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michaelmarshall's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Confinement
princemyshkin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Interesting (Gonzo?) journalistic journey through the abject misery of men who had absolutely nothing in the 1920s. Told in a light-hearted way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Racism
scandelousbooky's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
An interesting insight into Orwell's experience with poverty. Very thoughtful provoking.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
harryt115's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
Some interesting insights into a social class I’d not read about before. However, I’m genuinely starting to believe it’s impossible to find a book written in the inter-war years that isn’t littered with racism and antisemitism which made this another unnecessarily difficult read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Racism
mildlypretentiousreader's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
“You discover the extreme precariousness of your six francs a day. Mean disasters happen and rob you of food.” (Page 18)
“It is a peculiar lowness of overtly that you discover first; the shifts that it puts you to the complicated meanness, the crust-wiping.” (Page 17)
George Orwell’s autobiographical work, Down and Out in Paris and London, follows a British writer struggling to survive in some of the world’s most expensive cities, Paris and later on London. Told through the first person perspective, Down and Out provides readers with a gripping and captivating narration style that allows any and all to be drawn in. It is surprisingly witty and entertaining. In addition, the descriptions of the experiences of the impoverished felt incredibly realistic and raw. It was strikingly vivid. One of my favorite sections of the book was the detailed description of the Parisian hotel staff hierarchy.
While all of this was insightful, Down and Out’s impact was greatly soured by its constant and consistent references of racism or anti-Semeticism. What ruined the book the most was the completely unneeded rape scene found in Chapter Two. It was disturbing to read and was frankly so unexpected.
“It is a peculiar lowness of overtly that you discover first; the shifts that it puts you to the complicated meanness, the crust-wiping.” (Page 17)
George Orwell’s autobiographical work, Down and Out in Paris and London, follows a British writer struggling to survive in some of the world’s most expensive cities, Paris and later on London. Told through the first person perspective, Down and Out provides readers with a gripping and captivating narration style that allows any and all to be drawn in. It is surprisingly witty and entertaining. In addition, the descriptions of the experiences of the impoverished felt incredibly realistic and raw. It was strikingly vivid. One of my favorite sections of the book was the detailed description of the Parisian hotel staff hierarchy.
While all of this was insightful, Down and Out’s impact was greatly soured by its constant and consistent references of racism or anti-Semeticism. What ruined the book the most was the completely unneeded rape scene found in Chapter Two. It was disturbing to read and was frankly so unexpected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Deportation
I cannot emphasize this enough. In regards to the rape scene, I found it to be completely unneeded and unprovoked. There was no real warning that a SA scene would happen. As a warning, the rape scene takes up almost the entirety of Chapter 2 of the book. There were also racism agains black people, along with the usage of the slur “blackie,” and other ethnic groups, such as Romani people.commiebunnie's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
The second chapter has a violent description of a rape which I personally wish that I’d known about in advance so I could skip it.guaylibro's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Worth a read for Orwell fans, people interested in working class history, or armchair psychologists who'd like to read about people at their lowest.
Enjoyable for me to see Orwell's early writing and opinions (or lack of opinions) in a whimsical story, which should for all its content, be far less whimsical. A lot of dark themes, misogyny, and anti-semitism glossed over unconsciously, which makes it a very different look at Orwell as a young man, rather than the older, wiser, more ideological and reflective Orwell I'm familiar with.
That lack of guidance, and only occasional politicising, makes it a much more open read. It feels like an account of events that you can view whichever angle you like, instead the usual firm political treatise.
Enjoyable for me to see Orwell's early writing and opinions (or lack of opinions) in a whimsical story, which should for all its content, be far less whimsical. A lot of dark themes, misogyny, and anti-semitism glossed over unconsciously, which makes it a very different look at Orwell as a young man, rather than the older, wiser, more ideological and reflective Orwell I'm familiar with.
That lack of guidance, and only occasional politicising, makes it a much more open read. It feels like an account of events that you can view whichever angle you like, instead the usual firm political treatise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Moderate: Antisemitism and Misogyny
Minor: Murder
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