Tortilla Flat
by John Steinbeck · first published 1935
3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2013–2026first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
Adopting the structure and themes of the Arthurian legend, Steinbeck created a "Camelot" on a shabby hillside above Monterey on the California coast and peopled it with a colorful band of knights. As Steinbeck chronicles their thoughts and emotions, temptations and lusts, he spins a tale as compelling, and ultimately as touched by sorrow, as the famous legends of the Round Table. This is the first of a trilogy, along with 'Cannery Row' and 'Sweet Thursday.'
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Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5), Bukowski (Postman). Steinbeck (Tortilla flat). All their stuff is good, but those are my favorites :)
on “Ask HN: What literature do you read?” ↗…and actions that don't always live up to them, but sometimes surpass them. They are practical stories about real people we've probably met but don't fully understand. Cannery Row, To a God Unknown and Tortilla Flat are easy to read examples of this if you don't want to commit to East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath. Travels with Charley is also a log of America in the 60s, even if you take it as a novel. I can't…
on “Who Is America's Homer?” ↗…Comes (Ray Bradbury) 16. Fear and Loathing in Las Veges (Hunter S. Thompson) 17. Foundation's Edge (Isaac Asimov) 18. The Doors of Perception (Aldous Huxley) 19. Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson) 20. Tortilla Flat (John Steinbeck) 21. The Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson)
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗