Customer Reviews

The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though this is only the second book, it feels like the same method has been overused. I mean seriously, you know that the orphans go to new guardians, and encounter Count Olaf over and over, but in different ways. So what is to look forward to in this book? Well not much, but if you really want to know, then its the drama, and well...the small time of happiness the Baudelaires experienced with Uncle Monty (I actually enjoyed that). I will split this into several parts to make it easier to understand, also I will show my opinion of Olaf and how he got into the Baudelaires world.

Drama: This was the first book in the series, to have a murder of a Guardian. This death was actually expected, in my opinion. This is because, we already know what Count Olaf would do to get these miserable orphans fortune, so why not expect him to kill as well?

OLAF AND HIS DISGUISES: I personally got a kick out of his disguise in this book. It was simple, yet the fact he had convinced everyone he was "Gunther" made the whole disguise even funnier. It actually was funny, when the Baudelaires found him out the second they saw him. I mean I find it ironic, that no one recognized him, and the only people who did recognize him where the Baudelaires.

HIS PLAN: I think that his plan to gain the Baudelaire fortune, was stupid. I mean seriously, he tried to frame Uncle Monty's vast collection of snakes, on Monty's death. He left so much evidence around Uncle Monty, that only an idiot would miss it. Apparently everyone in this series are actually idiots and show ignorance, except the Baudelaires, if you haven't noticed. Well back to the plan, then Olaf was going to take the orphans to Peru, which was the trip Monty was going to take them on. Olaf would have full control over the orphans if Monty had died, and according to his plan, they would leave before any police or any official awareness.

Plot Development: No plot development at all. Actually there is no plot development until the fifth book.

Characters: (Old/reoccurring: Sunny, Violet, Klaus Baudelaire. Mr Poe. Count Olaf and his troup.)(New: Uncle Monty, Gustav.)

Final Review: 3/5

Verdict: This book did not contribute to the story growth. Therefore I call this a filler chapter, and is a part of Act 1 of the story. Good book at times, but same old. Boring, might entertain some.

After already having seen the movie, I decided to invest in reading the books. Bk #1, THE BAD BEGINNING, only took me an hour to finish, and it was an enjoyable--if dark--read.

The Baudelaire children--Violet, Klaus, and Sunny--are left orphaned after a mysterious fire destroys their home and kills their parents. Taken into custody by Mr. Poe, the executor of their parent's estate, they learn that their parent's will states that they must be cared for by a relative. The closest relative, unbeknownest to the children, is Count Olaf, an actor and leader of a theatre troupe who lives in a dilapitated house on the other side of town.

Things, of course, only go from bad to worse after the children move into Count Olaf's home, which is strangely covered inside and out with drawings and representations of a strange-looking eye. Count Olaf even has a tattoo of the same image on his ankle. As the Count hatches a scheme to gain control of the Baudelaire fortune, which the children are not privy to until Violet comes of age, the children are alternately scared of their new "parent" and determined to find a way out of their dreadful situation.

I enjoyed this walk on the dark side, and plan on reading Book #2 in the series later today. That said, however, I think it depends on your child and his or her maturity as to whether this would be a good read for them or not. Although the reading material is suitable for around 8 years old and up, the book IS dark-natured, and might scare some children. If they've already seen the movie, they might be prepared for its darkness--if the movie depiction scared them, then hold off on the book for awhile.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

The Baudelaire midgets...oops orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, Get to move in with their Uncle Monty. Here they get to use their skills with reading, inventing, and biting. We learn more about books and words. We also learn a little about haystack statistics.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, shortly after the appearance of Stephano (and we all know who he really is), Uncle Monty apparently is nipped by the Mumba du Mal. It is obvious to all but the midgets that the Mumba du Mal opens his cage with the help of other snakes and after doing, the deadly deed locked his self-back up.

Naturally, the orphans must prove who count Olaf is, and get surprised by his assistant. This sets up the pattern for the next book in the series. Where once again access to a library may save their lives.

The Reptile Room has the Baudelaire orphans move to the country with their distant relative, Dr. Montgomery Montgomery (yes that's his name) but he goes by Monty. He's a delightful character who loves and studies reptiles such as snakes. The kids have their own rooms and don't have to slave for him. He treats them well with respect and love unlike their other guardian, Count Olaf.

Anyway, tragedy and disaster befalls the Baudelaire orphans but nothing what you might suspect. This book is a fine sequel but could have been better. It's believable at times. Somehow an evil presence makes his appearance. The story will grow tiresome if it's the same formula. Anyway, if you haven't even read the first book. You don't need too. This book provides some up to date background information easy to follow. It's an easy, entertaining read.

Sometimes you don't know if LS is writing for kids or for adults. Sometimes he explains every 'strange' word for kids and sometimes he assumes that you have a vast experience in life. He made intelligent characters and incredible goofy ones.

So if you want to read this book don't expect too much but read it while you have nothing else to read and you want to read something... like myself with the two firsts of the series that were in my doughter's bedroom... It'll be long down the road till I'll read the next one.

When the Baudelaire orphans are shipped to their uncle's house, things seem to be wonderful. Life is carefree, uncle Monty is wonderful, what could possibly go wrong?

But apparently trouble follows them where ever they ago. When Count Olaf a.k.a. "Monty's assistant disaster strikes. With the ease of a villain, Olaf blinds Monty and the kids are again, in danger.

Highly fun! Great installment in the series!

I believe one of the morals of this story is, be grateful for the parents you have. In a world were "there is nothing to eat in the house" is too typically just code for "there is nothing in the house I am in the mood for" this book could potentially offer a shift of perspective for young readers. The writer knows a lot about rhetorical analysis, so this book series might also be useful for kids to learn about the darker sides of communication, which will face them in different situations for the rest of their lives. The bright side of the story is that no matter how unreal the pain and suffering becomes in the lives of the Baudelaire children, they take care of one another and adamantly refuse to take things out on each other.

This might not be the right story book for your kid, each one is unique and needs individual attention and care. This might be a good book to read along with your child, because many of life's more difficult issues will come into focus while reading it, it could be a chance to talk with your young reader about those issues.

Let me know if this helps anyone. Morgan.

This book is worth reading for the story, but even if it weren't, it would be worth reading for Snicket's explanations of "dramatic irony" and "hackneyed" as well as his denouncement of the phrase, "meanwhile back at the ranch" preceding his continued use of said phrase.

The three Baudelaire orphans are clearly facing a horrific experience in the second entry of this side-splitting saga; however, you can read this book without having read any of the others in the series. It stands on its own.

This title was actually my introduction to the Lemony Snicket series about the Baudelaire orphans -- I got it from a Goodwill Store for a dime. I began reading it in a hospital waiting room (a pal was struggling through a stress test there) and I soon had every soul in the room roaring with laughter as I related what was going on in this bizarre tale. The nurses wanted me to come back every day and read to their client families from the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" saga, of which this is but one entry. If you wanted to start at the beginning, this is the first book: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans!.

It's tough to believe that this story was actually written for any other people than adults. Kids might read it wide-eyed but, for adults, the tale takes on an entirely different ambiance.

The story is that the Baudelaire orphans (to whom all bad things happen) have been taken to a new foster parent, Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, a wacky herpetologist. They are transported to the site by Mr. Poe, their sickly fiduciary guardian and dedicated watchdog over the orphans' inheritance (which is considerable.)

The evil Count Olaf, of whom they have just recently managed to rid themselves, is out again to steal the orphans' money. Dr. Montgomery wants to take the kids for an expedition to Peru to trap snakes which is fine with the orphans as well as with Mr. Poe. Dr. Mongomery's assistant suddenly leaves so the doctor is forced into a quick hire of another assistant. And who does it turn out to be? A crudely-disguised Count Olaf!!! Things go downhill for the orphans (and for Dr. Montgomery) from there.

I read three books per week, everything from "War and Peace" to "The Trolley Car Family" and this series falls into my top five percent of all-time personal favorites. You can read the entire story over the course of a single evening (191 pages in the "Scholastic" edition) and I highly recommend that you do so if you're up for a great laugh.

I am one of those that enjoys some type of closure or happy ending. The author constantly alludes to the fact that nothing good with happen in the Baudelaire's lives and if the reader believes something good may come of a situation then they are in for disappointment. The book is well written and the only problem I had with the book was the overall lack of hope that was in the theme that these books have.