This is a small book where you seem to be getting to know George Orwell. Which is great! You learn his opinions about some things, you find out a bit about his past, his childhood. You start by comparing the price of books and various leisure activities, and cigarettes of course, and end up reading about a terrible French hospital and a horrible school. I empathized with a lot of his feelings even when comparing school periods almost a century apart. I'd recommend this not only to Orwell fans, but to everyone.