Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell

Gosh - I can't believe that it's 40 years ago that I first read George Orwell's 'Down & out in Paris & London' & it's one of a very few books that I've re-read. Orwell is probably best known for '1984', 'Animal Farm' & 'Road to Wigan Pier' though he was a prolific writer who was described by The Economist in 1953 as, '.. pehaps the best 20th century's chronicler of English culture..' Don't let this give you the impression that Orwell's books are unreadable, in fact they are highly readable on several levels so can be enjoyed by a huge number of people. 'Down & out in London & Paris' is a semi-autobiographical ...  Read the complete review

People often underestimate the power of Orwell as a true literary writer commenting about facts in our history. In some aspects this is correct and he has been in the past openly criticised for his satire Animal Farm; however Down And Out In Paris And London is one of if not the best understanding of poverty and hardships that I have come across to date in any literary text. The novel is not very long and I find this effective in the sense that I can always reopen the novel in later weeks and realise how actually fortunate I am. The story begins with our protagonist; a writer who has been ruined by circumstance is forced to sell all his worldly possessions ...  Read the complete review

Down and out in London and Paris is a book I have read several times, and each time I find myself intrigued by Orwell's style, and each of the two sections is based on Orwell's actual experiences. While truthfully it depicts an era very much past, the life of a dishwasher in a Parisian hotel in the first part, it remains haunting in its rendition of poverty. The second part is based around one of Orwell's earlier essays 'The Spike', depicting life of a travelling tramp, moving from 'spike' to 'spike' no able to stay in one place for more than a night. It is the attention to individual details that is particularly noticeable, the collecting of cigarette ...  Read the complete review

Orwell started his writing career as a journalist, I believe, and if Down And Out In Paris And London is to be taken as indicative of his work, then he was stunning at his job. The book follows Orwell's time slumming it in the two cities of the title, and provides a wonderful insight into the lives of the extremely poor at the time it was written. He puts himself through a great deal, and succeeds in presenting a memorable picture of a variety of unique individuals and circumstances encountered upon his travels. Whatever your persuasion, this book makes for a very interesting and enjoyable read. ...  Read the complete review

what a brilliant author orwell is. despite being dead for almost fifty years this sharp and politically affective book still has that cutting edge that only comes with one of orwell's works. i was completely engrossed in what i found to be a compelling tale showing emotion and making the strong political statement that always comes with orwell. however long it takes you to read this book not only will you adore every single minute but you will live the story as if you were their. that is something 99 out of every 100 authors fail to do. absolutely brilliant. ...  Read the complete review