bare necessities (George Orwell in General)

Member Name: moodyjudy

Product:	George Orwell in General
Date:	06/08/00 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Direct experiences.

Disadvantages: Could be depressing.

I was reading alkaliguru's opinion of this book and thinking back to when I read 'Down and Out in Paris and London' twenty or thirty years ago. Yes I am that old, or I read it when I was that young. Not before I was born though, so I'm old. And old people ramble ..

The review claimed that the imagery would be with us for years to come and here's the proof. I can still remember him washing up in restaurants, something about not trusting Armenians (which bothered me a bit) and other details, but the tangible fear of not having enough to eat or somewhere to stay - of destitution - that's what the man communicated, powerfully and permanently.

This book, like 'The Grapes of Wrath' cuts a hole into your complacency. It doesn't have the epic feel of 'The Grapes of Wrath', although Steinbeck's style, like Orwell's , is simple and direct, but it has its compassion and its honest truth. And it hurts to read, like a good book should. And twenty years later you feel moved to write about it.

Summary: