I’ve just finished reading the first three and loved them, but there are what? 11 now? He’s shooting for 13?
Upon completing the third one, which I still enjoyed quite a bit, I found myself thinking that he would seriously need to mix things up to keep it interesting over such a long series.
Even though I enjoyed all three books they had very much the same plot structure as one another: The Beaudelaires are placed in SPOILER situation and encounter SPOILER who comes up with a SPOILER scheme.
So, who is reading all of them? Does he keep things from getting tedious and repetitive?
P.S. Just looking for general reviews, not looking for specific plot/character points.
That sort of structure remains for a little while longer, but it takes a mildly darker turn later. I don’t have the books handy right now to tell you the titles, but don’t worry. Me, Alias, and daughter are all the way through the most current book (#11 I believe) and are still entertained.
He keeps it interesting because the mystery deepens. They still have a lot of interesting people to meet, too. You haven’t even gotten to the funniest characters yet. With every book you notice more patterns to the jokes and around book 9 you can read the Unauthorized Autobiography for a fun change of pace.
After a while, the episodic nature of the first few gets left behind for a more cliffhanger-style story, which is a lot more interesting after all those books in the same mold (Baudelaires meet strange new family member, endure misery, run away from Count Olaf). I thought the last one, The Grim Grotto, was kind of a snooze (I loved The Carniverous Carnival, so different strokes) but I’m looking forward to the next one. The story definately speeds up a lot and gets darker after, say, The Hostile Hospital or so.
Can someone give me a quick pitch for these books, or a summary? I saw the movie trailer and I must admit it looks quite cool–definitely a Roald Dahl/Tim Burton look, but perhaps with the qualities that make the Harry Potter series have such a sense of wonder and universal appeal. I think Jim Carrey can be quite a good actor when he’s not mugging too much, so I am looking forward to it. Are the books worthy? And is “Lemony Snicket” a real person, or just a plot device for the “real” writer?
Neither. He’s a character telling the story in first person. He just hasn’t arrived on the scene yet (as of The Slippery Slope, at least). One of the joys of the later books is realizing that fact.
As for the books, look for a Victorian melodrama. An Edward Gorey picture told in prose. Outwardly, it’s ever so grim, but despite Lemony’s protests otherwise, it retains a core of family and hope. Less magical than potter, but still just as wonderful and fun.
The way I got into Lemony Snicket was that the audio was narrated by Tim Curry and I found the cover art compelling. What hooked me is the whole sense of humour and vibe. Here is a typical sample:
That is from book the 3rd and it sums up Lemony Snicket for me. If you don’t like that, he will get on your nerves.
I felt this way about the first three books too – very enjoyable, but they were obviously following a formula, and I wasn’t sure how long it would remain entertaining.
Luckily, the later books aren’t cast from the same mold. Okay, they are all basically “The orphans are threatened by the evil plans of Count Olaf, they manage to escape through their own ingenuity, but their future is far from secure.” But as the series progresses their situation becomes increasingly perilous. As is apparent by the end of Book Three, they’ve pretty much
run out of living relatives, except for each other
so it becomes increasingly difficult for Mr. Poe to find guardians for them. Eventually the Baudelairs lose even the limited help of Mr. Poe and must make their own way.
The Baudelairs also begin to discover that there’s a much bigger mystery behind their parents’ deaths and Count Olaf’s history than was at first apparent. It also becomes increasingly obvious that the narrator, Lemony Snickett himself, was involved in this mystery. And so, it seems, was the late Beatrice – the one to whom every volume is dedicated…
If I continue reading the series (and i think you’ve convinced me), at what point should I work in the Unauthorized Autobiography? Am I ready for it now (having read books 1, 2, 3)? Or should I read farther first?
I think I read it after book 4 or 5, which may have been a little early. It didn’t spoil the plots of the later books too much (the story information revealed in the UA is usually fragmented and cryptic), but I was sometimes unfamiliar with the characters alluded to.
The UA does reveal hints about the underlying mystery of the series, so if you read it early you’ll have a jump on the Baudelairs as they begin to figure things out. If this would bother you or make the mystery less enjoyable, I’d say wait until after The Vile Village at least.
Part of the fun of the UA is finding out that seemingly insignificant events in the books were related to the big mystery, so it may be best to wait.
I think it came out between book 8 and 9. I think it’s good to do it there for reasons that I will have to spoiler:
There are red herrings in book 8 that might not be as much fun if you already did UA. But if you have not done book 8, you will not know what all the red herring references are about in UA.
To me, it fits perfectly between these two books as it is. You need to know everything up to book 8, but after book 8 things revealed in the story will start to make the clues in UA less “clue-y.”
I found the first to be uninteresting and they didn’t get better (Brainiac4 bought me the first three as a gift, and I read them all because they were a gift), so apparently, for me, he never succeeds. But obviously others enjoy them, so it may last longer for you.
The kids and I adore these books, but we haven’t read them…we listen to them as audiobooks. We’re dying to hear The Grim Grotto, but our library hasn’t acquired it yet as an audiobook. If we got the book, we’d all just squabble about who got to read it first, then I’d have to read it aloud, and gee, I’m just nowhere near as good as Tim Curry. I think it’s his voice that has really made this series for us.
I did think the books were a bit formulaic at first, but they’re getting better. What I want to know is, how the hell is he going to end this? Would it count as a Series of Unfortunate Events if it has a happy ending, or will it be: “Then the last Baudelaire died.” :dubious:
I originally bought the first two books for my niece, and read them before giving them to her (the benefit of giving books as gifts) I was pretty bored with them but decided to pick up book three for one last chance. That is where I got hooked. The jokes got funnier, the plot darker, and the twists more subtle.
Did anyone notice that Sunny knows how to swear in German? Can’t remember which book, but they were looking in a fountain for a clue. When asked if Sunny saw anything, she replied “scheiss(sp?).” “Sunny says she doesn’t see anything.”
But yes, you MUST read the UA in order to understand hints that are dropped in the book that you wouldn’t know otherwise. I read it right before The Slippery Slope and was amazed at how slick Mr. Snickett was at slipping little touches into the story.
I think I saw Costco selling books 1-10 for a fairly reasonable price, as a packaged set. We’ve borrowed them all from the library so far.
My son (he’s six) is on Chapter 7 of The Grim Grotto right now. My daughter, eight, is also reading this one. I usually finish them in a night, but haven’t had the time yet. We read this aloud to them at bedtime. I got into them when I had to listen to one of the books, as read by the author. I miss him and am not certain why they went to Tim Curry (Jude Law is the narrator for the film). I like to find the little jokes that the author throws in, and sometimes point things out to the kids (Esme Gigi Genevieve Squalor’s initials spell “Eggs”, for example). So, it’s sort of like Bugs Bunny for me: kid’s book, but I can read them and find interesting tidbits. Also it’s never too early to teach your children sarcasm.
A couple of other things. My understanding is that there are to be 13 books in all, so the resolution is coming up soon. Also, does anyone know what the film is supposed to cover? I’m assuming that they won’t make 13 films, or if they do they certainly would be hard pressed to use the same child actors for all of them. I’m guessing at a trilogy at best.
I’m under the impression that the movie will cover the first three books, Shibb, though I don’t know where I picked up the idea. I’m really dreading the mess I expect Jim Carrey to make of it. It might work, but some idjit is probably thinking, “It’s a kid’s movie! Jim’s got to make lots of wacky faces and sound effects!” :rolleyes: