In 1936, George Orwell planted roses in the village of Wallington. I visited that village a few years ago and saw his cottage, but not the roses. It turns out that Orwell was an avid gardener for much of his life and something of a farmer as well. These facts are at the core of Rebecca Solnit’s book, but she uses them as a launchpad to wide-ranging discussions about labour rights among workers in Bogota’s flower export businesses, environmental crises and global warming, and what one of George Orwell’s ancestors is doing in a gigantic portrait painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. (That last bit leads to a long discussion about the legacy of empire, and especially slavery.). Is this a book about the twentieth century’s great political writer? Or is it a book about roses? It’s all over the place, actually, and reads like an extended essay where the author has been given completely free rein to follow her thoughts. Much of it — but not all — is very good, and it’s well written and clear. Recommended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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