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  • The Tortilla Curtain

  • By: T. C. Boyle
  • Narrated by: T. C. Boyle
  • Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (51 ratings)
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The Tortilla Curtain cover art

The Tortilla Curtain

By: T. C. Boyle
Narrated by: T. C. Boyle
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Summary

A Radio 4 Book Club Selection.

Topanga Canyon is home to two couples on a collision course. Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacker lead an ordered, sushi-and-recycling existence in a newly gated hilltop community: He is a sensitive nature writer, she an obsessive realtor. Mexican illegals Candido and America Rincon desperately cling to their vision of the American Dream as they fight off starvation in a makeshift camp deep in the ravine.

From the moment a freak accident brings Candido and Delany into intimate contact, these four and their opposing worlds gradually intersect in what becomes a tragicomedy of error and misunderstanding.

Winner of the Prix Medicis Etranger and now a major motion picture.

Click here to see all the titles in our Radio & TV Book Clubs collection.
©1995 T. Coraghessan Boyle (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"A compelling story of myopic misunderstanding and mutual tragedy." ( Chicago Tribune)
"This highly engaging story subtly plays on our consciences, forcing us to form, confirm, or dispute social, political, and moral viewpoints....Boyle manages to address these issues in a nonjudgmental fashion, depicting the vast inequity in [the characters'] parallel existences. This is a profound and tragic tale." ( Booklist)

What listeners say about The Tortilla Curtain

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  • 06-11-16

Great book

Great to read and wonderful to listen to. Amazing performance by the author, I would strongly recommend this novel. Really interesting story line

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

I really enjoyed the complexity of this story and I disagree, I think it is the perfect ending. There is no resolution to this narrative which reflects life. I loved it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Important story, strangely abrupt ending

This is not an easy listen, although enthralling. The story of a clash of cultures, hopes and disappointments and racial tension… I was totally gripped by the entwining stories, however it ends abruptly halfway through the story with no resolution - which is incredibly frustrating!! I had to double check there wasn’t a final chapter missing!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Relentlessly gloomy.

This got recommended to me but I have to say I found it so relentlessly gloomy and depressing I wanted to it end long before it actually did.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story mostly well read.

Excellent apart from a few wincing moments when the narrator clearly made a guess at the pronunciation of words novel to him.

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