I really enjoyed reading this. George Orwell is a phenomenal writer of fiction, so I was excited to try his nonfiction memoirs from before he was a professional writer. 

 

I personally much preferred the Paris section of this book and was happy this made up the majority of the book, but this is very subjective. The flow of the narration of his time in Paris was nicely paced and with clearly defined sections. I loved looking up the different places which were explicitly mentioned as I live nearby and now, I can wander through these places with a new appreciation for their history. Having also worked in kitchens before seeing the way the hospitality system in Paris used to work was a mix of nostalgic and interesting. 

 

The London side of the memoir was very informative for me. Even though I’ve read a few books set during this period none of them covered the down and out side of London in quite as much detail as done here. It was interesting to learn about the “spikes” and the culture of the tramps in early 20th century London. 

 

I don’t know if Orwell has other nonfiction books which I can read, but there’s a wealth of his fiction I’ve yet to tackle this has only enhanced my urge to read them.