Customer Reviews

Tortuga: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tortuga (The Turtle) is a 16 year old boy who has broken his back. He is paralized, and taken far south to a crippled childrens hospital. I really can't tell you about this book. The hopelessnes and the joy in the hospital, and the patients who never get well, the horror, during the time of polio, the chidren in the wards, grips you in ways that you have never comprended before. The book is full of symbolism, dispair, and joy. There is no way to give you a short discription of this book.

I will tell you I desperatly wanted the book to end, to find out what happend, and my soul never wanted it to end, because I don't think I will ever find another book like this.

Depending on who you are, you will love and cherish this book, or cuss me.

When I finished this book, I held it close, and cried. Then I wrote in it what it meant to me and gave it to the person who means the most to me. It was my most cherished possesion.

I loved this novel. I had to rate it slightly lower because the only other person I ever discussed it with found it emotionally very difficult to read. At an age much younger than the characters in this novel I spent some time in a crippled childrens home. When I first read Tortuga, I was stunned at finding a story that accurately conveyed the feel of living inside an institutuon for the physically handicapped. W. Sommerset Maughm was the only other author I had ever seen touch on the rougher side of being physically handicaped. I began to think Mr. Anaya must have spent some time in such a place, or done some extrordinary research. The later seemed unlikely, because I have never heard of anyone talking much about such an experience. This is a novel you must read if you want to get to know anything about the subject of institutionalizing children

I read this book a few years ago, and though I didn't remember all the details of the story, the spirit of this book has remained with me.

Reading this book for the second time proved to be just as inspirational as the first. The physical and therefore emotional obstacles these "children" face make me count my blessings. Although each character suffers from some form of physical deformity, you don't cringe at the thought of them, but wish you could be blessed with their strength.

Rudolfo Anaya, through his gift for writing poetic literature, weaves a story intertwined with the strength of the human spirit. It isn't a story for the reader's that need all the answers, or that need everything spelled out for them. It is a mixture of dreams, hopes, fears and eventually triumph. It is a story that will make an impression on you though you may never remember the details.

This is one of the few books which i could read continuosly without stopping. It is about a 16 year old boy who is paralized and is sent to a crippled hospital. There he meets all sorts of people and works hard to learn to walk again. He overcomes many obsticles and even finds true love. I found that this book grips your attention and keeps you reading on. This is a great book that i highly recommend.

Rudolfo Anaya has written a wonderful book with all the pain and tenderness exposed in the characters who are in a hospital for crippled children off in the desert of New Mexico. Tortuga is a mountain outside the window that has a humped back appearance (like a turtle in Spanish) and which becomes the nickname of the principal character who is admitted to the hospital. The book is a novel but it follows the actual experience of Rudolfo Anaya, who was injured in a diving accident and was placed in such a children's hospital. His insights are unique, tender and powerful. As a person who remembers the ward in a children's hospital, he weaves the details of the story with wonderful images in the minds of the children. This is classified as a book for children or young adults. However, it is a gripping tale for the older reader also, particularly those who can remember those wards of polio victims prior to the discovery of the Salk and Sabin vaccines. This book is not a "downer" because it fills the reader with the love and hope that are in those chidren.

You can get what you want out of this book. It can be a superficial story of a young man getting well from a crippling injury or a philosophical trip about life and the quality of life and human spirit. It is mystical, fascinating, very thought-provoking. You will NOT forget this novel!

This has been one of the best books that I have read. Rudolfo Anaya is such a great writter! I recommend this book to everyone !

Reading was a little difficult, but loved the legends and superstitions.