The Orchid Thief (Ballantine Reader's Circle) Book

The Orchid Thief (Ballantine Reader's Circle) and other best sellers. Great prices on The Orchid Thief (Ballantine Reader's Circle) and other best selling books. To find additional books browse the Book categories, or use the search box at the top of this page.

by: Susan Orlean

See Larger Image


Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - Given the opportunity, I wouldn't read it again. It's unfortunate... I really wanted to like this book, but after finding nearly identical passages about Robert Fuchs and Martin Motes repeated in different parts of the book (talk about filler) I simply can't fathom giving this book a good review. Did I really need to hear that Mr. Motes drove a BMW two times? As an orchid grower, I found the author's use of the elusive ghost orchid flower as a device to tie the book together trite, as, it's really not the flowers that make ghost orchids so interesting, but the fact that they have no leaves. It all seems a bit naive to me, or perhaps a bit concocted. Parts of the story are interesting, and yes I did learn something from the book, but the whole reason for being of the book is a bit lacking. Rating: - Passion for orchids. And the writer's passion for the story I love to learn new things. That's why this 1998 book by journalist Susan Orlean appealed to me. It's about orchids. And one particular eccentric man with a scheme to grow rich from Florida's endangered Ghost Orchid. But mostly, it's about the passion surrounding the special world of the orchid lover. And, also, it's about the writer's own passion for a good story. On a visit to Florida, Ms. Orleans just happened to see a small article in the local newspaper about John Laroche, accused of stealing orchids from the Fakahatchee Swamp. On a whim, she went to the trial, became interested in the subject and, with a sense of humor and a great way with words, she takes the reader on her own journey of discovery. I love Ms. Orleans' writing. For example, she describes John Laroche as having "the posture of al dente spaghetti" and "the bulk and shape of a coat hanger". I identified with the writer's experience completely. I was right with her as she explored the hot mucky swamps. And I listened with her ears as she interviewed collectors, business people and law enforcement agents. I learned about the Seminole Indians and their own particular story. I learned a lot of orchid history dating back hundreds of years which included a whole cast of European plunderers, smugglers and naturalists. And I learned about Florida, with all its beauty and land grabbing and swamps and personalities. A lot of research went into this book. It's full of facts and figures as well as the writer's personal observations. It certainly taught me a lot. It even drove me to the Internet to find out when the next orchid show will be in New York. I know I'll be there. I loved this book and give it an extremely high recommendation. It certainly opened a whole new world for me. Rating: - How can a flower become an obsession? Read on Susan Orlean's gift with this book is to bring the subject to us as it first appeared to her. What began with her as a magazine article became a novel-length tale of obsession and the pursuit of perfection. While some have criticized the author's lack of passion for orchids, it is precisely her position as an curious outsider seeking enlightenment that drives this tale. Orlean skillfully weaves around the tale of John Laroche's improbable scheme to plunder and eventually clone the ghost orchid from a Florida state nature preserve with stories about the history of orchid cultivation, the Seminoles, and the peculiar nature of the greenhouse culture in Florida. All the while, she seeks to see the elusive ghost orchid for herself. The pursuit of this goal, which is never successful, leads to several hilarious excursions into the swamps of Central Florida with the reluctant author and various guides, including at one time a park ranger and several members of a local prison's work release crew. Throughout Orlean displays a dry wit, an endearing curiousity, and a brilliantly personal writing style as she seeks to understand what drives some of us to pursue an object with obsessive passion and devotion.

The Orchid Thief (Ballantine Reader's Circle) Book

Related Book Searches