‘Hot House Flower’ by Margot Berwin

Fiction - paperback; Hutchinson; 288 pages; 2009. Review copy. Having read Susan Orlean's classic non-fiction title, The Orchid Thief , and Eric Hansen's similarly acclaimed Orchid Fever , I had high hopes that this fictionalised account of a woman hunting for rare plants in the tropics of Mexico would be something I'd really enjoy. And while it ticked all the botanical boxes, I'm afraid Hot House Flower was slightly too girlie for me. In fact, the cover image and the cursive font should