Customer Reviews

The Brothers Torres

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4 star:		(2)
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I confess: I simply adore Frankie Towers. I haven't fallen so hard for a character since Ponyboy Curtis in the 7th grade. (And I'm old enough to know better!) You'll fall for him, too, as his honest, witty narration captivates you, enveloping you in his infatuation with the lovely Rebecca Sanchez, who may be even fuller of heart than heat--and she is smokin'--and immersing you in his disappointment with his caring-but-clueless parents. Frankie's voice supplies a fresh and original twist to a timeless teenage tale.

I read the book straight through--couldn't put it down! I loved the realistic dialogue exchanges between Frankie and Zach. What a fun-loving pair of nerds with explosives. (And how refreshing that no one thought they'd blow up the school...on purpose anyway.) These loyal friends could've easily been plucked from my Midwestern classroom (or my husband's friends for that matter). The authentic portrayal of their friendship may be my favorite feature, of many favorite features, of the novel. When Zach comes to Frankie's aid despite his anger, it's such a heart-warming and true moment.

I was particularly struck by the difficulty the boys have in negotiating the social scene and the "masks" so many young men feel pressured to wear to gain respect. In the characters Steve, Frankie's popular older brother, and Flaco, the leader of the local cholos, Mr. Voorhees captures that "tough guise" aspect of male culture, to quote Jackson Katz, and all its complexities exactly right. Working at his parents' restaurant, Frankie discovers an alternative to the allure of the gang in his brother's best friend--and Flaco's cousin--Cheo. Which role model will he choose to follow?

Such a funny and moving story, it had a very strong emotional impact on me. Saturated with details of New Mexican flavors and landscapes and packed with action--on the soccer field, on the school campus, at the local mini-golf, and even a certain vehicle's back seat--The Brothers Torres has universal appeal beyond YA lit. It speaks to that lost and searching sixteen-year-old soul within all of us. Frankie discovers important truths about courage, forgiveness, and tolerance as his childish illusions are shattered by harsh economic realities in their small town of Borges.

A treat as tasty as one of Mrs. Towers' stuffed sopaipillas, you oughta snap up this extraordinary coming-of-age novel and devour it! And somebody smart oughta snap up the film rights.

I confess: Playing with explosives and fire ants isn't exactly my thing. But this novel does a wonderful job of telling you about some young men with a penchant for such mischief, and you will find yourself not only liking them, but also wishing that messing around with firecrackers was the extent of their problems. Unfortunately, things are more serious than that in the run-down New Mexico town of Borges, and the story that Voorhees has crafted is textured, thoughtful, and suspenseful. It might be a bit much for children under, say, 14, but for anyone 15 and up, this book is great!

A fabulous read whether you're 17 or 47! Really, I can't remember the last time I read a book in 2 days. Nor can I remember the last time I read a book that so perceptively brought me into the mind of a teenager, and in many ways into the mind of the teenager each of us has been and still might be from time to time. Voorhees' prose sails, his dialogue is fat-free and witty, and his depiction of the American southwest is pitch perfect. Reading this book will make you lose respect for the publishing industry marketing people who pigeonhole books in categories like "young adult books," but you won't spend too much time feeling peeved because you will love the story of Frankie Towers and will feel lucky to have found a fresh new author.

Coert Voorhees' debut novel, "The Brothers Torres," is an incredibly engaging and thoughtful work thanks to its compelling storyline and appealing and real lead character. My wife and I are in our thirties, not our teens as the protagonist and his friends, but that did not stop us from reading this book together very quickly. We loved it and it rang very true to us about the teenage years -- thought provoking both in shedding light on our own former lives as teenagers, and our children's upcoming teenage years. It is very hard to put this book down once you start reading it.

Frankie's attempts to impress his older brother, friends, and girls, and make his way through the high school years with both integrity and satisfaction, are incredibly endearing. The language is colorful and funny. Frankie's casual and sincere confessions to the reader (it is written in first person) and his awestruck love of a girl named Rebecca are a delight. The relationships between parents and the kids are fascinating, varied, and realistic -- perfectly illustrating the lives of people at different stages of life who are all generally trying to do the right thing, but who simply don't quite fall in step with each other. It's too bad we all didn't keep as delightful a diary as this one when we were growing up.

Voorhees handles race relations in a very honest way, but is not heavy handed or preachy about it all -- quite a feat. The same can be said of his handling of the relationships of people in different socio-economic groups. I particularly like the empathy he has for his characters -- even the characters doing the wrong thing are generally portrayed as people making the wrong choices in a challenging world, not black and white evildoers.

The book is great on its own; still, I hope it's made into a movie someday. It would be wonderful to see a funny, real, hip and intelligent story about teenagers made into a film. This tale, and its characters, are just as compelling as the typical teenage bubble gum movie, but much, much smarter. I hope somebody can get this book into Hollywood's hands.

I have no doubt readers of any age will enjoy this book and get something out of it. My wife and I both look forward very much to his next novel.

This is a very enjoyable book from an author, coert voorhees, who has proven himself to be a gifted writer and story teller. The character development is superb, the use of English and Spanish language is highly entertaining, and the storyline will captivate readers, especially those in the "young adult" age who will especially appreciate the humor and insight of this novel.
A great read for students of all ages.
Highly recommended...you won't be disappointed.

Coert Voorhees' debut novel provides a compelling and brilliant insight into one of life's greatest and most awkward transitions: the coming of age in high school. As someone with limited free time (i.e. a dad), I expected to read this book in small pieces over a few weeks -- so it was a complete surprise to find myself still turning the pages of The Brothers Torres long after midnight, and to finish the book in one evening. I simply couldn't put it down!
Highly recommended.

Frankie and his brother Steve are very different. While unpopular Frankie spends his time playing with explosives with his best friend, working at his parents' restaurant, and dreaming about Rebecca Sanchez, Steve is the widely respected soccer star with a scholarship and the perfect social standing.

But then John Dalton, son of the man who practically owns their little New Mexican town, picks a fight with the brothers, and Steve is bent on retaliation, especially when John starts fights with Frankie when he's alone and outnumbered. As things escalate and Steve begins to take more and more risks all in the name of respect, Frankie will come to realize that garnering respect and doing the right thing don't always go hand in hand.

The Brothers Torres is an unassuming novel that carries a powerful message within its pages. This unlikely coming of age story is punctuated by the rich Hispanic culture and influence and its pages are scattered with Spanish words and phrases that give it a completely authentic and genuine feel. All at once serious and humorous, poignant and full of everyday occurrences, this book speaks volumes about what it is like growing up in today's society, with the urges to do what is right and the expectation of acting tough. Voorhees gives his characters a larger than life feel and wields control of his plot with great skill. His wholly unique and entirely relatable cast of characters and clock of situations make him an author to watch.

Frankie Towers is an awkward and self-conscious guy who's low on the social ladder, unlike his older brother Steve. That's why Frankie looks up to Steve so much; Steve seems to have it all: popularity, girls, a soccer scholarship, even respect from the dangerous cholos. Unfortunately, Steve doesn't have time for his brother Frankie anymore with his current image to uphold. But when Frankie makes an enemy of rich white boy John Dalton, Steve steps in to help his brother. Although Frankie's social status is raised with the help of his brother Steve, landing him a date with his dream girl, sometimes Frankie feels that his brother is a complete stranger to him. He finds himself wondering why he has to lie all the time for Steve and just how far Steve plans on taking the conflict with Dalton. In this beautifully written coming-of-age story, Voorhees explores the bonds of brotherhood and friendship and the importance of thinking for yourself.

I'm not kidding when I say that The Brothers Torres is an incredibly written and amazing story. Frankie's character is so well-developed that I was sucked into his story even when I felt like criticizing him for being a jerk. Even though I've never been to anyplace from Frankie's New Mexican hometown Borges, everything from the limited date spots to the potential threat of the cholos felt completely natural. There's something so honest and profound about Voorhees' writing that leaves room for other laughs and life lessons. I was a little irritated that I couldn't understand all of the Spanish phrases with my limited Spanish skills, but that's where my negative comments about his novel end. The Brothers Torres has culture, an exciting plot, believable characters, and a meaningful moral.

I came away from reading this novel thinking, "wow" in a slightly stunned way. I don't think I expected this novel to be this good. The Brothers Torres is a definite must-read. I look forward to more wonderfully-written novels from Voorhees in the hopefully near future.

I am sitting with my father. We are both reading. He asks me, "what does orale mean? " and I know he is reading The Brothers Torres.
I had the extreme pleasure of reading this book a few months ago and literally enjoyed every word of if. I tried to read it slowly and savor it, but instead ended up reading most of it in one sitting as if it were a pint of Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar crunch ice cream I'd only meant to have "a couple spoonfuls" of. The books is just that good.
So often when an adult writes as a high school kid, you can tell it's not really a kid. The words the adult uses sound stilted, like ones some anthropologist claims teens of that culture speak, and the experiences the kid character is having just don't ring true. In his debut novel, it's as if Voorhees is Frankie, the perfectly imperfect protagonist of the Brothers Torres. His language, interwoven with authentic latino-American adolescent slang, is beautiful in how it shows Frankie's raw vulnerability to the very real conflicts of high school: being sweet on a girl who may or may not like you back, being bullied by older, "cooler" kids, and wanting to be accepted and loved by one's friends and siblings.
I don't want to give anything away because I want all the many, many future readers to get to go on Frankies journey like I did having no idea what was going to happen in the end. I will just say that the conflicts and successes Frankie has with his best friend Zach, his love-interest Rebecca, his brother Steve, and his nemesis Dalton are riveting to the last word. The interactions among the characters in this book also feel very true-to-life and Voorhees not only writes in a way that is vintage teenage boy but also the feelings of angst and joy he expresses through Frankie are authentic.
I know what I'm talking about because I spent 10 years working with incarcerated and "troubled" youth most of whom were full latino or "half-breeds" (latino and Anglo mixes) just like Frankie. Voorhees really gets what it is to be in two worlds and writes about the experiences of these kids with grace and fall-out-of-your-chair-'cause-it's-so-funny humor. I finished The Brothers Torres and actually hoped Voorhees had written a sequel that I didn't know about yet but could read right away. I can't wait for the next installment!
If you are lucky enough to read this book you, like I am, will be transformed. The amazing thing is that despite Voorhees's ability to write authentically as a high school sophomore, Frankie's journey is also epic and universal. Frankie learns crucial lessons in The Brother's Torres and the reader gets to become wiser and more compassionate along with him. In his very first novel Coert Voorhees has accomplished what all great literature does: a cathartic experience that is not only transformative but transcendent. Like I said, The Brother's Torres is that good.

Frankie and Steve Towers are brothers. Frankie is a freshman and Steve is a senior. Frankie has always looked up to his older brother, who has gotten a soccer scholarship, is one of the most popular guys in school, and is very friendly with the ladies. Frankie spends most of his time with his friend Zach shooting off fireworks in his back yard while Zach's mom makes them Kool-Aid flavored popsicles. The remainder of his time is put in to trying to impress Rebecca, the girl he has had a major crush on since grade school, and working at his parent's restaurant.

Recently, Steve has been hanging out with the local "cholos" (aka bad boys) and Frankie hasn't really thought anything of it until he gets in to a fistfight with John Dalton. John has always been on Steve's bad side and is one of the richest, preppiest kids at their high school. After Frankie gets beaten to a pulp by John and two of his sidekicks, Steve stops ignoring his brother and tries to help him out.

Soon, with Steve's help, Frankie finally has the attention of Rebecca in the form of a Homecoming date, and life is going pretty well until another incident with Dalton happens. This time, Steve really wants payback and will stop at nothing to get it. And Frankie has to decide whether he wants to help Steve retaliate or stand on the sidelines and watch.

THE BROTHERS TORRES was great! I loved Frankie's character and how he acted around Rebecca. I could totally see the events in this book actually happening in real life, which indeed made the book a bit scary at times. But it also made it even more great. I love real life situations. Coert Voorhees is a really strong writer and I loved his style. This book had me laughing at times and on the verge of tears at others. Overall, it was really a great book and I can't wait to read more by this wonderful author.

Reviewed by: Breanna F.