The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
There was a time when I too was crazy about orchids. Not quite as crazy as LaRoche but enough that I was familiar with the people and places he ran up against in his dealings. During the time The Orchid Thief takes place, I lived in Delray Beach, home of the American Orchid Society. I had a backyard with colorful orchids hanging from every available tree branch. I loved my orchids but I didn't love them enough to go traipsing through a remote swamp teaming with mosquitos, snakes and alligators in search of a rare ghost orchid.
The Orchid Thief tells the true story of obsession with these rare and beautiful plants. The book tells many interesting tales of the Everglades and South Florida. The Seminole Indians also played a large role in the development of the area. LaRoche, the orchid thief, was just another nut, one of many that live in sunny Florida and creates the centerpiece of the story.
I had read The Orchid Thief once before, several years ago, and remember enjoying it. But this time it seemed sluggish to me. Susan Orlean is a journalist and the book is written in a journalistic style which is much more dry and to the point than a work of pure fiction. Or maybe since I moved north to Melbourne out of the fray that is South Florida, the characters didn't hold as much appeal. Or I might just be a little bit like LaRoche in that once my obsession is over, I'm done.
There was a time when I too was crazy about orchids. Not quite as crazy as LaRoche but enough that I was familiar with the people and places he ran up against in his dealings. During the time The Orchid Thief takes place, I lived in Delray Beach, home of the American Orchid Society. I had a backyard with colorful orchids hanging from every available tree branch. I loved my orchids but I didn't love them enough to go traipsing through a remote swamp teaming with mosquitos, snakes and alligators in search of a rare ghost orchid.
The Orchid Thief tells the true story of obsession with these rare and beautiful plants. The book tells many interesting tales of the Everglades and South Florida. The Seminole Indians also played a large role in the development of the area. LaRoche, the orchid thief, was just another nut, one of many that live in sunny Florida and creates the centerpiece of the story.
I had read The Orchid Thief once before, several years ago, and remember enjoying it. But this time it seemed sluggish to me. Susan Orlean is a journalist and the book is written in a journalistic style which is much more dry and to the point than a work of pure fiction. Or maybe since I moved north to Melbourne out of the fray that is South Florida, the characters didn't hold as much appeal. Or I might just be a little bit like LaRoche in that once my obsession is over, I'm done.
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