Customer Reviews

Grim Grotto (Series of Unfortunate Events)

5 star:		(153)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.

Lemony Snicket has done it once again. "The Series of Unfortunate Events" consistently gets better as the series continues; even though that seems like a paradox. Picking up exactly where Book the Tenth left off, the reader is immediately swept up into the unfortunate affiars of the Baudelaire orphans.

"The Grim Grotto" finds them boarding a submarine in order to try to find a mysterious VFD relic, ward off poisonous mushrooms, and once again escape from the clutches of the villainous Count Olaf. This chronicle introduces three "new" characters, (and the return of a few previous ones) equally annoying and prone to disappoint the hopes of our three orphans. And Count Olaf's treacherous schemes seem much more ridiculous than horrifying, but his hem-haws are as delighful to read as always.

"The Grim Grotto" is a delightful addition to the "Unfortunate" series. Once again, the reader is left with a cliffhanger of an ending that leaves us dying for Book the Twelfth. Even if we know not to expect it to be happy.

I highly recommend this book to readers of the previous ten books! While this book is longer than the others (and has some slow areas), the story is full of surprises - interesting locations, dreadful happenings, etc.

Count Olaf and his evil minions are still after the Baudelaire children, but Olaf has definitely changed. He doesn't seem nearly as evil as he was in past and he now has the most awful laugh which just about drove me crazy (perhaps this was intended???). There are also changes in the Baudelaires - the children are growing up. Sunny is no longer a baby and has become a very interesting character. The older sibs have more issues to face, including conflicts with each other. We receive more clues about VFD and characters from previous books show up - and not everyone is quite as they have appeared in past.

I found more to laugh about in this book and the ending is probably the best so far. Don't get me wrong - there are still so many miserable, horrible, mysterious things - we will have to read the next two books to (hopefully) get all our questions answered. I, for one, can't wait!

A note to those who haven't already read books 1 - 10. If possible, try to read all the books in order prior to reading this book. Each book builds on the previous one and so many references are made to past books, you won't understand the story very well - heck, it is hard enough for those who have read them in order to follow, because there is so much time in between books!

Also, this is not a "happy ending" series of books. While I think they are fantastic and my son loves them, I urge parents to read the books first before deciding if they are appropriate for their younger readers.

When last we saw the three Baudelaire orphans --- Violet, Klaus and Sunny --- they were hurtling down a raging river on a toboggan, headed for certain death. At the beginning of THE GRIM GROTTO, the eleventh installment in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, the three children are rescued in the nick of time by a passing submarine. Just when they think they are safe, though, the Baudelaires are in for their most harrowing adventures yet.

The Queequeg submarine is captained by Widdershins, a jovial but impatient fellow who is searching underwater for the mysterious sugar bowl that holds important secrets. It seems that the sugar bowl has vanished into a treacherous underwater cave, so small that only the children (including Widdershins's daughter Fiona) can enter it. Little do they know, though, that the cave is filled with poisonous mushroom spores, one of which is inhaled by one of the Baudelaires. Soon, the kids are in a race against time as they try to save their sibling and escape from Count Olaf, who is lurking nearby in a submarine of his own.

Unlike the earlier books in this series, Count Olaf is not really a central character here. Instead, this book introduces some new characters and helps shed light on old nemeses such as the hook-handed man. Lemony Snicket continues to be darkly humorous, with jokes that sometimes seem aimed as much at adults as at children; when the three Baudelaires try to decipher T. S. Eliot's THE WASTE LAND, Violet says, "Maybe it's all in code."

In the end, THE GRIM GROTTO introduces more mysteries than it solves. Since this is Book the Eleventh of a thirteen-book series, though, the end of the Baudelaires' adventures is rapidly approaching and the Hotel Denouement is in sight. It remains to be seen, though, whether these three unlucky orphans have any hope for a happy ending.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

The latest book in the series continues the lively storyline with another interesting location, a submarine, the Queequeg. The action picks up where "The Slippery Slope" left off, with the Baudelaires clinging to a floating toboggan down the Slippery Stream, en route to the Hotel Denouement. After they're intercepted by the Captain Widdershins, they join his group aboard the submarine and help with an underwater search for the elusive sugar bowl, which supposedly holds valuable clues to V.F.D. The search takes them to a mysterious underwater grotto filled with poisinous mushrooms, the Medusoid Mycelium, all the while pursued by Count Olaf and his cohorts in their own octopus-shaped vessel, the Carmelita. The book is packed with interesting clues about V.F.D. that make you want to go back through the previous ten books to search for details you might have overlooked. The children are learning that not all events, or people, are to be viewed as 100% black or white, and that everything, including their late parents, can be be seen in shades of gray. Several new characters from the Submarine Q and it's Crew of Two are introduced, including Fiona, a young mycologist with a romantic interest in Klaus, and a couple of enjoyable characters from the earlier books make a reappearance. As always, members of the Snicket family are included as characters, which adds to the mystery.

These books aren't for lazy readers, and I know just as many adults who are hooked on the Baudelaire saga as kids, even though "Unfortunate Events" is marketed as children's literature. Interesting and often arcane words and references are woven into the story in clever and unique ways. People who enjoy the creative use of language will find some of Snicket's finest here. They include the lengthy descriptions of the water cycle, supplied to hopefully put readers to sleep so that they will be spared the distressing details of the Baudelaires' misfortunes, and several pages worth of definitions for the word "lousy". In "Grim Grotto", Sunny gets in some of her best verbal zingers yet, such as "Procto?" and "Hewenkella?" She is becoming one of the story's most interesting characters in her own right with her increasing cooking and vocabulary skills.

I would agree with an earlier poster that in this installment, Count Olaf comes across more hen-pecked than menacing. In the previous books, what helped to make him such an enjoyable villain was that he was perfectly willing at any time to seriously hurt the kids, his own assistants, or pretty much anybody else who got in his way, which heightened the suspense and increased sympathy for the Baudelaires. Olaf's new collection of goofy laughs gets old fairly quickly, though he and his clueless assistants have typically provided a great deal of the humor in the series. I'm not sold on the kinder, gentler Olaf, but it does go along with the theme in this book that people have many sides. Snicket does throw in some of his usual absurd details for the villains, like the submarine rowers being threatened with a big, floppy noodle, Esme's latest "in" outfit, an octopus dress, and the Hook-Handed Man's attitude towards his work.

As in all the books, it's very satisfying to read a story in which a brother and sister both love and respect each other, and care for and protect their baby sibling rather than seeing her as a burden. And as they grow up, Violet and Klaus are starting to bicker a bit as siblings do. However, instead of anger towards each other, their arguments stem from stress over frustrating situations, such as the one in this book where they both want to do different things to help Sunny, who has been infected by the spores of the Medusoid Mycelium. The children's loyalty to each other is never in doubt.

Overall, a satisfying story that advances both the story and characters and leaves readers anxious for more details on V.F.D. and the children's plight. The ending to "Grim Grotto" is especially intriguing, with no definite clue as to which turn the story will take next.

(P.S.) People who enjoy the "Unfortunate Events" books shouldn't stop at just reading them on paper. The audio versions, which feature actor Tim Curry, are delightful and not to be missed. In what has to be one of the best match-ups between subject matter and performer I've ever heard in an audio book, Curry's droll readings greatly enhance the story. Both funny and touching in turn, his narration brings out nuances in the narrative that even careful readers could miss. The combination of pathos and sly humor are what make these books unique, and Curry doesn't miss a beat. Like Jim Dale, who does the audio versions of the Harry Potter books, Curry uses different accents for the characters, many that are so distinct that you can identify the person speaking with just a word or two. Madame Lulu of the "Carnivorous Carnival" was always my favorite, but Curry's take on Count Olaf and Mr. Poe with his tortured hacking cough are sublime as well. The author himself narrates a couple of the earlier books in the series and the tapes feature catchy music by the Gothic Archies, such as Olaf's theme song, "Scream and Run Away".

The Baudelaire orphans are back in another miserable story about their unhappy and desolate lives. The Grim Grotto continues to the story which has become progressively deeper and more complex since the series took on more of a movie serial format around book five or so of the series. Readers of the last 4 or 5 of the novels will enjoy this one, which delves deeper into the various mysteries surrounding the three Baudelaire children. It is unfortunate that the publishing schedule for these books leaves such a long time between instalments, as many questions are again left unanswered (what is VFD? What is the significance of the sugar bowl? who is Beatrice?)

In this book, the Baudelaire's encounter an old friend and meet some new members of VFD. Clues about the nature of that organization are sprinkled throughout the book, but as with the last several books, more questions than answers are provided and as ever, the acronym is used in several different and clever ways). Much of the action takes place in a rickety submarine run by a boisterous captain and in the grotto which is referred to in the title. The Baudelaires are still on the run from their villianous relative Count Olaf, though here he often seems more silly than sinister. The greatest danger is that faced by one of the orphans who encounters the Medusoid Mycelium, a sequence which might be the scariest and most suspenseful in the series to date.

My kids enjoy these books a lot (and I do too) and this one, like the others, is dotted with a variety of humourous literary and other allusions that are likely wasted on younger readers but are a delight for the parents who have to read them.

Dear Viewer,

If you're hoping that this book will include fireworks, cheerleaders and saltwater taffy you will be extremely disapointed. For this review holds nothing but misery and woe.If you read any of the previous books you will not be surprised that the following setence has a dreadful description of this book.

Violet,Klaus and Sunny have almost completly given up hope when

they find that they become a member of the submarine The Queequeg. Just when they almost found an excact location of the very important sugar bowl and they are getting close to find the cure of a poisonous desiese that Sunny has and almost figure out what happened to the Captain and the crew,guess who decides to show up in the middle of this madness? That's right! Count Olaf decides to take the submarine and Fiona (a friend of the Baudilaires that I failed to mention yet) as part of his troupe.

But never fear!The Baudilaires escape and meet up with a member of V.F.D named Kit Snicket.

Oh sure! It looks happy now but must I remind you this is the Baudilaires we're talking about?I find this book rather interesting but you, I'd strongly think otherwise.I hope this review has decided your decision about this book.

Sincerly,

Anomynous.

The 11th book in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events is The Grim Grotto, a mystery that takes place under murky waters aboard Captain Widdershin's yellow submarine, the Queequeg. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Bualdelaire must find a crucial Sugar Bowl before their nemesis Count Olaf does. But when Sunny's life is threatened by growing mushrooms the two elder Bualdelaires must find a way to save her, and themselves- in less that an hour!

A well-written book that has you hanging onto every moment-hard to put down!

I gave it 4 stars because he sort of drones on about the water cycle a lot- a tad bit boring, but other that that, it was GREAT!!!