Customer Reviews

Oranges (Penguin Modern Classics)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Oranges" (1967) was Pulitzer-prize-winning author John McPhee's third book and it begins simply 'in medias res' -- as a pungent celebration of oranges and orange juice. This is a mouth-watering introduction to the different types of oranges, and how various humans consume them. Then, in the following chapter the author takes us to the geographical heart of his story in a Florida orange grove.

All is not sweetness and orange juice in this book, which was written when LBJ was President. Frozen orange juice concentrate was make large inroads into the fresh orange market, much to McPhee's dismay. He stopped at a Florida Welcome Station on his way into the state, and was given "a three-ounce cup of reconstituted concentrate." The motel where he stayed also served reconstituted orange juice so McPhee finally had to buy himself a plastic orange reamer and a knife, and pick his own oranges from a nearby grove.

We meet the 'Orange Men' in the following chapter and learn the details of the citrus-growing industry. You might think this is the boring bit, but nothing McPhee writes is ever boring. Pomologists are an eccentric lot, most of them migrants to Florida from cold places like Kansas, Minnesota, and Great Britain. At the time this book was written, Englishman William Grierson, Ph.D, a former officer in the Royal Air Force, was "trying to keep growers and shippers interested in fresh fruit...despite the tidal rise of concentrate." He considered himself "the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition."

We also learn from Grierson that, "a citrus fruit is, botanically, a berry" and "The sex life of citrus is something fantastic." (Citrus is so genetically perverse that oranges can grow from lime seeds.) By this part of the book you will be up to your ears in sweet and bitter oranges, grapefruits, lemons, tangerines, limequats, citrons, and Persian Limes. If you haven't already run out to the kitchen for a citrus fix, you're made of sterner stuff than I am.

McPhee wanders (as only he can) through the history of citrus, the orangeries of European nobility, the Indian River orange groves, the production of reconstituted orange juice, and throws in a riff on Minute Maid and the old-time orange barons. Go ahead, settle down and drink in this author's delicious prose. His books are much more satisfying than novels.

You might think that a whole book on oranges was just too much, but I read this book as eagerly as if it was a mystery and I couldn't wait to see what was on the next page. It is worth reading for the writing alone, as McPhee's style brings the groves to life and makes you laugh aloud at times with subtle humor.

In addition to describing the origin of oranges, their cultivation and rising popularity from when the Hesperides would watch them to the present of the book (1967), he explains how it came to be that most of us have orange juice for breakfast. There is some very interesting science in the book as well, and it seems quite thorough in every respect (after all, it is an entire book on oranges!). There are some excellent character descriptions of the original settlers and orange barons as well: "The Indians hated Russell and always had. One of them fired at him and nicked him the arm. Feeling pain that night, Russell went into the boat's cabin and groped in the dark for a bottle of salve. Picking up a bottle of ink by mistake, he poured it over his arm. When the sun came up, he thought he had gangrene. The others knew that it was ink, but they thought even less of Russell than the Indians did, and they said nothing." It is a must-read for anyone who is traveling to FL and wants to know more about the real FL and less about theme-parks!

The only disappointment might be for those who live in California, as although CA oranges are given a place, the main focus is on FL.

A great read!

Every time someone asks me about John McPhee (I am, I admit a total fan) I find myself saying "Look, Here is a guy who can take a subject like, say ORANGES, and make it fascinating." This is the book where he does just that. I gather that ORANGES started out as a short magazine piece & like so many of McPhee's books became an obsession. Here we can get the history, the ecology, the landscape of orange groves along with discussions of the effects of oranges and orange growing on both the culture and the surroundings, all in McPhee's eminently readable prose. This is a fast read about a subject that you probably haven't though much about, but you will walk away from this book not only better informed about the fruit but also taken with the infinite possibility of the wonder that can be found in what seem to be every-day things.

I read this book based on the other glowing Amazon recommendations and my past experiences with John McPhee. I got everything I expected, and then some.

Like many of his books, McPhee succeeds in distilling somtimes complex--seemingly dry--concepts (tree grafting, juice concentration, etc.) into fascinating subjects. Who would have thought that a book about oranges would be a page-turner?!

This is a slim volume (I read it in two sittings), and one worth reading. Indeed, you'll never drink your morning OJ quite the same way agian.

For twenty years I have given this book to recent high school graduates, carefully inscribing each book to encourage them to see what McPhee reveals here.

What he reveals most vividly is the idea that there is no such thing as an uninteresting subject; there is only an uninterested reader.

What also impressed me, decades ago, was the notion of connectedness, and the idea that one thing-an orange, a diamond, iron, oil, lead-could reveal everything about our world.

Finally, he deserves five stars because he never gets in the way of his subject, and he has moments of such brilliance-his devotional to Otto, the restauranteur, still ranks as a great moment in writing, fiction or non-that everyone should read him.

My favorite of a shelfull of McPhees, with the Headmaster in a virtual dead heat.

I find myself reading this book over and over. Of the several McPhee books I own, this is my favorite. I jsut wish it had more material on blood oranges! I love blood oranges and can relate to McPhee's comments on how they scare some Americans. Every time I eat one in public I get questions about their color, but most people refuse to even try them. Their loss!
The book is fascinating, but dated. Nowadays it is easy to find orange juice that is not from concentrate. That aside, the book is wonderfully informative and will tell you more about oranges than you thought possible. Beautifully written and engaging, I have given it to several of my friends, who love it.

Expertly executed. A detailed history of oranges--customs surrounding, growing, marketing, geography--yet if you apply your close reading skills and critical thinking you may find that this work has deeper meaning. Could it also be taking on social issues such as poverty, ignorance, miscenegation, reproductive rights, and just plain old politics. It is certainly intriguing to consider this when drinking in the beauty of the writing and the mastery of weaving a comprehsensive report on all things having to do with oranges. Never dull no matter what your take.

A wonderful romp through the Florida citrus industry. The books starts on the right note, covering about 50 ways to eat oranges and about 10 ways to use their citric acid to clean things. My favorite idea was the Norwegian way to eat an orange: cut off the top, stick a cube of sugar inside and suck out the juice.

From there, we visit orange groves, review 100 years of disastrous freezes, discuss techniques of grafting bud-stock to root-stock and, visit with the day labor (including 'snake-man' and other curious characters). The book ends with a day with a citrus tycoon.

I read the whole thing while resting under a beach umbrella. It was the perfect book.

Oranges was my first and remains my most favorite McPhee book! I have always been a fan of non-books: dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedia. So, McPhee's Oranges certainly resonated with me. He is one of the few authors of non-fiction who writes beautifully - even his lists are fantastic. Oranges shows in a succinct format the beauty and creativity possible in natural history writing, especially when nature is so entertwined with culture. I have recommended Oranges to my friends and colleagues who like natural history, food, and/or poetry.

Oranges is a must-read. If you enjoy it, follow up with any of McPhee's other books.

Back around 500 BCE the sage Confucius wrote the first essay on "Oranges". In 1966 CE John McPhee wrote the essay that gives us the 'rest of the story'. There is something here about the orange juice industry, something about the history of oranges, a little bit about their botany, and a lot about the women and men that grow them. Above all else, McPhee gives us all of this in an entertaining and spellbinding way.

From migrant orange pickers in Florida to Nostradamus, from the Countess Mathilda of Wurttemberg ("if you love me, bring me oranges") to Ponce de Leon (who probably introduced the orange to Florida), we get the stories of the people of the orange. There is even an explanation of the origin of the William Tell legend, probably based in the 'Pomeranzschiessen', an 15th century annual 'Orange Shoot' in the Alpine area of Breslau.

Take a bite out McPhee's "Oranges", you'll love the taste. Don't forget to wear a napkin, because its juicy.