 13, 2008

Robert Burdock rated it:

(review of isbn 0141185112)

bookshelves: 50-novels-in-one-year, own

Read in August, 2008

Briefly, Danny, the chief protagonist in this novel, returns from the war to Tortilla Flat (a paisano district that sits upon a hillside above Monterey), to find he has inherited two houses. What then follows is a comedic tale that fundamentally can be summed up in 5 words - wine, friendship, food, women and err..wine again :o)

This is the first John Steinbeck novel I've had the pleasure of reading, and quite simply it has left an indelible mark on me. What captivates me in the first ...more Briefly, Danny, the chief protagonist in this novel, returns from the war to Tortilla Flat (a paisano district that sits upon a hillside above Monterey), to find he has inherited two houses. What then follows is a comedic tale that fundamentally can be summed up in 5 words - wine, friendship, food, women and err..wine again :o)

This is the first John Steinbeck novel I've had the pleasure of reading, and quite simply it has left an indelible mark on me. What captivates me in the first instance is the remarkable talent Mr. Steinbeck shows in the quality of his prose. He demonstrates an incredible talent for expressing himself literarily, and in the most poetic way. I could provide endless examples but as an illustration, instead of penning something simple such as "the Pirate used his wheelbarrow to help Danny", Mr. Steinbeck eloquently scribes it as "then borrowing the Pirate's wheelbarrow and the Pirate to push it, Danny..", which, like the most of the sentences in Tortilla Flat, read like silk.

If the quality of Mr. Steinbeck's prose forms one half of the success of Tortilla Flat, then the sublime depth of his characterisation fills the other half. Mr. Steinbeck succeeds at magnificently bringing his characters to life. Every one is profoundly realised, with each possessing their own idiosyncratic yet appealing qualities. It is a difficult choice to make but the most endearing character for me is "The Pirate', the man `whose head had not grown up with the rest of his body'. Conscientious, hard-working, a man of simple pleasure (a pleasure that consists of him either showing affection for his dogs, or working towards winning the approval of his friends), the Pirate epitomizes how a humble, honest and largely pious life should be lived, which superbly juxtaposes the lifestyles of the other friends in the group (well, with the exception of Big Joe Portagee :o)) which are as far from pious as one could get.

This is not to say that Danny and his friends never show good intentions at heart. Mr. Steinbeck is masterful at setting his characters on a path of good intention, only for them to either falter, or to manipulate circumstance to meet their own needs. This happens a lot, and more often than not, wine plays a role as either the primary motive or betrayer.

I truly loved reading Tortilla Flat. It is a delightful story, with magnificent characters, and I would consider it to be a work of absolute genius. I never thought it could be possible to be completely captivated by an author on the strength of reading one book, but I can state without fear of contradiction that Mr. John Steinbeck, thanks to Tortilla Flat, has found a rare place in my heart. I look forward to discovering the rest of his collection.(less)

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Sep 25, 2007

Sarahdorothy rated it:

(review of isbn 0140042407)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in September, 2007

This book wasn't nearly as offensive as I expected. However, it was still pretty racist and its hard to get around that to find too much pleasure in the other parts of the book. In addition to the super sterotyped Mexican characters (one member of the gang is Portuguese), there are also digs at jews. The book had some strange parallels to Cannery Row. There were parts of Tortilla Flat that made the book feel like a partial draft for Cannery Row. Its not entirely clear to me that Steinbeck kne...more

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2 comments

Feb 28, 2008

Kev D'Olivo rated it:

(review of isbn 0140042407)

bookshelves: american, modern

Read in April, 2008

Some things i noticed about this book:

1. Allegory for King Arthur and the knights of the Roundtable
2. Danny's good side represents Arthur, while his wild side represents Lancelot's later character.
3. For a while i thought Danny was a figure of christ becasue of his forgiving and sacrificial nature, but his later exploits dispeled this notion.
4. Torelli is definitley a symbol for Satan, the snake imagery surrounding his character is hard to miss.
5. The big pa...more

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Mar 11, 2009

Becky rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

Read in March, 2009

I loved this book. I did. Here's why: simple, straightforward, but oh-so-charming storytelling. No pretenses. What you see, is what you get. Danny. Pilon. Big Joe Portagee. Pablo Sanchez. Jesus Maria Corcoran. Pirate and his dogs. Some might argue that none of these are great characters. You might even make the (valid) point that each one is a 'failure' of sorts--since between them they're barely surviving by the world's standards. They live to drink and drink to live. But are they happy? ...more

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Dec 01, 2008

Alison Looney rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

I read an old copy of this book (not old as in antique or valuable, just old as in the pages are falling out and the paper smells funny), which might account for the somewhat odd blurb on the back. I don't have the book with me, so this definitely isn't a quote, but I'll try to capture the tone: some wild and crazy guys have good times on Tortilla Flat! Wine, women, and nonstop fun! You never know what will happen next!

After I finished the book, I read some literary criticism onli...more

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Mar 15, 2010

Ernie Santeralli rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

bookshelves: independent-reading

Read in March, 2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 30, 2010

Patti rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

Read in January, 2010

John Steinbeck is one of my all time favorite authors. While this is not one of my favorites of his books, I found that it stayed with me for several hours after I read it.

Steinbeck had an ability to write in a style that had many levels. I have heard scholars of Steinbeck say that Cannery Row was written with four notably different levels. I have found that as I read his books at different times of my own life, that I get it on a different level and see it as a different story. S...more

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Jan 25, 2010

Ryan rated it:

(review of isbn 0140042407)

Read in January, 2010

The primary conceit of Tortilla Flat - that the plights and minor adventures of a group of paisanos living in and around Monterey, California, in the years following the Second World War can be portrayed without much distortion in the style of the Arthurian legends - is the fundamental reason why I enjoyed this book. In contrast to the other books I've read by Steinbeck, though, it did seem this one was told not so much in order to tell a story, but to prove some kind of point which inherently ...more The primary conceit of Tortilla Flat - that the plights and minor adventures of a group of paisanos living in and around Monterey, California, in the years following the Second World War can be portrayed without much distortion in the style of the Arthurian legends - is the fundamental reason why I enjoyed this book. In contrast to the other books I've read by Steinbeck, though, it did seem this one was told not so much in order to tell a story, but to prove some kind of point which inherently lay outside the framework of the characters, even of the setting and reality of the story itself. It is as though it were written with an end in mind, as opposed to other books I've read by the same author, which tended not so much toward pleasing the critical audience with cleverness and rather self-satisfied narrative parallelism drawn from two very different and very distinct sources. Of course, I'm falling into the trap of trying to understand the motives of the author, who has no real responsibility to me of explaining them. In any case, I can't help but feel that this book was not written for any audience willing to be told a story, but for an audience only willing to attempt to prove how smart they are, or how smart the author isn't.

The conceit is a smart one, absolutely. And the book does deserve the praise it finds from the critical establishment for creating an intellectually stimulating correlation between two apparently widely disparate groups. Few other of Steinbeck's contemporaries would've taken the two parties of misadventurers and related them to one another - but the reasoning why escapes me. I have a few ideas, a few pregnant possibilities, but in the end, all I find is that it is all rather a facile end with no reach beyond the back cover. But then, I'm also not enthusiastic about the Arthur legend, which popularity seems to me to be not so much anything to do with the story so much as what the story has left out. I can understand why authors dig it, but as a reader, I guess I want a little more than a series of vaguely empty adventures. Those are easily enough found in any life - but it is the purposes that don't translate often enough, and that is sort of what this book also omits.

It's obviously not that bad. I find I've got a taste for Steinbeck's description, for his very readable prose and his clarity of character (these are people in the round, not facets of a legend) and his patient, if not entirely thrilled, understanding of all the good and evil there can be in any man. All these things are in the book. Although, even with these boons, it can be difficult to pick your way through the stories without wondering why you are reading them, or to what end any of it will come to. And I suppose that that is the biggest fault of this book - despite the neat formal tricks (the dialogue occasionally shifting into High Speech as the import of the adventure dictates itself to the individuals speaking - which is a funny trick, but also has a tendency to waylay a reader's forward momentum unless you ignore it), I never felt I wanted to be involved, because there was no quest, in the end, worth taking with them.
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Dec 17, 2009

Sarah Mcgowan rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

Read in December, 2009

Tortilla Flat was a great novel with positive morals and lessons. The main characters are a group of "paisanos" or mexican men. They are always trying to get out of completing their responsibilities. They do not spend their money wisely and often times use it to buy wine and get drunk. Tortilla Flat was inherited by Danny, the main character. Due to his generosity, many men are living in the house at the end. They each end up there due to personal issues (houses burning down, just got ...more

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Aug 16, 2009

Kellyreaderofbooks rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

Tortilla Flat is the name of a (fictional) poverty-stricken neighborhood of Monterey, California. The residents of the neighborhood (called paisanos, and a "mixture of Spanish, Indian, Mexican, and assorted Caucasion bloods") live in shacks on a dirt road, without electricity. Danny--a paisano recently returned from military duty--discovers that he has inherited his grandfather's two houses in Tortilla Flat. Eventually, several more of his friends move in with him.

After rea...more

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Jun 26, 2009

Davis rated it:

(review of isbn 0140042407)

bookshelves: classics, favorites

Read in June, 2009

recommends it for: Steinbeck junkies, those looking to get into Steinbeck

I don't know how Steinbeck does it. Everything I read by him just jumps off the page and into my brain; I become totally immersed in every single tale. Tortilla flats is no exception. The 5 paisanos (but what Steinbeck really means is Mexican) are not particularly sympathetic characters. In fact, some of the stuff they do is downright vulgar and criminal. And yet, I love every last one of them. Pilon, with his scheming logical instinct; Danny with his quiet authority; Pablo with his keen humanit...more I don't know how Steinbeck does it. Everything I read by him just jumps off the page and into my brain; I become totally immersed in every single tale. Tortilla flats is no exception. The 5 paisanos (but what Steinbeck really means is Mexican) are not particularly sympathetic characters. In fact, some of the stuff they do is downright vulgar and criminal. And yet, I love every last one of them. Pilon, with his scheming logical instinct; Danny with his quiet authority; Pablo with his keen humanitarianism; Big Joe with his hapless criminal tendencies; and Pirate, my absolute favorite.

Pirate is the reason this novella get's 5 stars instead of 4. He is the most masterfully written character that I have ever encountered in literature. It isn't that we know his entire history, that the prose describing him is beautiful; it's that I want to love him. I want to hold him and feed him steak and pour him more glasses of wine. I felt righteous indignation when 'Danny's Friends' scheme to steal his bag of quarters. I almost cried when Big Joe stole said bag. He altruistic in all he does. Even when joining the rest of the gang in crime, he is still a good guy. I think the most lovable quality about Pirate is the dogs. The way he lovingly takes care of his 5 dogs better than he takes care of himself. I applaud Steinbeck for his masterful creation of Pirate.

I found nothing nothing distasteful about this novel. I have heard of criticisms saying that it is racist. Honestly, I didn't see it. There a few derogatory statements towards Jews, but nothing to terribly offensive. Just because certain characters say it doesn't mean that Steinbeck felt that or meant it that way. The characters are depicted in an accurate manner for the time period, and are done so lovingly. These are men who aren't apart of the rat race, but are rather facing their own struggles for survival.

In summation, I greatly encourage anyone to read this book. It will only take you a day, possibly even just one sitting. Hopefully you will fall in love with the ragamuffin band of wino's!!(less)

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Jun 15, 2009

Ririenz rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

bookshelves: sastra-klasik

Read in January, 2009

DATARAN TORTILLA
John Steinbeck

Dataran Tortilla menggambarkan kehidupan kaum paisanos, yaitu rakyat jelata yang berdarah campuran antara Spanyol, Indian, Meksiko dan Kaukasia di sebuah daerah nelayan yang miskin. Dalam novel ini Steinbeck mengisahkan bagaimana kehidupan di dataran tortilla dengan Danny sebagai tokoh sentralnya. Danny adalah seorang paisanos yang lahir dan besar di dataran Tortilla. Dataran Tortilla adalah nama suatu daerah yang berada di ketinggia...more DATARAN TORTILLA
John Steinbeck

Dataran Tortilla menggambarkan kehidupan kaum paisanos, yaitu rakyat jelata yang berdarah campuran antara Spanyol, Indian, Meksiko dan Kaukasia di sebuah daerah nelayan yang miskin. Dalam novel ini Steinbeck mengisahkan bagaimana kehidupan di dataran tortilla dengan Danny sebagai tokoh sentralnya. Danny adalah seorang paisanos yang lahir dan besar di dataran Tortilla. Dataran Tortilla adalah nama suatu daerah yang berada di ketinggian kota Monterey. Danny digambarkan sebagai pribadi yang selalu disukai banyak orang. Dia tak punya keistimewaan apa-apa yang patut dibanggakan. Dia memang pekerja keras dan ulet tetapi tidak bisa diharapkan masa depannya karena dia lebih suka mabuk-mabukan dan hidup santai tanpa dibebani tanggung jawab.

Danny mempunyai dua orang sahabat yaitu Pilon dan Joe Portugis, tetapi mereka hidup terpisah karena perang. Suatu hari Danny mewarisi dua buah rumah dari kakeknya yang telah meninggal. Dan dari sinilah cerita mulai bergulir karena sesungguhnya Danny tidak menginginkan rumah itu. Ia lebih suka hidup bebas tanpa beban. Meski Danny seorang yang ugal-ugalan tapi ia masih mempunyai nurani sebagai manusia. Dengan kedermawanannya Danny akhirnya mengajak tinggal beberapa kawannya dalam satu rumah setelah rumah yang kedua musnah terbakar. Jadi rumah utama yang dahulu hanya ditinggalinya seorang diri sekarang telah bertambah banyak penghuninya dan harus berbagi tempat dengan Pilon, Pablo, Jesus Maria, Bajak Laut beserta kelima anjingnya, Big Joe Portugis dan yang terakhir datang adalak Kopral bersama bayinya juga Tito Ralph.

Danny dan kawan-kawannya beserta rumah yang ditinggalinya merupakan kesatuan yang tak dapat dipecah-pecahkan. Mereka telah menjadi satu keluarga. Rasa kemanusian , kebijaksanaan, kedermawanan dan kearifan sering hadir dalam fikiran orang-orang yang aku anggap “ terbatas “ dan sangat sederhana itu. Mereka bahu-membahu baik dalam susah maupun senang walau kadang agak sulit menerima jalan pikiran mereka yang sangat aneh dan egois. Yang membuat aku tak habis pikir adalah bahwa tradisi masyarakat di Monterey dan dataran Tortilla tidak bisa dipisahkan dengan minum-minuman keras. Mungkin karena pengaruh minuman keras jadi otak Danny dan kawan-kawannya juga kacau. Para anggota keluarga itu selain Bajak Laut sering melakukan pembenaran terhadap tindakan kriminal yang telah mereka lakukan. Misalnya mencuri ayam, menipu pemilik warung bernama Torelli bahkan menjual barang teman sendiri. Tetapi mereka juga bisa berbuat baik misalnya membantu Nyonya Theresina Cortez dan anak-anaknya yang terancam kelaparan.

Kehidupan Danny dan kawan-kawannya mulai berubah ketika sang tuan rumah dilanda keresahan yang tak kunjung mendapat jawaban. Kemelut dalam jiwa Dannya membuatnya gila dan sering melakukan tindakan-tindakan kriminal yang lagi-lagi ditanggapi secara permisif oleh orang- orang di sekelilingnya. Kegilaan itu akhirnya berujung pada kematian karena secara tidak sengaja Danny terperosok ke sebuah jurang dan mati seketika. Dengan meninggalnya Danny maka berakhir pula masa-masa indah keluarga itu. Masing- masing pergi untuk melanjutkan hidupnya karena perekat yang mempersatukan mereka kini sudah tiada.

Novel ini diterjemahkan secara apik oleh Djokolelono sehingga kita bisa memahami makna yang tersirat dari kisah yang dituturkan oleh Steinbeck ini tentang hakikat dan eksistensi hidup kita di dunia. Yah…kurang lebih begitulah ceritanya…

Rienz
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Aug 11, 2009

Ryan rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

Read in August, 2009

I was pretty disappointed with this, surprisingly so. I love everything that Steinbeck has written, always return to him faithfully for a little hope in the human race, and always count on him for an interesting read; this was so dull, cheesy, and overall lame -- I'm amazed.

Ironically enough, the front and back covers bare quotes I find to be more funny than the material they claim to describe -- "Hysterically funny," "this lively modern classic is as delightfully hila...more I was pretty disappointed with this, surprisingly so. I love everything that Steinbeck has written, always return to him faithfully for a little hope in the human race, and always count on him for an interesting read; this was so dull, cheesy, and overall lame -- I'm amazed.

Ironically enough, the front and back covers bare quotes I find to be more funny than the material they claim to describe -- "Hysterically funny," "this lively modern classic is as delightfully hilarious as it is profoundly human," "the famous novel of love, laughter, and larceny in an uninhibited private world." I didn't really find anything funny in this, nor was there any profoundly humanity explored. This is a simple story of a bunch of vagrants who pile in with a friend who randomly inherits two houses. They sit around all day, drink wine, think of ways to scam money for more wine, steal shit to trade for wine, sit around, "philosophize," and drink wine. That's it. I really didn't find any of these episodes humorous at all, just a bit lame. Why wouldn't anybody crack these guys over the head? Why would anyone be friends with them if they rip them off and drink the wine they both earned without the other? How can they keep falling for the same old tricks each plays? Why would Danny even let them in for all the shit they pull? It just makes no sense, isn't funny, and lacks all of the profundity that I've come to expect of Steinbeck -- his characters profess to philosophize but say NOTHING.... Yeah, there are scenes with women; but is this a "novel of love"? Hardly.

Oh well. I'm sure I'll keep coming back to Steinbeck but I think it's evident that what I loved most was all of his classics -- Grapes of Wrath, Mice and Men, East of Eden -- and now trying to move through the rest of his oeuvre is leaving me with his less than marvelous works. Maybe even he realized how lame this novella was and rewrote it ten years later, improved the storytelling, created more interesting and more personal characters, gave it a real plot, discovered what humor actually was, and named it Cannery Row. (less)

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Mar 08, 2009

Oceana9 rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

HILARIOUS!!! Not deep or containing reflections about the meaning of life, just really, really fucking funny. The guys in it are shiftless winos whose main purpose in life is to score a jug of wine and sit around drinking it, but the scrapes they get into are so ludicrous and well-written that you come to love all of the weird, dsyfunctional, wine-scheming characters. My favorite is the slightly retarded one who lives in a chicken coop with his nine dogs. This book is too short, John Steinbeck. ...more

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Mar 05, 2010

Taylor Dennis rated it:

(review of isbn 0582461502)

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I felt it was an easier read and was followable and understandable. I would recommend it to anyone. The main idea of this book is "paisano" or the bonds of friendship. It was about a group of friends starting with Danny and Pilon, that either knew each other in the World War or became good friends after. In a way, it has the whole "rags to riches" effect. Danny is a poor man living on the streets that comes to find at the beginning of the ...more

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Mar 14, 2010

Megan added it (review of isbn 0582461502)

Read in March, 2010

Tortilla Flat is the story of a group of poor men who come together to live and share what little wealth they have, while taking part in many adventures. With just the right touch of comedy and tragedy, this book is lighthearted and enjoyable to read. Though the characters are theives and criminals, it is difficult to develope a hatered towards them. In the end, they always have good intentions which outweigh the crime. Not only are the characters likeable, but also Steinbeck's style of writing....more

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Dec 16, 2009

Soniya Sheth rated it:

(review of isbn 0451008162)

bookshelves: independent-reading-3ap

This book revealed the importance of friendship between the main character(Danny) and his close friends. Danny earns two houses as an inheritance after his grandfather's death. As Danny returns back from war he settles into one of the houses and the other he rents to his friends. Later the house rented by his friends burns down due to unwise actions. Throughout the story the characters go through challenges of friendships and the adventures throughout the story take place in the house representi...more

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