Rating: 
Summary: Very enjoyable.
Review: Essentially a portrait of John Larouche, orchid hunter and thief extraordinaire, as well as (surprisingly) supporting the conservation movement, this laconically humorous tale takes us into the depths of the Everglades, the forests of the Far East and the hot-houses of the rich, famous and crooked.
There are some strange asides, that illustrate the type of enigmatic person who goes in for the underworld orchid trade; tales of frog poachers, happy in their slimy occupation; capsicum and bromeliad growers who dump the whole crop in a fit of pique; collectors who also spray-paint pigeons' tails.In all, this reads more like a novel than an investigation into the illegal orchid trade, but loses no credibility for that, rather, it lends a more accessible quality to the book than it would otherwise have.
A very funny, worthwhile read. ...
Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: I must disagree with my reading colleague in Vermont to some respect. We both agree that Mr. Laroche does not seem to be the kind of person we'd love to have over for dinner. However, where we differ is as to the appeal of this book. I am not an orchid lover (perhaps having read this book will become one), but still found the book quite enjoyable. The monomaniacal pursuit of a single species is quite fascinating.
I also must disagree with Terry Holzman in the critique that this book lacks a story. The story is simply not about Mr. Laroche, or the orchid hunters, or Florida, or England - rather it is about the orchid itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Only if you're into orchids...
Review: The Orchid Thief is less about Mr. Laroche, a selfish, self-centered and, dare I say it, jerk of a human being, than it is a study of Florida's history of orchid under-culture. If you're into orchids, it's a fascinating book. If you're not - don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: brilliant, funny, intriguing
Review: this book combines beautiful, streamlined writing with a wonderful and original story, and one that has enough odd turns to keep it funny and surprising. i'm not an orchid lover, just a lover of good writing and good reading. this did it for me.
Rating: 
Summary: For Orchid Historians Only
Review: One of the members of my book club chose this book mainly because she loves true stories. We were all sorely disappointed in this book. We found it to be slow and boring and was a chore to get through. The only people who could enjoy this book would be orchid historians or the orchid "philes" described in the book.
Rating:
Summary: This book is an orchid too ...
Review: I love this book. Since reading it a year ago, I occasionally dip in to it again for a taste of the exotic, interesting and endearing. Susan Orlean writes with a journalistic voice similar to Joseph Mitchell's (also a writer/journalist with "The New Yorker"); however, on its own merits, this book is very vivid in its prose; quirky, poetic and profound in it's disclosures about orchids, human history, and the various characters she encountered. She has a knack for off-the-wall and creatively descriptive prose, and I admire her talent. I felt sad when her book ended, but at least I can bring it out periodically for a taste of literary truffle.
Rating:
Summary: A very long journal article
Review: This novel contained too much excessive detail and facts pertaining not only to orchids, the obssession with orchids, but also pertaining to the swamp and characters within. When Susan Orlean left her journalistic viewpoint and just wrote about Laroche and others and their obsession with orchids the story became interesting and at times quite funny.
Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: I'd only recently discovered the great orchid flowers when I read this book. It's beautifully written with a fantastic sense of humour and offers a bizarre and fascinating insight into some truly impressive eccentric minds. You don't need tons of horticultural expertise to enjoy this book , but by the same token, if you are a plantophile, you won't find it too 'dumbed down'. I laughed out loud numerous times reading it, but it's not all humour - it's also a gentle and open-minded foray into a world alien to the author...at the outset, at least. I'd recommend this book highly.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look at obsession.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I have never had the slightest interest in orchids. It actually reminded me a lot of Tony Horwitz's Pulitzer-Prize-winning "Confederates in the Attic." Just replace the male journalist with a female journalist, and trade out Civil War fanatics with orchid fanatics. Both books offer fascinating glimpses into lives of people who fully entrench themselves into their interests interwoven with solid research.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief
Review: Ahhh... the sweet sight and smell of flowers. Flowers have the ability to say what we wish we could say. Roses: love, daisies: peace, and lilies: sorrow. And if there were a flower that could speak volumes about obsession, greed, envy: the orchid. For Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief, her interest in is sparked when she reads about a Florida native and three Seminole Indians caught smuggling orchids from a state preserve. The author's perspective early on is that of an outsider looking in. She knows as much about orchids as most people know about cold fusion. She's just an ordinary person writing to ordinary readers about an extraordinary passion. When Orlean first heard about the accused orchid-smuggler /collector/ horticultural consultant, John Laroche, she thought of him as "an extremist, a madman with a passion for orchids that was far removed from the average way that people feel about plants, about anything." This chain smoking, self proclaimed genius whose "tallness, thinness, and paleness seemed always to be growing taller, thinner, and paler" becomes her guide and mentor. With help from Laroche, Orlean's mission to see and experience the mystery of a wild orchid takes her to the most inhospitable areas of Florida. Here's a writer from The New York Times, trekking through harsh mosquito, alligator, and snake infested swamps-- risking her life just see what it is that makes orchid collectors go to extremes to possess these orchids. Orlean's explanation: "I wanted to see what Laroche had wanted." Orlean uses first person narrative throughout the book with her personal accounts being her primary source of material. There is a sense of repetition of information, but this is helpful to get a refresher course on some things because as we must remember, this is cold fusion to some of us. Her intense descriptions of various orchids allow you to be able to close your eyes and see an awe inspiring mental picture. Her writing keeps you reading, and wondering what she'll see and hear next.
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