Review: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Book: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book the First: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Published 1999 By HarperCollins Publishers
I got this book at the library
My friend Jesse, who has done some guest blogs for me) has been telling me that I needed to read this series for quite some time. Ironically, I had seen the movie version, which is based on the first three books in the series. I loved the movie, but it just never occurred to me to read the books that the series is based upon. I was wandering around the library on Saturday looking for Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The e-catalog said that said book was in YP Fiction. Kind of an odd place if you ask me, but I went over to look. I couldn’t find it. I looked in every fiction section of the library and could not find Treasure Island, but on returning to the YP section, I spotted the entire collection of A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s kismet, I think. So I took out the first book to read and given that I’d like it, I’d go back for the others.
Needless to say, but I’m pointing it out anyway, I loved this book. I love that the narrator interjects continuously these snide comments and defines what different words mean in different scenes. He’s also contentiously saying that the book and the series in general does not have a happen ending, so if you really want a happy ending, put the book down. How awesome is that?
If you saw the movie, like I did, you should know that the movie put a lot of the scenes out of order. In the first book, the Beaudelaire children’s parents die in a terrible accident. (The children’s names are Violet, Klaus and Sunny.) The parents will stipulates that they must go to a living relative and that the entire Beaudelaire fortune will be given to the children once Violet is of age. The children end up with an obscure relative Count Olaf, whom upon finding out that he has no control over the fortune, treats the children horribly while scheming for a loop hole through very devious yet legal ways.
I loved that even though the book does not end happily, I wasn’t disappointed by it. I mean, you’re given fair warning. It’s suspenseful enough to be enjoyable and even though it’s a children’s book (of sorts?) it almost has a Harry Potter like feel to it, where it can transcend it’s age group. The edition that I read also had very interesting illustrations throughout the book as well.  It was a very quick read as well, I breezed though it in an evening.
I also loved that the children had very specific talents. Violet is an inventor, Klaus is a voracious reader and the toddler Sunny loves to bite things. It’s these skills, intelligence and love for one another that get the children through their unfortunate events. Isn’t that worth reading?
I’m looking forward to reading the second installment called The Reptile Room. Jesse pointed out the other day, “Oh, I get it!! They have an Uncle Monty and he raised PYTHONS!” I was watching the trailer today and, do my eyes deceive me, or is Uncle Monty played by John Cleese? How marvelous.
I give this one 5 dog-eared pages.

Also, writing a review while watching From Paris With Love is not a bad evening at all.