Started reading this book in the same day as the fifth one because I had some extra time and just couldn’t wait until the weekend.

Read: Oct 21, 2024

Genre: Absurdist Fiction, Dark Comedy
Audience: Children
Book contains: fear of dark, kidnapping, child imprisonment, falling

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

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Will the Quagmire Children Be Saved?

The next guardians on Mr. Poe’s long list of “where to dump the Baudelaire orphans” are Jerome and Esmé Squalor, who live on Dark Avenue in the Baudelaires’ hometown. Count Olaf would never dare to find them in such a rich neighbourhood, would he? And where are their friends, the Quagmires?

I finished book 5 relatively quickly, so I decided to just go right ahead and read book 6 as well. I wasn’t too sure about these new guardians at first, but they turned out to be an interesting addition to the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire orphans.

Lemony Snicket reprises his role as narrator, this time throwing in quite a few anecdotes of his own dangerous adventures while writing this tale. I especially love how he defines the word “ersatz” then continues to use it as a way of teaching the reader this new word.

I continued listening to Tori (or V) on YouTube for this book. She has streamed herself reading each of the books. It was relaxing and convenient to listen along while folding laundry or bookbinding.

The Baudelaires are incredibly worried about their friends, the Quagmire triplets, and they must be as independent as ever, especially in this new home which has 70+ bedrooms. Jerome is a sweet and kind man who knew their mother, and I think he would’ve been an amazing guardian for the children if not for his adverse reaction to arguing. He is the type of man to roll over and show his belly at the first sign of conflict. His wife Esmé doesn’t help with that. She is stubborn and clearly a narcissist, only caring for her own interests.

The marriage between Jerome and Esmé is clearly not a good one. Esmé takes charge, never listening to her husbands input, and he just lets it happen. If this were any other book, I would’ve rooted for him learning from the children to stand up for himself, but it’s not any other book. It’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, so in the end, inevitably, they must leave him.

I’m really loving the dark humour of this series. In this book, things start to get more serious (with the Quagmire triplets held captive by Count Olaf) but the characters (like Jerome and Mr. Poe) continue to be funny in an absurd way.

Things are always chugging along for the Baudelaires; they hardly get a break for peace and quiet before Count Olaf returns. This time, they don’t bother pretending to be taken in by his disguise like at the boarding school; they tell their guardians right away. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

I highly recommend continuing this series! You’ll be drawn in by the intrigue and stay to find out what happens.

Related Reviews:

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