John Steinbeck and John McDonough - Tortilla Flat

Pros: A book worth reading, talks about things out of my comfort zone.
Cons: none

I first time read Steinbeck on recommendation of my husband and the book was ‘The Wayward Bus.’ Hmm I am a bit ashamed to admit that before my reading world was limited to Mills and Boon and the likes. Nothing wrong with it maybe, after all English is my...

Pros: A fascinating look at street life in the 1930's, told by a master raconteur/philosopher.
Cons: A little preaching between the lines, but Steinbeck has earned the right to be preachy.

The street thugs of 1935 could pass for choirboys today. Their drug of choice was a gallon of wine. Their consciences haunted them when their crime victims gave them sob stories. They forgave one another, and had a remarkably "easy come, easy go"...

Pros: Fun and relaxed. Friendship at its finest.
Cons: Doesn't really amount to much.

Paisanos are a funny bunch. They are a “mixture of Spanish, Indian, Mexican and assorted Caucasian blood.” They love wine, particularly when it comes in a gallon jug. Working is a somewhat negotiable affair, with the negotiations often working in the ...

Pros: slight effect on characters through interaction
Cons: everything else

Let me preface this review by saying that I normally love John Steinbeck's writing. He tends to have an interesting human pulse throughout his books without tendency to condescension, no matter what character flaws arise. The heroes of his stories are...

Pros: Page turning, entertaining, fun filled story of friendship and the turns it takes.
Cons: none

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...

Pros: Quite funny
Written very well
Very entertaining.
Cons: Not a whole lot of action.

Tortilla flat is an amazing story that really digs deep into the mind of a group of criminals and mainly one in particular, Pilon. This may sound like a heavy topic but the tone of the book really makes it quite humorous on how these criminals can make ...