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The Tortilla Curtain

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The Tortilla Curtain

By: T. C. Boyle
Narrated by: T. C. Boyle
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About this listen

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.
Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Urban Fiction Comedy

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)
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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!

Important story, strangely abrupt ending

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

Great story mostly well read.

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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.

Great listen

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

Great book

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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.

Relentlessly gloomy.

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