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Summary: Lemony Snicket is a genius.
Review: Okay I've read this series since the third book came out. Lemony Snicket's style has not once annoyed me, but the contrary. It may be the only reason I continue this series. Although the storyline a great and humor filling I believe this series would not have been as popular without Lemony's few quirks. He is still constantly explaining words (with outrageous definitions), and has the few odd add-on's (this time it was STOP, another 4 pages of black). But by far his most unique move has come now, in this book. If you read you will see that the characters are growing (Klaus had a birthday, Sunny can now speak fairly coherently). He is also pulling himself, as an author, into the story, a move I've never seen done before. This alone should catch people's attention, but the dark humor and exaggeration (on almost everything) makes these books into a classic series. The mysteries build, and the identity of Lemony Snicket (obviously that's not his real name) is ever coming closer to becoming revealed. Only if there could be more books like these.
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Summary: A good nights read
Review: Just finished this one last night, and am sorry that the next book is not yet available. I find the writing style delightfully dark, in an Edward Gorey kind of way. The books themselves are beautifully bound, and look just great on the shelf. I do enjoy the characters, and how they are developing along the way. If you like dark humor, this is for you!
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Summary: The Hostile Hospital/ Series of Unfortunate Events.
Review: In the eighth book of the Series of Unfortunate Events, what else can be expected but woe and mystery? Due to some extremely incorrect publishing in a newspaper, the whole world now believes that the Baudelaire orphans are dangerous murders. However, nothing could be further from the truth since Klaus, Violet and Sunny are no less murders than you or me.
Taking refuge in a hospital, the orphans are forced to disguise them selves as V.F.D's (Volunteers Fighting Disease)! Of course, wherever the orphans go, Count Olaf follows and this time he has devised another disastrous scheme. As I thoroughly enjoyed all the other books in the Series of Unfortunate Events, I enjoyed this book just as much. All of Lemony Snicket's books seem to follow a certain format, orphans find a new home (and when Mr. Poe is there he hardly stays to say hello to the orphan's unfortunate guardian,) Count Olaf makes his stinking appearance, none of the adults can see through Count Olaf's stupid disguise and the Baudelaires are forced to get out of their dilemma on their own.
I hear this book contains ' misleading newspaper headlines, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anaesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about such things, ' as Mr. Snicket so kindly put it. As well as telling the woeful tale of the Baudelaire orphans, Lemony Snicket slowly is revealing his own life's tale. Such as how his dearly beloved Beatrice died, something horrible that still makes him cry at night about Count Olaf, and something I am dieing to know about, the mysterious Jacques Snicket who was killed in 'The Vile Village'. As well as the mysterious V.F.D, and whether the Baudelaire orphans will ever see the Quagmire triplets again! Perhaps the last book in the series will explain all these loose ends! I congratulate Lemony Snicket on producing such an intriguing tale when his when life is filled with misery. I recommend this book for all ages- anyone who would find it interesting!
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Summary: The Hostile Hosptial By Lemony Snicket
Review: It was a great book! It was so exciting! There were so many cliffhangers. I found out so many things that made me speechless. I liked it because it was scary, daring, and just downright breathtaking. I think you should read this book. (but first you have to read the first seven)
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Summary: Really Great!!
Review: While this book wasn't the funniest in the series, it wasEdefinately one of the best. Lemony Snicket starts to play a HUGE role in this book, as do the rest of the charcters and gaurdians. There were some anagrams, but not enough. I hope anagrams will play a big role with the rest of the books, too.
If you are just starting this series, start at the begining. While the first book is one of my least favorite, they get better as you go along.
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Summary: Very Exciting!
Review: I won't give anything away, but this book was terribly exciting, more so than the previous books. The Baudelaires once again get into many sticky situations, and in this book one of these situations is much more serious than any their previous problems. It is impossible for the reader to guess how they're going to escape from it, or any of the other situations they encounter. Of course, all the solutions, though complete surprises, are entirely unbelievable. However, they're obviously done that way on purpose, and this adds to the charm of these novels. In short, a great little book! However, unlike some of the earlier books in this series, to understand what's going on in this one you really *have* to have read the previous books (at least the sixth and seventh) since they've begun a continuous storyline. The first few books were separate stories connected only by the first book (The Bad Beginning), whose plot was explained in the first couple pages of the books following it. Now, they no longer make an effort to explain to the reader what happened in the previous story, so it's up to you to do your reading before picking up this book!
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Summary: The Hostile Hospital
Review: Best one in the Baudelaires saga! The children are still running away. No help this time from Mr. Poe (as if there was some help ever). The kids grow up and mature. As in every other story, Sunny, Klaus and Violet show their special talents and their unity. Good news: Sunny is starting to talk a little. Olaf has a new accomplice: his girlfriend, Esmee, who is a fantastic villian. She is as bad as Olaf, if not worst. The ending is so exiting and suspensful that I can hardly wait for the next!
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Summary: The Darkest and Most Miserable in the Series
Review: I still don't think these books are strictly 'children's books'.
For a while now, I've held to the opinion that book 4, THE MISERABLE MILL, was the most 'unfortunate' book in the series. Snicket's word-play and trickery was a bit more scarce and Count Olaf was almost completely absent from the story...but you knew he was there...somewhere. All this resulted in giving the book a very, very dark feel. In this, the eighth book, Snicket takes the children to perhaps the bleakest of all locations they've visited thus far. It feels like Snicket is beginning to take a back-seat approach and lets the story 'tell itself' as the series becomes more and more connected to him personally, and his witticisms feel a tad weaker and don't come off with the speed we've become accustomed to, which makes the tone a bit heavier and somewhat unnerving. Add to that the ever-unraveling mystery of V.F.D., the children on the run, abandoned and friendless (what? Mr. Poe isn't in this one???), one of the children coming frighteningly close to death, a rather horrific pseudo-flashback of "The Event" that triggered the series, and perhaps the most unexpected cliff-hanger ending I have ever read in ANY book (move over, Rowling), and you've got a much more mature, darker read than the past seven books combined. The series is getting darker and deeper with each story...and if you have any doubt in your mind about that, take a look at the last three pages of this book. It's not my favorite book in the series, but it feels like a huge set-up for what's to come. It's clear that Snicket has this all VERY well-organized and he lets us in on little bits of information with such calculated grace that his stories are elevated to a higher level. All that said, I'm dying to know what happens next!
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Summary: The most sickening book I've ever read....
Review: ....but I mean that in a good way, of course! As usual, the author tells a very grim story, but his dry humor keeps it from being utterly unbearable. I love how Sunny is starting to say more real words. I can't wait to read the next book.
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Summary: Another Unhappy Ending -- if only the next book were out!
Review: Lemony Snicket is an evil man. Not only has he once again revealed a chapter of misery and woe in the lives of the Baudelaire siblings, but he has started to stretch out the excruciating pain of learning that... oh... but I shouldn't be so evil as to tell you! Suffice it to say, that this book goes BEYOND any of the others. Sunny is getting older and talks more, but her teeth are just as sharp. Violet is placed in the most dangerous situation yet, but her wits stay just as sharp. And Klaus must be strong when... well, I shan't tell you... but he doesn't shy away from grasping the sharp knife thrust into his hands! We also learn more about Beatrice, the Snicket files, and V.F.D.... but the most HORRIFYING thing is the ending... Because we are left knowing that the Baudlaires are not only unfortunate(as in the end of the first few books) or in danger (as they were at the end of _The Vile Vilage_) but that they are ALSO ONLY A FEW FEET AWAY FROM BEING CAUGHT BY COUNT OLAF!!! And now we must wait until the next book to find out what happens. And that is why Lemony Snicket is such an evil man and must be captured and imprisoned soon... to end our misery! :-p
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