I liked it; it was good
Book the second in A Series of Unfortunate Events! I am a fan of reptiles in general so I am excited to get into this book! After the first book, though, I was wondering when this series could possibly take place, considering some of the things Count Olaf got away with. (It’s between the late 1800s and early 1930s, but really just a made-up world.)
Read: Oct 3, 2024
Genre: Absurdist Fiction, Dark Comedy
Audience: Children
Book contains: mention of snakes and other reptiles/amphibians, murder, child neglect, evil schemes
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Count Olaf has escaped the law, and the Baudelaire orphans are sent to a new relative they’ve never met before—this one by the name of Dr. Montgomery, a herpetologist. Will they be free of Count Olaf, or will his evil schemes follow them to this new home?
Uncle Monty (from the movie an TV show) was one of my favourite relatives that the Baudelaires live with, which makes me exceptionally sad that this is only book 2, since it’s obvious that they won’t be able to stay with him. If only Mr. Poe had taken them to him first (instead of to Count Olaf).
This book is told once again by Lemony Snicket, the narrator, who speaks directly to the reader from start to finish, explaining the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire children and warning the reader against continuing to read about their unfortunate lives. I especially love that he uses rather obscure words and phrases and explains their meanings (sometimes in general and sometimes just in the context of the sentence).
I took this book out to the beach and read it the old fashioned way in the wonderful shade of an umbrella.
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny continue to be wonderful main characters, clever children each with their own strengths. They are also the only characters competent enough to see through Count Olaf’s schemes, and as per children’s book rules, the adults never believe them or are too blind to see reason—to the children’s detriment.
Their sibling bond is the strongest relationship within the story. Mr. Poe, despite being a family friend who has known the children since they were born doesn’t seem to care about them all too much, mostly treating them like a thing to check off his To-Do list. Uncle Monty, meanwhile, is an amazing guardian for them, his only downfall being his naiveté.
Despite the forlorn topics and narrative, the tone of this story is once again fun and exciting, like a children’s action series, with a splash of dark humour and some suspension of disbelief.
The pace of this book was again super quick; the Baudelaires barely have any time to settle into their new “happy” life before things go south—a phrase which here means “go horribly, horribly wrong”—and they are once again left to deal with the incompetence of adults and the evil scheming of a violent, greedy man.
I was a little irritated by some of the incorrect terminology (especially when they talked about “poisonous” snakes when the context meant venomous) but overall it was an excellent read and I am excited to continue on to book 3!
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
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