I am drawn to the bad guys, or at least, the not-so-good guys. There is something so pitiful about them, something that makes you go: Only If…
On one mailing list one person said of the Lemony Snicket books that they’re likable if you find something likable in Voldemort. This is not necessarily true. The Baudelaire Children are quite likable and good children; it is their awful circumstances that one finds appalling. Lemony Snicket is a persona author. He (?) writes the book with much commentary, clearly stating throughout the book that you won’t get the ending you might be hoping for. Perhaps they are not as bad as Snicket admonishes however the children never get what they want for any length of time. The book starts with the death of their parents in a great fire. Violet, Klaus and Sunny are heirs to a huge fortune. Their distant relative is a no good actor who is after their fortune.
Snicket talks about his plot so often that you know well before the children do that Count Olaf (the relative) plans to marry Violet to get the money. Count Olaf is made more sinister by the pictures of eyes all over the house, including one tattooed on his ankle. Violet, the oldest at fourteen, seems much younger. However that might be due to the seemingly old fashion setting that Snicket places them in. Violet does not seem to have the sophistication shown by today’s teens. Instead she is a withdrawn, contemplative inventor. Klaus is a bookish boy and Sunny is just a baby who bites. The majority of the books concerned with how the children plan to get away from the Count. Lemony writes in a compelling manner, even with the dictionary interruptions.
You are drawn into the children’s story and hope for the best despite what Snicket promises. In the front of the book is the dedication to Beatrice, who is dead. In the back is a note to the publisher, with a teaser for the next book dealing with the author’s investigation. The Library of Congress lists these books as humorous stories. I wonder if they read the books before they wrote that. This is a good book for children and adults. I would recommend both read it as a child would require some explanation and even comfort at some of the more awful things that happen to the Baudelaire Children. Rating: PG-13
