I liked it; it was good
I first watched the movie in sixth grade, then the TV series when it first came out. Since then, I’ve wanted to read the original books, and I found the whole set at various used bookstores and book sales.
Read: Sep 25 – Sep 26, 2024
Genre: Absurdist Fiction, Dark Comedy
Audience: Children
Book contains: death of a parent, child abuse, forced marriage, blackmail
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
The three Baudelaire children are left orphaned and homeless after a gruesome fire, and as the executor of their parents’ will, Mr. Poe leaves them wit their closest (geographically) relative: Count Olaf. However, Count Olaf turns out to be a terrible man, out to get their parents’ money. Can they escape him before he gets it?
Like most children’s series, the adults in this book are horrendously inept. Mr. Poe is one of the only adults that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny can go to with their concerns about Count Olaf, but he dismisses them throughout the book until it’s thrown directly in his face. The only other adult in the book that has a chance of listening to them also doesn’t seem to take their concerns seriously, if only because of her naiveté. That leaves the kids with only themselves to rely on.
This book was written from the perspective of Lemony Snicket (who is also the author) as he takes the role of a storyteller/whistleblower, wanting to share the truth about what happened with the Baudelaire orphans. He often speaks directly to the reader to give definitions of words and to remind them that this is not a happy story (that it only gets worse). He seems to be the only adult on the children’s side.
I read along to this book while listening to the full audiobook on YouTube. The reader was excellent. My only complaint was that chapter 3 was cut about halfway through.
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny (fourteen, twelve, and two-ish respectively) are the three main characters of this book, sharing the spotlight almost equally (with Klaus and Violet being more active members and Sunny being passive for obvious reasons. Mr. Poe, a banker with a chronic cold, flits in and out as needed, though he doesn’t do much besides make things worse. A few other characters include the main antagonist, Count Olaf, his acting crew, and in this story, the kind neighbour of Justice Strauss.
The relationship between the siblings is incredibly close, which isn’t something that you see everyday. I like the fact that they also have reasonable arguments, but never stay angry at one another for long, since the three of them have a constant enemy in Count Olaf. It’s sad, though, how horribly mistreated they are.
Despite the horrendous subject matter, the tone of this story is lighthearted and fun, showing the kids to be resourceful, witty heroes. They are independent and overcoming their terrible situation together, which is a great lesson for kids to learn, especially if circumstances are grim.
This is the first book of thirteen, but as an opening I think the pace was excellent. It started with a brief introduction but immediately got into the catalyst for the plot. Count Olaf (the villain) is properly evil, and the end of the story comes with all sorts of payoffs that were set up throughout the chapters. I also like how there is a very specific point in the book that you can stop reading so that you have a happy ending—if you keep reading, it sets up the sorrow to come, but if you wanted to end it there (with everything turning out alright), you could.
I highly recommend this series, and I am excited to move onto book 2, The Reptile Room! I am still intensely upset with Count Olaf, though! Argh! I can’t wait for him to get his comeuppance (probably at the very end of the series).
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 2: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 3: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 4: The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 5: The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 6: The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 7: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 8: The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 10: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 11: The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 12: The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 13: The End by Lemony Snicket
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 1: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Alice in Wonderland Book 1: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
*The Wicket by Carlee Coton*
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Tigerpetal Press is a small book press dedicated to publishing local authors and poets.