The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession Unabridged (Audio Download): Amazon.co.uk: Susan Orlean, Jennifer Meyers: Books

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Audio Download
Listening Length: 8 hours and 46 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Random House Audible
Audible Release Date: 3 Aug 2001
Language: English
ASIN: B0046ZYDX0

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Product Description

The orchid thief in Susan Orlean's mesmerizing true story of beauty and obsession is John Laroche, a renegade plant dealer and sharply handsome guy, in spite of the fact that he is missing his front teeth and has the posture of al dente spaghetti. In 1994, Laroche and three Seminole Indians were arrested with rare orchids they had stolen from a wild swamp in south Florida that is filled with some of the world's most extraordinary plants and trees. Laroche had planned to clone the orchids and then sell them for a small fortune to impassioned collectors. After he was caught in the act, Laroche set off one of the oddest legal controversies in recent memory, which brought together environmentalists, Native American activists, and devoted orchid collectors. The result is a tale that is strange, compelling, and hilarious.

New Yorker writer Susan Orlean followed Laroche through swamps and into the eccentric world of Florida's orchid collectors, a subculture of aristocrats, fanatics, and smugglers whose obsession with plants is all-consuming. Along the way, Orlean learned the history of orchid collecting, discovered an odd pattern of plant crimes in Florida, and spent time with Laroche's partners, a tribe of Seminole Indians who are still at war with the United States.

There is something fascinating or funny or truly bizarre on every page of The Orchid Thief: the story of how the head of a famous Seminole chief came to be displayed in the front window of a local pharmacy; or how 700 iguanas were smuggled into Florida; or the case of the only known extraterrestrial plant crime. Ultimately, however, Susan Orlean's book is about passion itself, and the amazing lengths to which people will go to gratify it. That passion is captured with singular vision in The Orchid Thief, a once-in-a-lifetime story by a truly original journalist.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

Very funny and surprisingly readable 20 Nov 2002

By A. J. Watson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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.*****.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Only read this if you can afford to buy an orchid afterwards 17 May 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

If you like plants then I think you will like this book..... Why the uncertainty? ..... I am a self confessed plant-nut and thought the book was great ..... but maybe the less botanically minded might be less keen? The author, a journalist by profession, takes you straight to Florida! You are there with her ..... whether wading waist-deep in the dark and dank Everglades or, freshly showered, visiting an over-blown floral show in suburban Miami. From greenhouse to alligator wrestling, from courthouse to swamp you accompany the author as she tries to understand the book's central character - a compulsive orchid collector. I have read it twice and I know I will return to it. I hope you enjoy it too! (P.S. It makes an excellent companion read to "Orchid Fever" by Eric Hansen) And don't say I didn't warn you when you find yourself buying an orchid ..... or two ..... or three .....

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

An absolute must read!!! 24 April 2005

By D. Leivers

Format:Paperback

I decided to read this book after watching the film "Adaptation" on DVD and I am very glad I did. Orlean reports on a world of deception and obsession whilst shadowing one of Americas' most notorious Orchid collectors. Written in what is very much a reportage style this book I believe has widespread appeal and is well worth checking out.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Obsession in the Florida swamps

A decade ago, Deborah Moggach's 'Tulip Fever' and Anna Pavord's 'Tulip' were pipped to publication by 'The Orchid Thief'. Read more

Published 11 months ago by ericmitford

Rubbish

I'm compelled to write a review for this book because I find it unbelievable that it hasn't received anything less than 4 stars. Read more

Published on 22 Oct 2007 by Carl

Flowers for the lady

The Dutch once endured a consuming mania for tulips. Intense competition for bulbs led to bankruptcies resulting from wild speculations, families were disrupted, and fortunes were... Read more

Published on 16 Sep 2005 by Stephen A. Haines

Many books in one

This is a biography, a travel diary of South Florida, a history of orchid hunting and horticulture, and a great story. Read more

Published on 20 Feb 2002

A brilliant and enlightening read!

I absolutely adored reading this book and have been passing it on to friends and family. The fascinating world of orchid collecting draws you in. Read more

Published on 26 Jan 2001

sheer brilliance

literary non-fiction at its very best -- luminous writing, sharp reporting, soulful introspection -- and a subject that grows more fascinating as the book goes on, thanks to the... Read more

Published on 24 April 1999


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The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

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