Rating: 
Summary: unusual
Review: I didn't think it was a good idea; writing a whole book on orchids! couldn't finish it.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but too much filler!
Review: I just finished the Orchid Theif by Susan Orlean. I really enjoyed the book, being a new hobbiest in orchids, it was entertaining and informative. The biggest problem I have with the book is the amount of details she gave that really did't matter. I was so tempted to go through the book again and count how many times she mentioned "it takes seven years for an orchid to mature." It was annoying to say the least. Loved all the history on orchids and Florida, but the filler is sometimes very boring.
Rating: 
Summary: IF YOU ONLY KNEW
Review: I live in South Florida and speak with most of the characters on a biweekly basis. Although the dirt on the parties is only partially revealed, the reviews that call the orchid people maniacal or crazed is neither fair nor deserving. Passion is the word that best describes these people. Nothing more, nothing less. Orchid people are rich in the world of growers. They are richer than the bromeliad, palm, fern, flowering tree, native species or other societies. They are no more impassioned. Orchid growers are maybe less impassioned as they -- unlike the other growers -- can actually make good money. If the readers could only visit the gardens of many of the orchid growers and contrast their sites to the growers of palms or ferns or bonsai, they quickly would see the obvious difference.Accurate? Yes. Well outlined? Yes. Well written? Yes. Well depictive of Florida? Maybe. If you think these people are nuts, just remember that Carl Hiassen has made a fortune writing about our locals in the papers and carving their characters into his tremendous wealth of Florida fiction -- much of which deals with the swamps and wilds of this book. When I grew up, Califronia bred the eccentrics and goof balls of this country. Times have changed. In short, California is not the only haven for eccentrics. And not ironically, the main character of this book traverses his goals and careers by entering the world of porn. How can anything be more California than that. Hiassen could not have delivered a better ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Blooms Unburied
Review: There does not seem to be any middle ground among readers of this book. The reviews here at amazon, and the comments of friends who have read it (or tried to) are all the same. You are either going to love this book or you are going to hate it. I would like to think those who hate it simply don't get it, becuae this book is no more about orchids than Moby Dick is about whales. While the botany and history lessons are fascinating, their context, set in the milleau of modern Florida, gives voice to a profound observation, namely: Is passion a function of nihilism? This reportage reads like fiction, and the reviewers who claim the story is "too pat" need to look at the record. The story is not the invention of the author, it is a recitation of what really happened. The style, however is anything but Journalism 101. Ms. Orlean has the eye of Carol Shields, the structure of
Truman Capote, the lyricism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and sense of the bizarre of Elmore Leonard or John D. MacDonald.
Rating:
Summary: AN ARTICULATE, ARTFUL READING
Review: Consummate voice performer Jennifer Jay Myers gives an articulate and artful reading of this tale of passion and obsession. New Yorker staff member Susan Orlean expands on a previously published article to offer an always fascinating, sometimes hilarious true story of John Laroche, a swindler and con man, who plotted to steal rare orchids form Florida's Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. His intention was to clone them and make mega bucks selling them on the black market. But, even the best laid plans go awry - Laroche and three Seminole tribesmen were caught with their fingers in the plants, so to speak. Avid reporter that she is Orlean follows not only Laroche's trails and trials but also relates the stories of others suffering from orchid fever. She traces this symbolic plant from its early 19th century emergence in the U.S. to the homes of collectors who value a rare species above all. For the detail minded facts and figures abound. For all there is a unique and compelling story told. - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: Given the opportunity, I wouldn't read it again.
Review: 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:
Summary: Too much undeserving praise
Review: This book is simply awful. Orlean simply saw one odd piece of news, exploited it to every angle imaginable, and completely bored me along the way. A good author could get the point of the book across in about thirty pages, but Orlean uses 200. This isn't a book, it's just a collection of newspaper clippings. Please do not support this terrible literature; if you're going to buy it just get it from a library.
Rating:
Summary: Never thought I would be interested in orchids
Review: This is a terrific, well written book that takes you on a tour of orchid mania, with the author as your guide. It is a fascinating look at a sub culture of people driven by their obsession with this flower. Worth reading whether you care about orchids, or not.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this one TREMENDOUSLY!
Review: A friend recommended this book to me...I am thankful otherwise I never would have picked it up. I thought orchids wouldn't be compelling. Boy, was I wrong. The style, the subject matter...creative and fascinating. What a find!
Rating:
Summary: Flower Power
Review: "The Orchid Thief" is an expansion of an article written for "The New Yorker." It is well worth your while to read the book. The author enlarges on the history of collecting orchids, orchid hunters, and the flower itself. She is to be commended for her research on all and the Seminole Indians as well. Did you know the Seminoles are technically still at war with the United States? They are the only tribe that never signed a treaty. The title character, John LaRoche is almost-but-not-quite worth the focus he receives. He has a quirky mindset, an enthusiasm that is catching; but his total self-absorption gets tiresome. His knowledge and keenness for the art and science of plants is entertaining. But hey, the guy is a small time crook, a trail of unrealized dreams, and a very poor friend. In spite of many denials, I think Susan had more than a mild crush on him; why else put up with all his inconsiderate nonsense? The description of the various orchids is masterful, (How I wished for color plates!) and Susan was vivid in all interior and exterior moods in her depiction of Florida. So much so, I would state southern Florida is the underlying theme of the book. Her experiences and bravery in the beastly Fakahatchee Swamp, home of many wild orchids, are dramatic. Plunging into brackish water up to the waist, and having to toe around for submerged alligators on the squishy bottom is not for the faint of heart. Part of the enjoyment of this fine non-fictional work is the very likeable Susan herself. She tends to be shy, hates the heat, is homesick, tired of driving all over, fears the swamp, but she persists. The end result is well worth her efforts.
| 
