num_pages: 207
description: Adopting the structure and themes of the Arthurian legend, John Steinbeck created a “Camelot” on a shabby hillside above the town of Monterey, California, and peopled it with a colorful band of knights. At the center of the tale is Danny, whose house, like Arthur’s castle, becomes a gathering place for men looking for adventure, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging—men who fiercely resist the corrupting tide of honest toil and civil rectitude.   As Nobel Prize winner Steinbeck chronicles their deeds—their multiple lovers, their wonderful brawls, their Rabelaisian wine-drinking—he spins a tale as compelling and ultimately as touched by sorrow as the famous legends of the Round Table, which inspired him.
language: English
title: Tortilla Flat
titlecomplete: Tortilla Flat
characters: Torelli, Pilon, Jesus Maria Corcoran, Pirate, Danny, Pablo Soler
genres: Fiction, American, The United States Of America, Classic Literature, Literature, Classics, Novels, Historical Fiction, 20th Century, Literary Fiction
ratings_count: 53843
places: California, Monterey, California
awards: awardedAt: -1104508800000
name: California Book Award
category: Fiction (Silver)
publisher: Penguin Books