Rating: 
Summary: I can't recommend these books enough.
Review: I'm a librarian at an elementary school, and I think these books are the best thing to happen to children's literature in a very long time. Unlike the Harry Potter books, which are lots of fun but merely entertainment, these books really build a child's vocabulary and thinking skills without sacrificing the entertainment value. Buy these for your kids--they'll thank you years later, when they're still rereading them. PS Anybody who has complaints about the darkness in the subject matter ought to reread some fairytales. And ayone who complains about the tone of the books ought to reconnect with their sense of humor!
Rating:
Summary: Why is this book so charming?
Review: Okay, I thought that a book about bad things that happen to a few young children couldn't possibly be good. It couldn't possibly be interesting. And it DEFINITELY wouldn't be enjoyable.Boy am I an idiot. The Baudelaire children are a trio of orphans who lose their parents early in the book, and end up being shifted to the miserly accomodations of their Uncle Olaf, a thoroughly despicable character who comes after Saruman and the White Witch for hateability. He wants their money, which they are not allowed to have yet, and treats them horribly. The characters, except the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, have very little character development but somehow end up being fully believable and playing on your emotions precisely how the writer intended. The writing style is nothing to write home about, yet manages to be witty and descriptive--I could practically see the events being talked about, and the characters as well. In a word, this book has the quality of being a wondrous story without overdoing the detail and things like that. Does it have a happy ending? You can find the answer at the very first page. This is a dark story, dark but excellent. If your children want a happily-ever-after story, I would advise not having them read this--it will only depress them. But if your children are not disturbed by a more realistic story, then they will love this.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a non-cutesy, yet imaginative, book for kids.
Review: I work in the children's section of a bookstore, and I've been eyeballing the Unfortunate Events series for a while now. As someone who is completely sick of the Harry Potter phenomenon, I found the Snicket books quite appealing. (Actually, I couldn't finish the first Harry Potter book, but I'll give it another try. I promise.) The events in the book are interestingly hard to place in time. The setting is uncertain; there are horse-drawn carriages as well as automobiles in the streets, but Violet, the eldest of the orphans, wishes for an inventing lab with computers. The last scene of the book takes place in a theater that reminds a reader of something from Agatha Christie. The drawings look like something from the 1910s. The elusive quality of the author is also interesting, in contrast to the high-profile of J.K. Rowling. There's uncertainity that a Lemony Snicket even exists. I loved the little hints the author left about himself throughout the book, and the references to a deceased woman named "Beatrice." I also liked the fact that the children in the book are like real children; they aren't overly cutesy, nor are they shown to be stupid. They are inventive, but not infallible. At the same time, the book isn't about real life. It's still a fantasy, and I enjoyed that. This is definitely a book worth reading, for adults and children alike.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate is the mis-understanding of the bad reviews
Review: What a book! Snicket is amazing. I cannot believe the bad reviews that this book has been given by other readers. Obviously they are not capable of handling sarcastic humor. IT IS FUNNY! If you go into this book expecting it to be a typical funny book, be prepared for something different. It is dismal and unhappy and because of the way Snicket deals with the situations, very, very funny. All four books are at the top of my recommended reading list (I am a children's librarian). Enjoy, and keep waiting for the 5th volume to come out!
Rating:
Summary: It is not Unfortunate to pick Bk 1 the Bad Beginning by
Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1 the Bad Beginning is a delight! Lemony Snicket is a master of disaster. The Baudelaire orphans Violet, Klaus, and baby Sunny are sent to live with vile "meaning unpleasant to the senses" Count Olaf who only wants the Baudelaire family fortune. The children are miserable in their new dreary "meaning rainy day gloom" existence. One uncomfortable bed, Count Olaf's neglect, lumpy oatmeal, no so idle threats, horrendous chores, and evil schemes plague these orphans. Is there hope? Well no but that's the fun. Very original funny book I reccommend for ALL AGES! Plan on buying the whole lot of misery once you read the first one.
Rating: 
Summary: Lemony Snicket Makes Unfortunate Events Funny!
Review: The Bad Beginning is about the three Baudelaire children named Violet, the eldest, Klaus, the middle child, and Sunny, the baby.The Baudelaire children are very bright children. Their family is very rich, but they are not spoiled. They are very nice people. Unfortunately, their parents die, and ever since that day, they have had a very unfortunate time. After their parents died, the Baudelaire children, now orphans, moved in to live with their relative Count Olaf, who they never met before. Count Olaf is a scary man... This is a book full of sad and unfortunate events but Lemony Snicket is able to make it humorous, by his writing style. It is a strange book, but is really funny and witty, as odd as that might be for a book about sad things.
Rating: 
Summary: How aptly titled
Review: A bad beginning to a dreary series. Can't believe that anyone would like the way these are written. The story could actually be better without all the sidelines giving definitions to the reader. But then I suppose the author was working under a deadline and word count. No, this is not Harry Potter and should not even be considered in the same class. Drivel, in this I mean it is badly written.
Rating:
Summary: "Readers" enjoy
Review: I loved this book. From the gothic looking covers, end papers, and rough cut edges to the dry satire inside. I enjoyed the narrator's use of pretentious vocabulary -- carefully explained in an aside to the audience -- to describe the action. This would be an excellent read aloud book if you love the sound of the English language. I plan to read the rest of the series, and hope I continue to have fun with the Baudelaire's misfortunes.
Rating: 
Summary: Slight and fun, but don't expect Harry Potter
Review: While sometimes awfully clever, don't expect from this slim volume either the giddy imagination or the emotional pull of the Harry Potter books. There is something sillier going on here, something more cartoonish. As an adult reader, I find the Potter books fulfilling in the way that "Star Wars" or Greek mythology is fulfilling; they nourish the soul at the same time that they entertain. (Pretentious as that may sound, I think it's true.) "The Bad Beginning" (and presumably the rest of the books in the series) is very much a story for children, albeit one that teaches the valuable lesson that life is not always a bed of roses.
Rating: 
Summary: After all the hype it has gotten, I expected something more
Review: As my title suggests, I thought this book was a failure. I found the plot simple and, although imaginitive, extremely predictable. The author came across completely full of himself, in more ways than one. The constant little reminders that "If you like stories with happy endings, you should quit reading here," were constant and, for lack of a better word, annoying, as I found nothing frightening at all about the book, and felt them a waste of paper. The only reason I gave the book two stars was because I thought the idea, that nothing good shall ever happen to the children, was a good one.But it got way too old, way too fast. I also didn't enjoy the way the story would be interrupted with explanations about "big words." What is the point of that? I have seen Lemony Snicket's books compared to Harry Potter, but I see nothing in common at all. While Harry Potter is a well-written, highly enjoyable series, I found the Bad Beginning to be just that, a BAD book.
|
