39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If Widdershins and Olaf spoke sensibly....., September 22, 2004
There's good and bad here. First the bad.
Captain Widdershins bore a striking resemblance to Willy Wonka in his style of speech and general flakiness. Whereas Wonka was entertaining, however, Widdershins was the most annoying character yet in this entire series. An example of his style of speech: "Aye! The Submarine Q and Its Crew of Two is not in the best of shape, I'm afraid! Aye! We've been attacked by villains and leeches, by sharks and realtors, by pirates and girlfriends, by torpedoes and angry salmon! Aye! ... Everything from the radar mechanisms to my alarm clock is malfunctioning! Aye! That's why I'm glad you're here, Violet Baudelaire!" Ever sentence he speaks ends in an exclamation point, which makes for exhausting reading, and the four "Aye's" in this particular example were just too much. This is typical of his speech throughout his entire presence in the book. After the Baudelaire's left Widdershins, I thought the tedium of lunatic prose had ended.
I was wrong. First, his stepdaughter assumed his manner of speech, just as she assumed captainship of the submarine. And then there was Olaf. Always Olaf.
I'm of the opinion that Count Olaf found his way into a mushroom patch much sooner than the Baudelaires, for nothing else can explain his complete change of character. To be certain, he still has schemes, plans, and matches to burn things with, but he has now been given the world's most annoying laugh, and his use of it in every sentence of dialogue is nonsensical. Count Olaf is no longer the fearsome adversary he has been for the past ten books. He has transcended the stark originality of his evil nature and is now banal and juvenile. I am incredibly disappointed in this change of character, not to mention bewildered. It's difficult to take a villain seriously when he laughs like this: "Ha ha ha heepa-heepa ho! Tee hee tort tort tort. Hot cha ha ha. Sniggle hee! Ha, if I do say so myself." That is our first introduction to his laugh, and while the use of the word "tort" is amusing and clever (tort is, by definition, a wrongful act), the overall effect is one of annoyance.
Now the good. Unfortunately I can't go into too much detail about the good, or I'll be giving away some minor secrets.
We learn more about V.F.D., more about their codes, what their history was, although we certainly don't learn everything. Still, it's fascinating and interesting. "Snickett's" intellectual humor is in full swing, and I particularly enjoyed his repeated use of an archaic definition of the word lousy in Chapter Seven. Also, for the very first time, concepts of black and white enter the picture. Up until now, people were either good or bad. Now we're seeing shades of gray, and one of the characters we see this shade of gray in happens to be handled brilliantly. I was sadly, but pleasantly surprised to see this character do the unexpected.
Much of what we learn begins to put together a more complete picture of this hazy world that the Baudelaire's have been living in, and I can't be more grateful for that. It's been a long road to the denouement.
Last, the ending. It's the very best in the series. And of course I can say absolutely nothing about that.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully miserable eleventh book in the series., September 21, 2004
The Baudelaire orphans continue their miserable adventures in the newest book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. When the story begins, they find themselves trapped on a floating toboggan in the middle of the Stricken Stream. Eventually, they are washed downstream to the sea, where they encounter a submarine, the Queequeg, and its crew: Captain Widdershins, who is extremely fond of saying the word "aye"; his stepdaughter Fiona, who loves to read about mushrooms; and Phil, the cook, who they met long ago during their time at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Captain Widdershins is searching for the lost sugar bowl, determined that it will not fall into the hands of Count Olaf and his evil associates, and so Baudelaires and their new friends head off to the Gorgonian Grotto, where even more misfortune awaits them. Fans of the series will not want to miss this latest addition. It's just as miserable, hilarious, and wonderful as the previous books in the series. I cannot wait until the next book in the series is released.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grim Grotto is Greatly Gratifying, October 25, 2004
"Book the Eleventh" in "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket is all wet and dripping with further dismal tales of the lives of the Baudelaire orphans. Of course, in the usual Lemony Snicket fashion, the sad tales are told in such a funny way that the book becomes hilarious instead of being depressing like he claims it is supposed to be. "Grim Grotto" is the longest book in the series, but if readers can get past the dreary descriptions of the water cycle - meant to lull them into a catatonic state so they won't continue reading the depressing tale - they will be greatly rewarded.
The story picks up with Violet, Sunny, and Klaus rushing down the Stricken Stream in a toboggan, just where we left them at the end of Book the Tenth. But the orphans escape peril for the moment when they are saved by a submarine called the Queequeg. "The submarine Q with its crew of two," is manned by Captain Widdershins, a colorful character who ends all of his sentences with a resounding "Aye," and his stepdaughter, Fiona, a bright young teenager with an over-zealous interest in fungus.
This new installment of the unfortunate events of the Baudelaire children includes a number of underwater adventures including a run-in with that ever-present villain, Captain Olaf, and his band of miscreants, a trip to an underwater cave, a budding romance, and the reemergence of characters that were long gone. It's an exciting tale that will definitely attract the loyal followers of the series. However, Snicket (who is really writer Daniel Handler) also includes flashbacks that will help those readers who have not been so faithful in keeping up with every volume.
The "Grim Grotto" is definitely gratifying to those who have been waiting to know what happens next in the Baudelaire's. However, if they can get through all the warnings not to finish the book, they will be no closer to discovering the mystery of V.F.D or the sugar bowl then they were before. This inability of "Book the Eleventh" to answer any questions formed by previous volumes leads to questions about whether or not all the loose ends will be able to be tied up in the remaining two books of the series.
But however grim the "Grim Grotto" proclaims to be, the subtle humor will prevent anyone's spirit from being dampened.
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