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Summary: Ok...I admit it...I'm not a child!
Review: You know the funny thing and me and this book is that I have no children and I'm reviewing this for myself. I enjoy reading box sets and one day i happened to stumble upon this book, well I thought I'd give it a try. To my surprise I really enjoyed reading this book. This would be a great tool for children to learn the meaning of certain words and phrases and how to apply them when they talk. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story...especially 21 year olds (wait maybe that just me)!
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Summary: I can't wait until my toddler grows up!
Review: These books are amazing. As a big fan of quality children's writing, I was completely engrossed in these books. Each narrative is strong, compelling, and unique. The author retains his structure while not allowing the plots to get too formulatic and boring. While you can see by the end of book 2 that a pattern is emerging (that is all I'll say here) -- and the fact that the series continues -- it seems to me that this helps the reader know that somehow the children will survive whatever ordeal they find themselves in, which is a great device. It alleviates our anxiety, and more importantly, a child's anxiety, that real harm might come to the kids, while letting us relax enough to enjoy the story as it unfolds. I once read an essay by Maurice Sendac in which he described how hard it was to get published. The common thinking was that you can't wirte about things that scare children, like death. These dark fears are tabboo. He argued that children do think about such things, and that writing about them in a careful way respects children and their real concerns and provides them with a place to air their deepest fears. The success of his books, I believe, is in large part due to his respect for children. These books, I believe, provide the same sort of thing, though they are much funnier than Sendac. The children are so bright and clever that they are wonderful heros. The grownups never seem to listen to them or realize that these are really insightful and intelligent people. I suppose this might be interpreted by some parents as undermining adult authority, but the writing is so good and the characters so ridiculous that bright kids would not see them as actual representations of real adults. This is very much along the lines of Roald Dahl, who is known for his horrible grownups who treat children as foolish little no-nothings. Children are much more insightful than many adults give them credit for, and bright kids love reading stories in which they can be the smart heros, solving the mysteries and beating the villain. This has been such a standard plot device for so long that I needn't list how many classic books have used it successfully. Just a few are the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, Matilda (and many of Dahl's books), Treasure Island, The wonderful Tintin series, of course harry Potter, etc., etc.). Kids love being the heros, and, like Harry Potter and many of these others, the key is in making the children heros, while allowing them to be terribly afraid while scary things are happening to them. Without this fear they feel, the stories would, of ocurse, be flat and stale and not ring true. If Snicket didn't apply the assorted techniques to prepare his readers, I might feel otherwise, but I would have LOVED these books as a kid, and I can't wait until my 3.5 yr old is old enough to read them to her (in several years). Finally, one must read things as they are intended. Many of Grimm's Fairy Tales are very scary and violent, but alas, they are fairy tales. These books are contempory fairy tales. If they one day get produced as movies, they should be made by Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, etc.) who is one of the few people who could give them that air of unreality which would make them so thrilling and fun, without terrifying children and scaring them for life. These are fantastic books which I highly recommend buying for the children in your life -- those who are old and bright enough to appreciate them as they are intended. Before you give them away as a gift, though, do sit down for a couple hours one stormy evening, make some tea, turn off the blasted television, and enjoy (at least the first of) these highly entertaining books.
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Summary: The Uses of Evil, by fermed
Review: This is quite an extraordinary children's series, both in its content and in its form; and like most extraordinary things it requires some explanation to be fully appreciated. Having read the previous reviews, I wonder if the negative ones would have been a little kinder to the books if the reviewers had grasped the underlying structures that drive these writings, and see that these are books of humor and that their subject matter is the salvation of children from the obsessive stupidity, the greed, and the cruelty with which they are often treated by adults. They are stories that laugh at the impermanency of both good and evil, and that hold in high esteem the cleverness and resourcefulness of children. The author (Daniel Handler, here with the 'nom de plume' "Lemony Snicket") has managed to sterilize his writing so that it is entirely denuded of emotionality and sentimentality; this is a clever move that allows him to touch the most horrendous and evil themes without flinching or turning the reader off. When the three Baudelaire children are informed that both parents have died and their home burned to the ground, it is done by Mr. Poe, a bumbling bank offical who is now their guardian and the trustee of their parent's vast fortune. After telling them that both parents perished in the fire he adds "perish means 'killed.'" The children don't fall apart, but rather hold hands and walk off the beach with Mr. Poe, ready to engage in the "Bad Beginning" which is the title of the first book. Lemony Snicket's prose is dry and simple, and he uses and elaborates some of the writing techniques that were abandoned a hundred years ago with the decline of Victorian prose: he, the author, is constantly intruding himself into the narrative, directly addressing the reader with advice, comments, and even prophetic remarks about how the story line will evolve.For example, a few pages previously he has announced that Uncle Monty, a wonderful and kind person, will soon die. Now Lemony comments (to the reader): "For no matter how safe and happy the three children felt, no matter how comforting Uncle Monty's words were, you and I know that soon Uncle Monty will be dead and the Baudeliares will be miserable once again." It is by means of these techniques that the author can get away with what he writes about (brutal cruelty, pointless horrors) without being brutally cruel or subjecting his young readers to pointless horrors. But, and this is a large but: the young reader must be intelligent enough to transcend the prose and see the unreality and the humor of what is being presented. More than novels, these book suggest to me an elaborate Punch and Judy show conducted by a genial man who can have the figures commit all sorts of mayhem upon each other, while the young children in the audience don't think for a moment that Punch or Judy are "real;" they just go along with the pretense and enjoy the show. In fact, they could not enjoy themselves if the figures really were alive. This author makes no pretense of realism in his writing, and therefore the mayhem he creates is ultimately funny. Snicket certainly warns the reader: "I'm sorry to say the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant;" or "If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale, I'm afraid you've picked up the wrong book altogether;" or "All the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and the one you are holding may be the worst one of all." Those are parts of each of the three notices that appear in the back cover of each volume. No deception here. Be forewarned. I can see where some parents would think of the books as designed to undermine adult authority, and would believe them to be subversive if not downright seditious. But I can't fathom intelligent children being hurt by these books, or their self discipline in any way being lessened by them; on the contrary, I believe it will make them wiser (and perhaps better) people. Highly recommended for normal children with a sense of humor, and for the parents who raised them.
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Summary: ONLY For Kids (And Parents) With A SENSE OF HUMOR.....
Review: (...) My children LOVED LOVED LOVED these books!! I decided to poke my nose in one, as we traveled through France, and became hooked! I refused to give it back to my son!! I LOVED IT! MUCH BETTER THAN HARRY POTTER if you're bothered by the idea of sorcerers, witches, etc (for religious reasons). Although I didn't like the idea of characters being killed, is it no less "mystery based" than the Nancy Drew books I read when I was growing up? Or the Hardy Boys? Loved them. Plain and simple.
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Summary: A LETTER TO HEASITATING AMAZON.COM SHOPPERS
Review: Dear Heasitating Amazon.com Shopper, I consider it my duty to inform you that this horrible gift set contains the first three misrable books in Lemony Snicket's utterly unfortunate book series, "A Series of Unfortunate Events." For some reason, even though the books describe nothing but sadness and terror, they continue to show up on bestseller lists. One might wonder why this happens when in the very first chapter of first dreadful book, THE BAD BEGINNING, the Baudeliares recieve word that their parents have perrished in a terrible fire while they spent the day at the beach. Following this utterly wretched news, their lives don't improve, and they are sent to live with the revoltingly gross and unbelieveably greedy Count Olaf, who attempts to get his fillhy hands on their fortune. Upon failing, he tries again in THE REPTILE ROOM and THE WIDE WINDOW, when the children are sent to live with two ill-fated guardians, the kind but uncareful Uncle Monty and terrified, weak, grammer-obsessed Aunt Josephine. In conclusion, if these books even sound fun to read, you are better off seeking medical help than spendinng your money on this boxed set. In these three books, trouble begins, and in later installments of the series, it only worsens. Wouldn't you rather read a more pleasnt book? I know of a supurb one called "The Littlist Elf," and I highly suggest you read that one instead of these depressing novels. With all due respect,
Jake Lizzillo-Who
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Summary: Definitely unfortunate
Review: My 9 yr old read the first few pages of the first book in the series. He was not "captured" by the author's intent. After reading the first few chapters myself, I could only conclude that this series is a children's version of violence and abusiveness. This book is not something we need to expose our children into thinking that this is a "good read". Missing the idea that this is a good book. Reader in Dallas
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Summary: You must stop right now..
Review: You know about happy people that are in happy books and have happy endings and want a happy series? WEll please do not even come close to these books. These books have a unhappy beggining, seldom happy parts in the middle, and a very very unhappy ending. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire have been orphaned just like that. Their overseer for which family they go to, Mr. Poe, is not helpful at all and you can only bet all you have that he has a terrible cough. Their first foster parent is a nasty old mean grouch named Count Olaf. You might as well stop here because the reason why these books are so unhappy and miserable and unfortunate accuring is because of Count olaf. He wants to steal the Baudelaire fortune from Violet, Klaus and Sunny the mometn he hears about it. Before you even think of moving your mouse to the direction of the "Shopping Cart" button I do warn you, if you are expecting a happy book with fuzzy bunies (personal experiences) please do not buy this book. Yet if you insist, go ahead.
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Summary: Unfortunate but soo good
Review: In the first three books they meet count Olaf the men behind the mask and try to escape his clutches. Snicket warns you to stop reading but through the first chapter he draws you in a trance to where you can't put the book down. Mystery with a weird twist. I have never read a boook so indulging in my life!!! This is by far the best book on the site and i urge you to buy it its amazing!!!1( The first ones soo cool, they get married!!! well sorta)
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Summary: Great Books!
Review: I've bought these books, and I've recieved them in a short period of time. They are interesting to read. It's hard to see these children struggle, and face all the sorrow that comes their way. I thought I would not like these, because they were supposed to be depressing. If you want a series you really get involved in, try these. This collection is by far entertaining, and detailed. I can't wait to buy the next box set!
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Summary: From Bad to Worse: The Story of the Baudelaire Orphans
Review: When I first started reading this series of books I was set back a little because these stories are not written in the style of typical children's books. These stories are dark, and the evil characters are truly evil. A number of reviewers have panned this series because they are dark, and because they often push the boundaries of what some of us may find acceptable for children to read. It is because of the dark imagery that I have typically recommended that age 9 be a minimum age. Some children may be unprepared for these books until later. In the first three books in this series we learn that the three Baudelaire children, Sunny, the baby, Klaus, her brother, and Violet, a young teen, have lost their parents in a terrible fire. The children are sent to live with their evil uncle Olaf, who has ulterior motives yet to be revealed in later books. The children quickly learn how evil he is, and ultimately escape. They next go to live with their uncle Montgomery Montgomery in "The Reptile Room," only to be forced to move on again. In "The Wide Window" the children live with an aunt who is afraid of everything, only to ultimately be forced to move on again, continually chased by the evil Count Olaf in a variety of disguises. Book 11 in this series is soon to come out, and the original plan was for there to be 12 books. These books are like potato chips. Once you start one and find it intriguing, you will want to keep reading. If you do not like the first book, plan to stop with the first. This series is highly creative and many children 9 and older find them enjoyable. My children read them as teens and loved them. They did think they were different and unusual, and since they could not explain why I read them myself. They are different and unusual, but they also introduce children to situations that have occurred to children in the real world. A good way to introduce scary subjects.
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