Orchid Obsession

I find myself getting lost in the detailed stories and the plethora of orchid experts that are described in Susan Orleans The Orchid Theif. I don't find those sections quite as appealing because I don't feel I know the characters as well as I know Laroche. I know a lot about orchids and the different types, but I want to know more about the characters I have formed relationships with.

I was drawn in by the section about Florida as the last frontier because it is always growing. They talk about draining swamps and making them livable, and it's hard to imagine that's how a lot of it was developed. I had never heard the amount of sand that was need to create Miami Beach. Other facts like this that took knowledge I had and related it to orchids is always enjoyable.

The section where Orlean goes back to the swamp with the prisoners was also worthwhile. Imagining roads in a suburban grid in the middle of nowhere is a great image. Especially when you picture bags of flour being dropped to mark property lines. I can see people investing in Golden Gate Estates today. It makes me think of sales people trying to push time shares.

Orlean's encounters with the prisoners characterize her well. She has been wading through this swamp before unarmed, and these prisoners are scared of snakes and need machetes. This shower her strenght and sense of adventure. She is hear because she wants to be, yet she is still weary of being with armed prisoners.

I like how she mentioned that the swamp could easily swallow people, and it goes along well with the theme of the book. There are so many things you can love, cherish, accomplish in the world and if you don't narrow it down to something you can be lost in it all. It's up to her to find her passion. She's fighting to find it as she is fighting through the silk swamp.


Of course, I was glad when Orlean finally had the opportunity to find ghost orchids. The woman who showed her the orchids, Savilla, also added to the air of myster of orchid theft. It was good to hear from someone who has a passion for orchids but was a victim of theft. It was a good balance.

Overall, I'm amazed that people's passion can be so deep about a flower. It's clear, though, that there has to be something to this because it's not just one man, it's a community worldwide. It's always interesting to analyze people's motives for doing things when they are passionate, even if it's not your passion.