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jsmith3399's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
elisakissa's review against another edition
4.0
Having read Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" as a teenager, I thought this provided such an interesting "flip side" to 1920s Paris. Being down and out in Paris almost sounds like a good time. London not so much.
I think that's where you can tell that the two parts of the book were written based on very different experiences. Orwell always had a way out of his poverty, but in Paris his money was actually stolen (even if he could have asked for more from his family) and the Paris part describes his adventures finding a job and generally living in the poorer areas of Paris. Whereas the parts from London read more like a travel diary because that's what it is: it is based on the time in his life when he decided to live like a tramp for a while, to get to know others in that situation and understand their lives.
Orwell's thoughts on class and work are interesting as expected. I think this is essential reading for anyone who enjoys his writing.
I started this book originally in 2021 and then had a long break of not reading it. I did restart it on 8.1. but I'm keeping the original starting date, just for fun.
I think that's where you can tell that the two parts of the book were written based on very different experiences. Orwell always had a way out of his poverty, but in Paris his money was actually stolen (even if he could have asked for more from his family) and the Paris part describes his adventures finding a job and generally living in the poorer areas of Paris. Whereas the parts from London read more like a travel diary because that's what it is: it is based on the time in his life when he decided to live like a tramp for a while, to get to know others in that situation and understand their lives.
Orwell's thoughts on class and work are interesting as expected. I think this is essential reading for anyone who enjoys his writing.
I started this book originally in 2021 and then had a long break of not reading it. I did restart it on 8.1. but I'm keeping the original starting date, just for fun.
harureads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Humanising while simultaneously creating caricatures of the people from the lowest rungs of society in a fictional autobiography is why Orwell's writing is so fine and graceful.
I highly recommend reading this book at least once to not just to remind yourself that poor folks are also human and deserve postive treatment and non-hostile policies (all the same debates we have now on minimum wage and homelessness) you but also to see all the behind-the-scenes of hotels and restaurants which has made me averse to eating out for now, and how people who only work to work will not care about you.
I highly recommend reading this book at least once to not just to remind yourself that poor folks are also human and deserve postive treatment and non-hostile policies (all the same debates we have now on minimum wage and homelessness) you but also to see all the behind-the-scenes of hotels and restaurants which has made me averse to eating out for now, and how people who only work to work will not care about you.