The Orchid Thief Review

Book Riot Challenge

This year I have been trying to work on completing the Read Harder Challenge by Book Riot. link).

Honestly, it is harder than I thought, I wanted to try other genres and new books but have found myself hating a good portion or starting a book simply to discard it for another that I found more interesting, even if it didn’t fit the challenges. (If you would like to check out the challenge follow this

So, because of this, I tried a book of true crime, however, after reading Devil in the White City I didn’t want a book about murder or anything like that. That is when I stumbled upon The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. This book is about John Laroche and his theft of the endangered ghost orchid from the Fakahatchee Swamp. I decided this book sounded interesting and would fit the challenge as true crime without being terrifying like most books in the genre. I was right, though I wouldn’t say it is riveting it did keep my attention unlike many books recently.

Review

The subtitle on Orlean’s The Orchid Thief is A True Story of Beauty and Obsession, what an enchanting title for a book about flowers, I also didn’t notice this until after reading the book, I had picked it up while working at my local library, but did as I was writing this review. The subtitle sums up the “orchid world” explored in the book wonderfully with its many eccentric collectors, growers, hunters, fanatics, etc. Each new revelation and venture into the world detailed by Orlean attempts to explain Laroche’s scheme to clone orchids for the sake of them. His twisted idea of right for the sake of profit is the driving force of his obsession with the ghost orchid and court trial. Each detail sounds more convoluted than the first, not because of Orlean’s writing but because of Laroche. I don’t see how she was able to stand the man she was writing about; though Orlean did find herself drawn into the mysterious world of orchids through his many tales.

Orlean details her time in Florida’s orchid world while doing research for her articles, and this book, about John Laroche, as well as others, poaching orchids there. These exploits provide the main plot of the book and are interesting and entertaining enough to keep me reading. This book also includes many fascinating details about the history of orchids and plant theft in the state of Florida and around the world. The various tales from the past are entertaining and comprise a large portion of the book, though some are repeated and do begin to feel like a filler to make the book longer. I had never heard of many of the people and certainly none of the plants in this book. Orlean’s style provides a colorful picture of those who hunted, collected, and cultivated orchids for a living. The images she provides through her descriptions make readers feel as if they are there with her, Laroche, and the others either in the swamp, greenhouse, nursery, or orchid show.

This crazy journey into a world I didn’t know existed was entertaining though I would never have picked this book on my own. But I guess that is the idea. I am not upset about selecting it for this challenge and recommend it for anyone interested in plants, Florida, or strange crimes or simply obsession.

Ghost Orchid

I was wondering what was so impressive about the ghost orchid so I went looking for information. I found some information on the Ghost Orchid from the Florida Native Orchids blog. By following the link to their website I was able to find more inforamtion about the plant. I just don’t see it but then I have never been a plant person. 

Here is an image:

For more information and pictures visit their page here.

References

BookRiot. (2017). Book Riot’s 2018 read harder challenge [Image]. Retrieved from https://bookriot.com/2017/12/15/book-riots-2018-read-harder-challenge/

Florida Native Orchids. (2008). Ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flnativeorchids.com/natives_gallery/dendrophylax_lindenii.htm 

Goodreads. (2018). The orchid thief: A true story of beauty and obsession [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228345.The_Orchid_Thief

Orlean, S. (1998). The orchid thief: A true story of beauty and obsession. New York: Random House.