Down and Out in Paris and London
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwellby George Orwell
Shares rank 4 of 25 memoirs by recommenders
Recommended as a raw, first-hand picture of poverty in Paris and London, written by someone who lived it; one critic calls it overrated.
Recommended as a raw, first-hand picture of poverty in Paris and London, written by someone who lived it; one critic calls it overrated.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 90%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 9 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Raw, firsthand account of poverty
“he is very clear that he comes from some privilege and also that he actually lived the experiences he wrote about”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” “It's a good picture of life in the slums at the time, and much more raw than other accounts”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)” Rereaded often, personal favorite
“"Down and out in Paris and London" is what I've reread the most”
Comment from 11 Aug 2026 in “London Underground begins scanning passengers' faces” “An all-time favorite book.”
Comment from 27 Aug 2026 in “Taylor Farms: How One Company's Reach Became a National Risk”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Called overrated by one critic
“one of Orwell's more overrated books”
Comment from 17 Dec 2025 in “Alpha Books”
Other memoirs people recommend
The four most recommended other memoirs, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Careless Peopleby Sarah Wynn-Williams | 106 | 24 | 82% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Man's Search for Meaningby Viktor Emil Frankl | 13 | 2 | 87% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!by Richard Phillips Feynman and Ralph Leighton | 11 | 7 | 61% | 6 | — | — |
| Down and Out in Paris and Londonby George OrwellThis page | 9 | 1 | 90% | 8 | — | — |
| Kitchen Confidentialby Anthony Bourdain | 9 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“reading “Down and Out in Paris & London” by George Orwell really helped me out these things into perspective.”
“An all-time favorite book.”
“"Down and out in Paris and London" is what I've reread the most”
“his book on the topic is remarkable. It's a must read for anyone who's ever worked in the food service industry.”
“was a life changing read for me”
“he is very clear that he comes from some privilege and also that he actually lived the experiences he wrote about”
“Road to Wigan Pier and Down and Out in Paris and London are good too”
“Non-fiction books (Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier, and especially Homage to Catalonia) are great.”
“It's a good picture of life in the slums at the time, and much more raw than other accounts”
“one of Orwell's more overrated books”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.