Rating: 
Summary: Good book, disappointing person
Review: I purchased 2 Lemony Snicket books for my son and we went to an author appearance at a local bookstore. My son and the other kids fully expected to have an intelligent dialog with the author and come away with a signed book or two. I can forgive the author's eccentric style, even though I suspect he is trying to achieve a place in show business, not children's literature. Not one serious word was exchanged with the kids who were anxious to learn about writing. It was all ego and performance. I cannot, however, forgive him for not signing the books our kids presented. He stamped them like a common notary public and didn't actually sign them. Forgive me if I am naive, but I am used to authors signing the books we purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Tale of An Unfortunate Family...
Review: I read this book in about a day and enjoyed it thourghly. Lemony Snicket, an unknown author to me before now, captures the reader's mind with a great plot and good story. If you like happy endings, you'd be better off not reading this book, for it has no happy ending, no happy beginning, and few happy things in the middle. Although it was an unhappy ending, it came me wondering, and the same day I ordered The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, The Miserable Mill, and preordered The Austere Acadamy.
Rating:
Summary: As good as Harry Potter!
Review: I love these books and I think they are almost as good as Harry Potter books! They are very hilarious and I think EVERYONE should read them! Even my grandma reads them! =) They're great! I wish I could give it 10 stars instead of just 5! Those books are amazing!
Rating: 
Summary: Not darkly comic, just dark
Review: I began this book with lots of excitement because I'd heard some great things about it. "Darkly comic," "Dry wit," "Sarcastic humor," -- all of these descriptions made it sound right up my alley. The cover and the author's note at the beginning were delightful and I anticipated being greatly entertained. Unfortunately, my high hopes were disappointed. Though I noticed the dry, deadpan style of the author and anticipated some wickedly funny parts, what I expected to be dry wit turned out to be merely dry. I kept waiting for something funny to happen, or a smart remark from the author, or something, and got none. As I struggled through the book, I held out for something interesting to happen -- it didn't. The suspense built, and the denouement, which should have been enlightening or held some explanation or satisfaction, instead had none. I expected some twist in the character of the villain, some mysterious motivation, some hidden secret about his past to explain his bizarre behavior -- and got nothing. What ought to have been a satisfying conclusion, after the climax, instead just seemed contrived. The character of Mr. Poe seems to exist solely as a plot device, to place as many difficult obstacles in the children's path as possible. Who ever heard of a will specifying care of the children by the "closest relative geographically"? Anyway, to make a long review less long, I expected lots of wit and dark humor from this, and I was just bored. I'm sure more interesting things will happen in the later books, but frankly, I can't bring myself to read them.
Rating:
Summary: Who doesn't love wretched orphan stories?
Review: It was with great and heavy sadness that I read the chronicles of the Baudelaire orphans. After learning of the various hardships they have had to endure, I slipped into a dank sea of ennui from which I am only now starting to resurface. I was warned about the tumultuous nature of their stories by the narrator, I know, yet like gawkers at a traffic accident, I felt that I could not look away from the horrid events. What unfortunate children, and by unfortunate I mean,"Gee, those kids lives really stink!" Indeed a fun read and Snicket's approach to the "gentle reader" fits the Victorian approach he seems to be striving for - and who doesn't love wretched orphan stories?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Series
Review: This entire series is an excellent read! I purchased the books (all four) for my seven year old daughter who is a voracious reader. Not only did she love them but my husband and I found them entertaining as well. Although the series does not have the "feel good" story line most books in this age group have, it is still excellent literature. I particularly like the way Lemony Snicket defines some of the words the children may not find familiar. It is a pleasure to see an author step away from the ordinary!
Rating:
Summary: A Most Unfortunate Family...
Review: If you like the part of Harry Potter when he's living under the stairs of the Dursley household, before the happy bit where he gets accepted to Wizard school, then you'll enjoy these books. The Baudelaire orphans are nice and smart. But boy are they unlucky. The book opens with the Baudelaire parents dying in a fire and the orphans having to find a relative to look after them. Although there is a huge family fortune, they can't get it until Violet, the oldest at 14, turns 18. But this doesn't stop the dastardly (and there isn't really any other word to describe him) Count Olaf, a horrible and distant relative, and his nasty henchmen/women/things from trying to get their hands (or hooks) on it. And as far as Olaf is concerened, the Baudelaires are expendable, a word which here means "not needed after Count Olaf gets his hands on the money". Just one word of warning--when the author says if you like cheerful books or happy endings, stop reading now, he means it. But if you like miserable scary books with unhappy endings, keep reading! And you'll learn lots of horrible words with depressing or unfortunate meanings as well.
Rating: 
Summary: We are not amused
Review: and Queen Victoria would not be either. This is a dry and boring tome dressed up in the press releases to be witty and entertaining and it ain't, folks.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book
Review: I thik this book was incrediblly good. At parts It may have seemed a bit sad but usually right after it's happy again. There are 4 characters which no one could not forget. I was impressed by how the author displayed the characters feelings. While you read you could really feel what was going on.
Rating:
Summary: Delightfully Depressing
Review: These books are sure to capture the attention of any reader. They are both funny and well-written, with fast-moving plots and memorable characters. Believe the description, though. If depressing events fill you with dismay and may cause you to lock yourself away for days following your reading of this book, perhaps you'd better abstain. Otherwise, these books belong on bookshelves beside Harry Potter, A Little Princess, Oliver Twist, and the Narnia Chronicles. Of course bad things happen to orphans. That's the purpose of their existence in the world of books. Come on now. Isn't it refreshing to have an author be honest about it for once?
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