The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession

The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER â€¢ A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
Â
A modern classic of personal journalism, The Orchid Thief is Susan Orleanâ€™s wickedly funny, elegant, and captivating tale of an amazing obsession. Determined to clone an endangered flowerâ€”the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindeniiâ€”a deeply eccentric and oddly attractive man named John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of Americaâ€™s strange flower-selling subculture, through Floridaâ€™s swamps and beyond, along with the Seminoles who help him and the forces of justice who fight him. In the end, Orleanâ€”and the readerâ€”will have more respect for underdog determination and a powerful new definition of passion.
Â
In this new edition, coming fifteen years after its initial publication and twenty years after she first met the â€œorchid thief,â€ Orlean revisits this unforgettable world, and the route by which it was brought to the screen in the film Adaptation, in a new retrospective essay.

Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Readerâ€™s Circle for author chats and more.
Â
Praise for The Orchid Thief
Â
â€œStylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orleanâ€™s] gifts in full bloom.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review
Â
â€œFascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing.â€â€”Los Angeles Times
Â
â€œOrleanâ€™s snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures.â€â€”The Washington Post Book World
Â
â€œOrleanâ€™s gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description.â€â€”Boston Sunday Globe
Â
â€œA swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great.â€â€”The Wall Street Journal
Country USA
Brand Ballantine Books
Manufacturer Ballantine Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780449003718
Color Navy
ReleaseDate 2000-01-04
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780449003718

Country	USA
Brand	Ballantine Books
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780449003718
Color	Navy
ReleaseDate	2000-01-04
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780449003718

The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

You might also like...