Informative and well-written biography of a key figure in literary history. Will be recommending to fans of Orwell.

Oliver Lewis, The Orwell Tour Travels through the life and work of George Orwell, Icon Books, Sep 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Travel to places such as Wigan, Catalonia, Paris, Motihari and Marrakesh referencing Orwell’s novels and insights into the author and his writing – what more could a reader want? That George Orwell was born in Northern India and died in Sutton Courtenay is intriguing in itself - and what happened in between is a story adroitly woven by Oliver Lewis in The Orwell Tour Travels through the life and work of George Orwell.

I enjoyed the pleasure that Lewis so clearly finds in writing about Orwell, associated locations, and indeed in his own approach to the subject. The enthusiasm Lewis feels permeates the book and I felt drawn into a life and places about which I knew something, but little in comparison with Lewis. Unlike Oliver Lewis, I have not read most of Orwell’s work, as I recall from many years back only the two most well-known, Animal Farm and 1984, and Homage to Catalonia and The Road to Wigan Pier. I also came newly to the many places Lewis visits. This does not matter, he unfailingly provides a picture that draws upon the written work, Orwell’s character and the countries from which Orwell took his inspiration.

Although Lewis refers to the many biographies that have been written. And does not presume to replicate them, he sketches in enough biographical information to give his emphasis on the novels and his travelogue a context. And that travelogue is a good insight into location, the novels and Orwell.

I found this a satisfying and engaging work. I feel that an admirer of Orwell as well as the not so admiring can also find The Orwell Tour Travels through the life and work of George Orwell an enjoyable account of places, novels and biographical snippets of a writer whose Animal Farm and 1984 still resonate in the 2000s.

Holding a considerable interest in the works of Orwell, I have been curiously exploring the unconventional biographies which have recently flourished: from Rebecca Solnit's 'Orwell's Roses' to, now, Oliver Lewis' 'The Orwell Tour'. Part-biography, part-tavalogue, by planting his feet amongst Orwell's footsteps, Lewis offers an entertaining and informative image of Orwell through the places he lived, his relationship to these places, and his varied ongoing legacies in these places today.

The unique strength of Lewis's contribution to this flurry of unconventional Orwell biographies comes in his encounters with the people striving to uphold Orwell's legacy in greatly differing ways. The impassioned campaign to erect a statue of Orwell drinking coffee in Huesca -- something he desired to do but never managed to because of civil war -- resonated particularly strongly today in an age where the effects of conflicts on civilian life are strongly on our minds, and demonstrated poignantly the continued resonance of Orwell today outside of the vitriolic employment of 'Orwellian' in the cultural-politics debates in the UK.

There were, however, moments where Lewis's prose lost this nuanced poignancy, and the personal nature of the biography-travelogue led to uncomfortable and insensitive reading. A tendency towards over-simplification or over-romanticised descriptions at times led to unnuanced, stereotyped descriptions of the people and places Lewis encountered, this lack of nuance only exacerbated by the nuanced portrait of Orwell built by Lewis' apparent -- and sometimes over-emphasised-- love of Orwell. Despite acknowledgement of the destructive forces of the British Raj, Lewis' descriptions of his time in India and Myanmar sometimes falls into romanticised, exorcised, Orientalist descriptions which cast a Raj-like tone over his writing. These moments are few and far between, but would have benefitted from more sensitive or critical editing.

Furthermore, apart from a passing reference to the Wheatsheaf, I found Lewis's lack of acknowledgment of the many pubs across London's west end -- where Orwell drank, wrote, and debated amongst the literary and artistic circles of the time -- striking. These are a well-recognised, somewhat over-emphasised stalwart of the call from pubs to tourists here in London's west end, and it would have made an interesting addition to his ongoing commentary on the reception of Orwell and the popularity -- or lack thereof -- of Orwell tourism. This is, however, perhaps just an issue of personal taste as I live and work in the area.

Overall, meandering, personal and descriptive, 'The Orwell Tour' is a greatly enjoyable and informative casual read that will appeal to many -- Orwell fans, travel fans, and those dipping their toes into biography, alike.

Thank you to Icon Books and Net Galley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

An engaging and informative exploration of Orwell’s life and work through the places he lived and worked in. The author follows in his footsteps, an approach which I found interesting and illuminating. Part biography, part travelogue and part memoir, I enjoyed the meanderings and digressions the author allows himself, and found it a satisfying and thought-provoking read.

Very interesting read. Visiting all the places connected with Orwell
Bringing together social history, biography and travel

Very well written

The author has spent two years travelling to all the main places Blair (Orwell) lived, and travelled to. Starting in India, travelling around the UK, Europe, North Africa and back to the UK it gives a context to what made him who he was, his relationships, passions and how his health affected his travels and life. I laughed at the implications of naming his dog Marx, and found his (naive?) fearless attitude to fighting in the civil war which almost cost him his life.

Is a well- written book and eminently readable so highly readable!

📚 #NetGalley ARC review 📚

Title: The Orwell Tour
Author: Oliver Lewis
Release date: 06/07/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read this ARC ahead of its release.

Confession: I couldn't call myself an avid George Orwell fan. He's one of those authors that I always feel that I should have read more of...and then I vaguely recall that maybe I did study 1984 in university? Or was it Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)? Or did we do both? And I'm sure I've read Animal Farm, haven't I? Or seen a play version? I've definitely played a video game version. I've a pretty hazy impression of the man and his work, basically.

All that said, I've got increasingly into reading travel writing lately, and the chance to read some travel writing about a writer was too good to pass by.

And I'm really glad I didn't! It was a truly interesting read, I learned so much about Orwell's life and the influences on his writing. The author personally visited all the significant locations and I felt that I was there with him, which is surely the primary aim of travel writing. His own writing style is really good - easy and flowing, with a good mixture of humour and observation.

Since reading The Orwell Tour I've made a point of listening to the audio versions of Animal Farm and 1984, both of which were (obviously) very thought-provoking. Still can't remember if I actually ever studied them in uni though... 😂

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm not one to leave scathing reviews, but I was rather unimpressed by this one.

First, I was expecting something more literary and was disappointed by the lack of style. But mostly, I was a bit nonplussed by the smugness of the tone.

Writing things like "Having read virtually every book and article about Orwell there is" doesn't endear you to the reader to start off. The author seems overfond of hyperbole as a general rule. Take “Orwell sought the exotic, a romanticism inspired by faint recollections of his earliest days in India” for example, after explaining earlier in the book that Orwell had left India at one year-old... Similarly, to say that “Even by the standards of the highlands and islands of Scotland, Jura remains, as described Orwell, ‘an extremely un-getatable place’” is a bit of a stretch. Nowadays, you can reach Jura straight from Glasgow via a flight to neighbouring Islay and then a short ferry crossing between the two islands in half a day.

Then there are the clichés: walking into a Parisian bookshop, the author tells us that the woman behind the counter “bore an expressionless, nonchalant face of a sort so typical to booksellers” (I didn't know us booksellers had a set expression), before proceeding to interpret the lack of a copy of Down and Out... (did it cross the author's mind that it might have just been sold?) as a sign that French people are perhaps reticent to acknowledge the genius of English authors – hopefully this was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek joke, but it didn't sound like it was.

And I could go on, although I've got to admit I ended up skimming through half of the book because I didn’t want to waste more time on it. I guess the book can serve as an ok introduction to Orwell's life, but there are so many other excellent books about Orwell (and probably more to come as we celebrate the anniversary of 1984 next year) that this one would not be among those I recommend.

This book is a light engaging read. It’s a combination travel book, biography and a sweep through the social history of the 20th century. I enjoyed the company, and I enjoyed the read.

I love travel books, but far too many of them quickly become monotonous and mundane. Just because a book is well written does not mean that it will be engaging. The premise of The Orwell Tour is good – traveling around and visiting all the houses George Orwell lived in. When the traveling gets boring, there are always good stories about George Orwell to liven up the scenery. Whether you enjoy Orwell’s writing or not, he had a very interesting life, so
you really don’t need to be a fan of Orwell to enjoy this book, I’m not particularly a fan. The book covers a lot of ground so the is no needless padding, the author puts just enough of himself into the book but doesn’t over share. I found nothing not to like in this book and enjoyed it very much.

I was crazy about George Orwell in my teens, having read Animal Farm at O Level. David Bowie's Diamond Dogs led me to 1984 and the rest of Orwell's output.

In this book Oliver Lewis visits all the places associated with Orwell, starting with India where he was born in 1903, in a remote area in the north. His family belonged to a now-vanished class of British society, generations of families that built their wealth on the colonial relationship between Britain and India. Orwell's family was fairly low in the hierarchy and he came to loathe the values of British India.

Arriving in India Lewis is charged 600 rupees at a hotel when he sees that the majority of guests, locals, pay as little as 100 a night. He visits the Orwell bungalow after searching for an English speaker. Apparently just 1 visitor every month makes this pilgrimage.

The book continues in this vein, part travelogue and part history, explaining social and governmental attitudes at the time. Other places visited include Shiplake, a village near Henley where the Blairs lived over a 15 year period; Eton College; Myanmar, where Orwell wrote Burmese Days, and Southwold which Orwell used as a base as he travelled to and from London, Kent and Paris.

It's difficult to know who the book is aimed at. Orwell's legion of admirers for sure, but also an interesting book for anyone to dive into. It's a fascinating account of the times in which Orwell lived and wrote.

Thanks to NetGalley and Icon Books for the eARC in return for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Orwell's writing, I really liked this book. The writer has put together an interesting and insightful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating ramble through the life and times of George Orwell. Having read his books ,many times, it gave a greater depth to my understanding of his tales. The travelogue parts definately made me want to travel again.

An interesting premise - a travelogue based on places George Orwell lived and what he wrote in those places The book certainly made me want to read Orwell and brought back memories of many of the places I have visited.

On balance, though, I found the book to be somewhat meanderings and, in places, opinion was stated as fact. For example, when visiting Orwell’s grave the write comments that due to theft “The result is that churches are locked except for services…” Clealry the author hasn’t visited many English churches.

thanks to Netgallry for the ARC.

Travels through the life and work of George Orwell

This review is based on a free review copy from the publisher via Net Galley UK.

This is a good and useful book which I will give a four-star recommendation: it’s actually a lot more interesting than it would have been as a five-star flawless treatise with no flaws to set me thinking. Some of the episodes in Orwell’s life and travels I knew something about. About others, especially the extended visit to Morocco, I knew only that it had happened.

When the story comes to Orwell’s time in Wallington, North Hertfordshire, the author repeats the error most others have made and assumes that the tiny village of Wallington and the (then quite small) neighbouring market town of Baldock was the whole story of George Orwell in what used to be known pre-1974 as “The Hitchin Region”. His friendship with E.M. Forster, who would contribute much to Orwell’s wartime radio broadcasts, was strengthened by their ability to easily meet each other halfway in Hitchin, which was where many Hertfordshire buses ran on livestock market days.

But that’s not a major complaint, because the author has indeed toured the whole of George Orwell’s world and visited places a lot more remote than Wallington or the village of Orwell, just across the Cambridgeshire border from Wallington. These locations (as they are and as they might have been) are well-described in a manner not unworthy of Orwell and the author gives us quite a lot of insight into how well, or otherwise, Orwell is remembered.

Spain is the nicest example, because Orwell appears to be remembered widely and warmly and this is interesting. Yes, Orwell fought in the civil war, but so did other, more macho and flamboyant, literary figures. The key here is to remember a point once well made by the former British Railways Minister and Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, that most families in Spain had members who fought on both sides of the civil war and many of those families had members who fell fighting for both sides, too. Orwell never really articulated, let alone supported, the Nationalist side of the argument, but his writings were sufficiently observational and objective for it to be evident to any thinking person that there might have been compelling reasons why people fought against, as well as for, the Republicans.
In Spain, to see the civil war too much from EITHER side’s point of view is to risk alienating any or perhaps every Spanish family, because they all had members on both sides.

In the city of Huesca, there is a campaign to erect a statue of George Orwell drinking a cup of coffee, because, when he was taking part in the siege of Huesca, he expressed a wish to find out what the coffee there tasted like in peacetime. If I were a resident of Huesca, I’d find that a much more palatable goal than most of those formed during the siege.

Mention is made of the ferocious attacks on George Orwell by many on the left: by comparison with Laurie Lee, Orwell has (so far) been well-defended against “cancelling” but Lee was vilified all his life and his diaries stolen by those who claimed his memoirs of Spain to be “false.” Students and fans of George Orwell need to remain alert, because if the hard left could do what they did to the rustic, gentle and innocuous Laurie Lee, it’s not hard to imagine them one day doing worse to a more dangerous foe, such as Orwell.

I was sent this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review, so here it is. As something of an Orwell fan and someone who loves reading travel books, combining the two was perfect. I felt myself being transported to the places the author himself visited and I absolutely loved it. Would definitely recommend.

(Also reviewed on my Goodreads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23012030-lesley)

Part travelogue and part literary essay. It's an interesting read and I preferred the travelogue part as it was a different way of learning about Orwell.
I think it's recommended if you like Orwell and read some of his work.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I liked the concept of this book which has been accurately described as part travelogue and part biography. Oliver Lewis writes in an engaging way and I enjoyed his journey in Orwell’s footsteps.

Lewis is able to conjure up both the image and even the noise or silence if the places he is describing. I did learn more about George Orwell than I expected and I enjoyed reading about his life experience in this quite unique way.

I had read a number of Orwell’s books in the past which this book has encouraged me to return to. I had read few of Orwell’s essays and have since read a number of those which are referenced in The Orwell Tour. The tithe of the book is perfect as we do get a tour and often interesting behind the scenes insights or speculations from Lewis.

I enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it to fans of Orwell. I would also recommend it to those who have still to enjoy the writing of George Orwell and it would provide an interesting way to navigate the considerable works of this influential author.

I really enjoyed this book, a mix of travelogue and biography of George Orwell, one of my favourite authors. I came away from the book not really feeling that I knew Orwell in any greater depth, although I did have a greater appreciation of how place can shape character. It was sad how he never got to return to Jura. Intriguing concept and very well written. Thanks to the author, the publishers and to Netgalley for the chance to review an arc.

As an ardent admirer of George Orwell, I was very keen to read this book. However I was very disappointed by its execution.

The writer is an earnest and well-meaning young (29) man who would benefit from much more editorial input, for his writing style, for accuracy, and for the nature of some of his comments.

His writing style is verbose and many of his sentences so long that you have to read them twice to catch the meaning. Superfluous words abound. He claims to have read everything every written about Orwell (really?!) but if he has read Orwell's famous Six Rules for Writing, he's chosen to ignore them. This issue could be easily resolved with a thorough edit, which would also give the author with the the opportunity to hone his writing and grow as a writers.

I appreciate this is an uncorrected proof, and I sincerely hope the proofreader will correct the many errors I spotted, eg using the wrong word ("transgressed the gangplank" rather than, presumably "traversed", when boarding a boat), and misspellings such as Graham Green instead of Graham Greene and Faulty Towers instead of Fawlty Towers..

A good editor would also cut out occasional mansplaining, historical inaccuracies, dubious sweeping statements, unfounded speculation, and false conclusions. Sometimes he comes across as pompous and condescending, especially when talking about other nationalities.

I was particularly shocked that the author speculates that Orwell must have at least attempted to rape his childhood friend, as the explanation for their falling out of touch in their early 20s. He says there is no evidence for this, but still doesn't hesitate to accusing. If he cannot produce evidence other than his own imagination, this is reprehensible and defamatory.. There are other plausible reasons for their estrangement, including Orwell's departure to Burma. That she wrote an affectionate memoir about him after his death also undermines Lewis's claim.

A good editor, familiar with Orwell's life, work and era would have been able to eliminate all these things, and what remained would have been an enjoyable and rewarding read.

I won't share this review on Goodreads, Amazon, or anywhere else, because I feel the author has been badly let down by his publishers, and the weaknesses in his book are not entirely his fault.

On the plus side, the book has made me want to revisit Orwell's novels and collected essays and journalism, which I first read in my teens. and which have influenced me ever since. I also thought the cover design was gorgeous - if I saw it in a bookshop, I would pick it up immediately.

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to review this book, and I sincerely hope that further edits are made prior to publication to make this book the success it deserves to be.

The Orwell Tour: Travels Through the Life and Works of George Orwell is written by an author who is clearly passionate about the topic and knows what he is talking about.

When I saw the title of the book I knew I would want to read it. I read a book last year which mentioned briefly Orwell's untimely death and I realised then how little I knew about this author. This book is certainly a remedy for that. It is part travel log, part homage to a literary giant.

The picture which emerges during the course of the book is of a complex man with a bookish nature. His background was not what I had envisioned and I certainly did not realise quite how much work he produced in his time.

This book contains a wealth of knowledge on the author and has the bonus of being peppered with beautifully vivid descriptions of the author's journeys in Orwell's footsteps.

A very informative read.