Customer Reviews

A Library of Unfortunate Events

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These are very good books, despite what some critics say about them, including the one who thinks that Count Olaf is the children's uncle, rather than their fourth cousin three times removed or third cousin four times removed. As far as I am concerned, these books are a breath of fresh air for anyone who is fed up with stuffy books that don't take kids seriously, as the series itself is a parody of that particular writing style.

To summarize the series, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are three talented orphans who get adopted by a distant relative named Count Olaf. Olaf turns out to be a greedy villain out to steal the enormous Baudelaire fortune. He almost succeeds with his evil plans, and the children are able to stop him, but he evades the authorities, a phrase which here means "escapes." From here the orphans get moved around from guardian to guardian, and Olaf follows them, each time with a new plan to steal their fortune. He always fails, but he always escapes.

It is unfortunate that the adamant critics deprive themselves of the later books, for it is in these that the subtle secondary plot begins to reveal itself. Readers who decide to discontinue their readings after the first book will never understand the fun of the series. These books were not only meant to convey the story of three orphans, but also to convey the mystery interwoven between these children and the elusive author, Mr. Snicket.

These stories are not Tolkien-esqe or reminiscent of Harry Potter, for the simple reason that neither J. K. Rowling nor J. R. R. Tolkien wrote them. If you'll care to notice, Harry Potter is about a wizarding school, and books by Tolkien are usually filled with hard words and hobbits with evil rings. A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series about three children and the trouble that follows them. If they had been equipped with magic wands and evil rings, I am sure that their story would have turned out differently.

With all due respect,

Anoriel

This series of books by "Lemony Snicket" does not have the standard "happy ending" of most childrens books. The 3 kids in these stories have miserable lives with one thing going wrong after another. Because of this, I thought my 7 year old son wouldn't like them - wrong! He absolutely loves them and is always begging me to read one more chapter! The writing is dry, but funny. The books contain many "large" or unusual words/expressions, but almost all are explained in the text. I would say these books are good for kids from 7 - 12 (although use your judgement for the younger ones as the books do have evil bad guys, murder and lots of threats). As an adult reading the books to your kids, you might get a little frustrated as the stories are similar and the adults in the books are really dense - but these are for kids and they seem to love them!

Lemony Snicket's fun set of books is not the 'newest Harry Potter' or 'Tolkien-esque' fad, as the one-star reviewer seems to think (especially since a fad is something adopted by a very wide audience and I know many folks who have no clue about these books). It is an amusingly satirical series, with a plot that grows more complex as each new book arrives. I adore them. And when a new one comes out, I rush to the library, check it out, and devour it within an hour, only afterwards taking my time to pause over the intricate silliness of the plots. If you want something comparable to Harry Potter, don't touch these books, because you'll only be disappointed. But if you appriciate a fine bit of satirical joking, read it as soon as possible.

I am 32 years old and have an intense love of books. While Christmas shopping for a niece I was very intrigued by the Unfortunate Events books. Not knowing anything about the books or my niece's sense of humor, I decided to buy a set of the first 3 books for myself.

I quickly read the first book and really enjoyed it. I agree with the comments of the other positive reviewers on this site. To those who hated the books or ran crying from them - you were warned!

The books are fun and interactive because the author will often stop the story to talk to the reader, define a word or even beg you to stop reading before something worse happens to the three children.

These books are not harmful in any way and are definately written tongue-in-cheek to be taken lightheartedly. I would be careful who I gave them to, because some children are not as creative or have not developed the type of sense of humor/odd interests that would appreciate the books. The "horrible" things are not that horrible, but then who would really want to read a whole series of books that were as truely horrible as the author warns us. It is a little bit of a relief to find the stories are not as sad as I had originally imaged. These books are great for anyone looking for something different or is tired of the predictable happy ending type stories. Have fun with them...

I've always liked off-beat things so these books are right up my ally. If you enjoy Monty Python and "abstract humor" then the Baudelaire tales may be just what you want. I think a person will either really enjoy them or really dislike them. Personal taste as with anything. I honestly can't think of a way to describe the books that would compel a person to read them. Just try out the first one. The others follow in pretty much the same pattern:

Bad things happen,
More bad things happen,
Distasteful things happen,
Really really bad things are about to happen,
NO ONE BELIEVES THE BAD THINGS ARE HAPPENING,
A ray of sunshine starts to come through,
The ray is squashed and all hopes are dashed...

I hate tragedy type stories but the constant misfortunes became hilarious. I would recommed you buy them (or rent them at a Cracker Barrel) on tape because Tim Curry and "Lemony Snicket" do a masterful job of reading. And to the reviewer who's 9 year old disliked them; Lemony Snicket warned you multiple times to put it down, bury it and run away...

(...) There is a subtle, delightfully impish and somewhat slapstick sense of humor at play here that makes these tales oddly compelling. Once I start one, I can't put it down. I find myself laughing out loud in places -- in spite of the author's frequent dire warnings that this is a miserable tale which the reader would be better off avoiding altogether!! The basically adult vocabulary is accompanied by frequent brief explanations for younger readers -of words, expressions, and ideas- again, with a dose of humor thrown in. These stories are educational for young people, and a lot of fun for everyone. If you want a peek at the tone of the books, go to the author's website(...)

About 2 months ago I stumbled across "The Bad Beginning" and was delighted by it. I am now reading book the sixth and am still having fun. I am an adult and am sharing Lemony with my many adult but fun friends. We are all fans. I am just glad that I got the tatoo on my ankle several years ago or I might have felt compelled to have an eye tatoo.

I have purchased several of these books for my 8 year old grand daughter who is an excellent reader. She really loved reading them. The reason I bought the first one was because I thought it was so unusual. Since she loved the first one so much I have purchased several more.

Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) is a really good author. He uses great detail and I really like these books. I wish they were longer! I don't really like books with tragedy but these are some of my favorites. Every kid should read these books! I have read all of them and I can't wait until THE SLIPPERY SLOPE comes out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buy the hardcover books because they're pages are rigged and really cool!!!Buy these today! (=

It is the best books I have ever read. They are incredible. I finshed readind all of them , I even re read them that is how interesting these books are. I must admit Lemony Snicket is one of the most intersting authors. The series of unfortunate events , carnivorous carnival, reptile room are the best books.