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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean
2 reviews
bel017's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Orleans follows the titular orchid thief, John Laroche, to find out more about his obsession with orchids. In doing so she investigates the western world's love of orchids, from the elite men of Victorian England sending hunting parties to strip the jungles of other nations of every flower, to today's orchid show circuit. It's a fascinating insight into a world I knew little about.
The way she just delivers facts about all the terrible things humans have done in the pursuit of orchids and money made them more devastating than if she'd been emotional about it. But what really drew me in was the novel like quality of the story, all these crazy adventures, complicated relationships, and fascinating locations, but they're all real. It's masterfully done.
This edition needed better editing and proofreading - several sentences are missing full stops, and there are some really cumbersome and convoluted sentences. Other than that I loved it.
The way she just delivers facts about all the terrible things humans have done in the pursuit of orchids and money made them more devastating than if she'd been emotional about it. But what really drew me in was the novel like quality of the story, all these crazy adventures, complicated relationships, and fascinating locations, but they're all real. It's masterfully done.
This edition needed better editing and proofreading - several sentences are missing full stops, and there are some really cumbersome and convoluted sentences. Other than that I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction and Death
Minor: Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Racism, and Cannibalism
People disappear in jungles a fair bit. Some scenes are quite claustrophobic, being lost in the wilderness, sinking waist deep into black sinkholes of mud.obviousthings's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. The author does a very good job of describing her impressions of people, with all their quirks and oddities. I never felt like the descriptions were overly judgemental - there's enough detail that you can form your own opinion, even when she makes hers very clear.
I expected the book to be mostly about John Laroche and orchids, but it also covered some of the history of the Seminole people and the Fakahatchee State Park, which I found quite interesting.
I expected the book to be mostly about John Laroche and orchids, but it also covered some of the history of the Seminole people and the Fakahatchee State Park, which I found quite interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Animal death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Car accident, and Genocide
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