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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.
jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
In his semi-autobiographical work "Down & Out in Paris and London", Orwell first takes us to Paris in the late 1930's where the narrator (who bears a striking resemblance to Orwell) is living in squalid hotels and desperately trying to get by. Unable to find work as a writer, he gets jobs in hotels and restaurants, working long hours as a plongeur/dishwasher. His accounts of what occurs in the kitchens and back rooms of fine dining establishments make one think twice about dining out. The narrator shares accounts of others he meets living a similar life and how they survive by continually pawning their belongings to buy scraps of food. In the second part of the book, the narrator, sick of life in Paris and longing for the familiarity of Britain, moves back to London to begin a job. The job does not begin immediately so he spends time as a tramp moving from shelter to shelter. The system and policies of these shelters was very enlightening.
I personally enjoyed the Paris part of the book more than the London part. The writing in "Down & Out in Paris and London" is simple yet wonderful and sharp. It is a relatively easy read and highly informative. As you read the book you begin to understand what it must be like to live a life of poverty.
I personally enjoyed the Paris part of the book more than the London part. The writing in "Down & Out in Paris and London" is simple yet wonderful and sharp. It is a relatively easy read and highly informative. As you read the book you begin to understand what it must be like to live a life of poverty.