The Orchid Thief - Susan Orlean

If you suddenly develop an interest in something you didn’t give a toss about before reading a book on the subject, the author probably did something right. I was never particularly interested in plants, orchids included. Now I have an orchid screen saver and my bookmarks are filling up with orchid sites. Ms Orlean obviously done a good job. However, don’t get deterred by the notion of a ‘plant book’. This is definitely not a gardener’s bedside read. The Orchid Thief is written by a journalist specialising in finding the personal angle in newspapers’ sidelines and she brings the same attitude to this book. This is not only a ...  Read the complete review