Rebecca Solnit 2021

Another good read of a Rebecca Solnit book. This one was Orwell’s Roses, a series of essays that roam through a range of topics and issues that she relates back to the theme – that George Orwell planted roses at his house.

George Orwell (Eric Blair) lived in a 17th-century cottage known as “The Stores” located on Kits Lane in the village of Wallington, Hertfordshire. He moved there in April 1936 and used the cottage as his primary residence until 1940, keeping it as a weekend retreat until 1947.

Linking mainly through the topic of roses, Solnit writes about Tina Modotti, Stalin’s brutal regime, nature and colonialism, the Spanish Civil War, Columbia’s exploitative rose industry, and Orwell’s writing of  Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm and other essays.

I agree withy The Guardian’s review of this book, that it is a good read with the comment that there were a couple pieces that required a tighter editing. However, the reviewer’s comments were correct in saying: The green-fingered and the politically committed alike will want to curl up with this book.

The Guardian Review – click here

Another review said: A unique mix of biography, journalism, politics and nature writing, this is a very thought-provoking book. I found the content repetitive sometimes and the writing style was occasionally dry, but I appreciated having a new perspective on George Orwell, the context in which he wrote and how his work resonates today.

Read that review  click here.

Yes, recommended – possible rated 4 out of 5 stars.