Lost in a Good Book

Published: October 29th 2002
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 286
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Dear Reader,
The word “carnivorous” which appears in the title of this book, means “meat-eating,” and once you have read such a bloodthirsty word, there is no reason to read any further. This carnivorous volume contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than ever the most imbalanced meal.
To avoid causing discomfort, it would be best if I didn’t mention any of the unnerving ingredients of this story, particularly a confusing map, an ambidextrous person, an unruly map, a wooden plank, and Chabo the Wolf Baby.
Sadly for me, my time is filled with researching and recording the displeasing and disenchanting lives of the Baudelaire orphans. But your time might be better filled with something more palatable, such as eating your vegetables, or feeding them to someone else.

We join the dear children where we left them at the end of book eight. There is a large amount of practicality and actual intrigue in this stage of the series. Snicket gets us so close to possibly figuring it all out and there looks like there will be hope for Violet, Klaus and Sunny but then naturally it crumbles. Snicket has gotten better about not totally ruining the entire book plot within the early stages, but also by now you know, being only book nine, nothing good is going to
happen until book 13, maybe not even then.

After escaping their hiding place the children find themselves at a carnival run by fortune teller Madame Lulu who is great friends with Count Olaf. With nowhere to go and the chance of finding out more about their parents and Olaf’s plan they get hired to work at the carnival as freaks as a chance to spy. They manage to blend in with slightly more believability than before with actual props at their disposal. Once again there are no guardians and the children must fend for themselves and Mr Poe hasn’t been seen for awhile which has been good. It is also where we see Olaf as himself for a change, sort of a behind the scenes of his grand schemes.

Whilst at the carnival the children have to perform in the freak show, which itself is filled with absurdness and great hypocrisies. It’s all as degrading as a freak show would be. We see the children grow up a little more through these books too, Klaus was thirteen in Book 7 and now we see Sunny is growing up a bit too.

There were some depressing moments in this book but it is balanced out by the suspense of what the children uncover. Everything has changed so much from the start and the siblings often now find themselves trying very hard not to act like the villains around them. It is interesting that this moral side is thrown in, Snicket casually brushes over serious murder and horror but he does make it clear that if you start doing it you are no better than the people you are running from, even if it is for good reason. That was rather nice.

I’m afraid the end once again does not look good for the Baudelaire children but the cliffhangers and the increase of adventure makes up for it. These final books connect much better than the earlier ones, they connect together like they are like are different parts of one episode, as opposed to separate episodes of a series. On to book ten!

Published: May 1st 2003
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 258
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Dear Reader,

Before you throw this awful book to the ground and run as far away from it as possible, you should probably know why. This book is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children’s miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful books in the world.
There are man pleasant things to read about, but this book contains none of them. Within its pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire. Clearly you do not want to read about such things.
I have sworn to research this story, and to write it down as best I can, so I should know that this book is best left on the ground, where you undoubtedly found it.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

And the exciting times continue for those Baudelaire children (after all these reviews I still can’t spell their name without checking). So book number eight is a bit milder than the others in terms of action, this focus more on the suspense side of discovering about VFD and what these mysteries and connections mean.

In The Hostile Hospital the children pick up from their last journey as they left the Vile Village. They hitch a ride with a group of highly cheerful, singing troupe that goes around cheering up sick patients in hospitals. It is all very sweet in theory but Snicket’s take on this is that they ignore what actually needs to be done and just hands over the cheery balloon. Of course the doctors should be doing that anyway so we don’t dislike these singers for abandoning the patients, it isn’t technically their job.

The children do not have a guardian in this book, they fend for themselves and try to hideout away from the ever searching police force, still convinced of their criminal nature. When left to their own devices Violet, Klaus and Sunny are very clever and they are logical and reasoned people, somehow the adults are the oblivious and daft bunch. Olaf makes his usual appearance and there is actually a bit of suspense created in this hospital. There is even a great cliffhanger that essentially insists you dive into the next book.

The final star is withheld for the (granted lessening) explanations of words. I only remember a dozen or so and they did not stick out nearly as much. Also your level of acceptance needs to be terribly high in this series to believe the things that happen, there are understandable things but occasionally, in this book especially, it is just ludicrous, but the characters actually make comment on this this time round, they themselves cannot believe some of the things. I think that helps you accept, if the characters are stunned by what happens then you can accept it better than if no one notices the unrealistic things.

After a slow first few books Snicket is definitely getting the ball rolling towards the final conclusion. By starting the suspense as early as he did (well, by early I mean book five) he ensures that the hints and clues can build over time rather than be rushed through. It is a wise tactic, and compensation I think for the tedious tendency of the beginning books.

Published: April 24th 2003
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 259
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Dear Reader,
You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages. I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children’s lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Well now we seem to have gotten into a proper swing of things. Yes Snicket keeps up the same narration and writing style in some aspects, but the story gets a lot better. It has widened to focus beyond the Baudelaire’s personally and more characters and environments are introduced are part of the wider mystery. After being moved on from the previous guardians, and under the illusion it takes a village to raise a child, the three siblings are being looked after by a strange village with bizarre characters and a very strange list of laws. Snicket warns us that this books contains many unpleasant matters such as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. This is pretty much the case. Absurdities follow these children and the village is no exception. The difference here it the fact there are rescue missions and escape plots, hints and clues, as well as more details about the circumstances and life of the man whose job it was to record this unfortunate tale.

The Vile Village is the seventh book in the series and while very odd it wasn’t bad. The villagers are idiotic but in a good way. They are humourously daft and so intent of obeying the rules they end up worse for it. Their ignorance and neglect of the children this time isn’t just for plot. Previously the adults seems annoyingly vague and oblivious to the kids to the point it was a little unbelievable in the scheme of things, however this time you actually believe these adults are so wrapped up in their village that they don’t care for the kids.

Now that Snicket has introduced the intruge factor and the mysterious ‘VFD’, the story turns to focus on discovering this. Through the narrative we follow the siblings as they try and discover more about what ‘VFD’ means, as well the reappearance of the orphan triplets Duncan and Isadora (who where introduced in The Austere Academy). With more inventing and thinking and biting things are somewhat concluded, if not exposed at best. The slight issue with these books (among the other issues) is that it is very hard to discuss the next book without ruining the story of the previous one. Certainly Snicket likes to do that himself, but now that there are actual clues and suspicious circumstances occurring we are finally given much desired structure and cliffhangers that carry on to the next in the series.

What has become really enjoyable is the fact that the story has become more traditional in the sense of structure, and like mystery stories we are able to read along looking for our own clues and trying to decipher meaning alongside the Baudelaire siblings. Snicket seems to have moved on from defining every word and phrase when he write, and he certainly isn’t giving away as much of the oncoming plot as he did in the earlier books which is a real joy. Now that there seems to be a nice continual flow and constructive narrative, the remaining books are looking to be shaping up nicely.

Published: July 29th 2003
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 259
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

In their most daring misadventure, the Baudelaire orphans are adopted by very, very rich people, whose penthouse apartment is located mysteriously close to the place where all their misfortune began. Even though their new home in the city is fancy, and the children are clever and charming, I′m sorry to say that still, the unlucky orphans will encounter more disaster and woe. In fact, in this sixth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, the children will experience a darkened staircase, a red herring, an auction, parsley soda, some friends in a dire situation, a secret passageway, and pinstripe suits.

I entered into book six with optimism. After the last few books I was intent on embracing the quirky and jovial manner in which Snicket address his readers and warns them from his nasty and worrisome book. I would take in the repetition and accept whatever happened. And I think I picked the best book to start doing that.

There is a greater continuity from the previous book than before. There is unfinished business outside of the Baudelaire children that flows into the narrative, which in turn adds more to the story. For the first time the new guardians of this book are a married couple, rich neighbourhood, fancy home, expensive things and unimportant priorities. There is a great obsession about obtaining and following what is “in” at the moment. As obscure and ridiculous as these “in” things are, it was a great reflection of the reality of people and their “in” obsessions, even today. The guardians are peculiar as always but not that bad, being a married couple you get two contrasting personalities and they balance out each other in terms of their level of ridiculousness, it is not even strange or surreal, it is just this wacky that is floating somewhere around the absurd region.

One aspect that I do like from Snicket is that throughout these books there are multiple references and chances to highlight a kids special talent which is never a bad thing. Whether it is inventing or reading, or even biting things, Snicket takes these talents and uses them for useful purposes and they help make a difference. It’s also taken this many books but I am finally just closing my eyes and accepting that despite being an infant, Sunny can do what any other person can do, even climbing ropes, so it isn’t a stand out annoyance as much. If we accept her as one of them then it doesn’t make my head hurt as much about she manages to do half the things she does.

There are new developments and twists as well through The Ersatz Elevator, but there are also some things you just have to accept no matter how insane or unrealistic. The underlying mystery and story has taken awhile to kick in, but now that it has you can involve yourself more in the story; they are not just variants of the same storyline like before. Being the sixth book, and having seven to go I hope they stay as engaging as this and not revert to the repetitive nature of the first few. And as much as you try and read them as their own stories, they are undoubtedly connected, and reading them together makes you realise the writing and narration a lot more. But Snicket seems to have changed his approach a little which I welcome and hope he maintains. I look forward to book number seven.

Published: February 25th 2000
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 214
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Dear Reader,

If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale, I’m afraid you have picked up the wrong book altogether. the story may seem cheery at first, when the Baudelaire children spend time in the company of some interesting reptiles and a giddy uncle, but don’t be fooled. If you know anything at all about the unlucky Baudelaire children, you already know that even pleasant events lead down the same road to misery. In fact, within the pages you now hold in your hands, the three siblings endure a car accident, a terrible smell, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a large brass reading lamp, and the re-appearance of a person they’d hoped never to see again. I am bound to record these tragic events, but you are free to put this book back on the shelf and seek something lighter.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket.

This was a good follow up to the first book, you can tell how the rest of the series will go, one unfortunate event after the other until it ends. I liked the story but there were a few more downsides than the first I’ll admit. The stopping to explain words that was a nice element in the first is now unfortunately a little annoying. After the first few chapters it didn’t seem to flow as well and it stood out to much and interrupted the sentence flow among other things. Perhaps the problem is (as it seems to be a reoccurring theme of late) I keep reading these books, aimed at primary school kids, as an adult. I know these words and I know these meanings so I don’t need them explained. But seeing as it worked in the first book, and Snicket managed to weave them comically and easily into the tale, somehow the second time they do not hold up as well so maybe it is not just me.

What was sad was the way Snicket foretells things. Sometimes it works, sometimes in books and stories you can foretell things and then you just have to read and wait for the why, how and when to bring it all together beautifully. For me Snicket’s announcement from the very first pages about the future events, no matter how vague, were a tad depressing. I do see though how his writing style of constantly reminding us about these unfortunate events and telling us we mustn’t think that these children were ever going to get a happy ending does kind of support his constant effort to quash any enjoyment you get from a character, especially when he keeps reminding you how doomed they are. And of course, when the book itself is called “The Reptile Room or, Murder!” (well the copy I have does), you kind of know where the story is heading sooner or later.

There is a greater presence of violence in the second book, and again everyone acts as this is all very acceptable even if it is a bit frightful. This is why you need to take notes sometimes while you read, especially if you are going to review it. If you don’t you forget the little gems and one liners that stand out and when you try to find them again it is a lost cause. This was one of my favourite lines regarding the take on violence and threats – “He would slit the throats of the Baudelaire orphans as easily as you or I might eat a small butter cookie.” Now that is a line that you would not be allowed to probably print now to protect the poor innocent minds of the dear kiddy winks. What no one realises though is this is the stuff they thrive on. They want to be fearful of the man with the knife and they want to be the children who try and outsmart the evil grownups in their world. This is why old kids books are great. I say old, the first one was released in 1999, it wasn’t that long ago.

Anyway. I did like Snicket’s two page long discussion, including one page consisting of just “ever” repeated, about playing with electrical sockets. This was just one of the little moral and handy lessons he included in his books, others being quick one liners about swearing, stealing (or as Snicket describes “casing the joint’) and lying.

The ending was sadder in this book mainly for the events and the children’s reactions. It also makes you think that every adult is stupid in this world and those poor children have no hope, but that is how Snicket likes it. No happy endings and he does it pretty well I must say.