"Down and Out in Paris and London" by George Orwell

So, for Christmas, I got a couple of George Orwell books from my mother: "Down and Out in Paris and London"--today's review--and "Why I Write."

My first experience with Orwell was in 7th grade, when we read "Animal Farm." I felt scarred. I vowed as a thirteen-year old that I would never lay eyes on a George Orwell work ever again. Ever. So as I sat on the couch, holding the paperbacks in my hands, dread filled me. I had known for awhile that I would have to read Orwell again--"1984" is my roommate's favorite book, and I'd promised him I'd read it. Eventually. Someday. If I have to.

I'm happy to say that George Orwell and I are better friends than I had originally thought.

Image courtesy of: http://coverspy.tumblr.com/post/457227973

My mother knows me pretty well. I just adore portraits of European life from about 1900-1945. "Down and Out" is more a report of the times than an actual novel, but it was Orwell's first publication. He describes his experiences working in a hotel restaurant in Paris and as a homeless man in London. I found this extremely interesting, because--while I read a lot of books like this about this time period--the authors of books like this aren't usually quite so poor--so it was a change from the expatriate life of Americans in Europe (from authors such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald) to how people managed to scrape by when they barely had enough money to pay for dinner that night.

I won't give upsides or downsides for this book--it's kind of a book you're either interested in or you aren't. There is no definite plot, per say. If you're like me--very interested in this time period--it's a rather interesting, accurate picture of what those cities were like if you had no money. Orwell also includes some of his philosophy in discussions about, for example, why homeless people are homeless and the purpose of life for a plongeur (a menial-task oriented restaurant worker).

I will give a warning: do not eat while reading about his time as a plongeur in Paris. It will disgust you. It scares me to think of eating at a restaurant still after the descriptions of how dirty and unhygienic the workers purposefully were. On the other hand, you'll save money by eating at home more often!

My overall rating: 5/5 stars. The book definitely gives you what it promises on the back cover (which I've summarized above) and is a great read! I sat in Starbucks reading this, feeling guiltier and guiltier about having money as I went on and ended up ordering an Americano, just because I thought that any drink about $2.50 would be extravagant. "Down and Out" really makes you think about what life could be like living on the streets and definitely made me a lot more grateful for what I have. I would recommend it!

On another note--you should go check out the website I found the image of the Orwell cover at: http://coverspy.tumblr.com/. I'm so happy I happened to stumble upon it this way! Basically, people go into the New York subways and take note of what people are currently reading down there! I found it super interesting!

My next review: "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin. That's right, two George's in a row! I'm just about finished with it--I'm really devouring it!--so you should expect another review within the next week or so!

Happy reading! And if it is also snowing where you are--be safe and have fun!
AJ

PS. Any lessons learned here? Don't let 13-year olds read "Animal Farm." It's just wrong. It's just about as wrong as "A Tale of Two Cities" being your first Dickens novel.