johannarose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
scruffie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I read this one in one go but I'm not sure how I feel about it now that I have. Curiosity certainly kept me going, but I found the story and the characters in it disturbing. Also it relies heavily on the trope of physical traits reflecting people's inner worth and qualities, which I don't like and find dangerous, in general. The explanations "—the word X here means Y—", though somewhat funny at first, were overused in my opinion, and lost their charm after the first few uses.
I'm curious enough to check out the next books, but I'm not as impressed as I'd hoped I'd be.
I'm curious enough to check out the next books, but I'm not as impressed as I'd hoped I'd be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
kmmiller28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
capybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A childhood favourite becomes an adulthood favourite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death, and Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
lucyselim's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I read this series originally as a kid, and I loved them when they first came out. Re-reading them as an adult, I appreciate what they meant to me but I don't know if I'll recommend the series as a whole when I finish my re-read.
THE BAD BEGINNING is the start of Count Olaf's attempts to get the fortune of the Baudelaire children, newly the Baudelaire Orphans, with the deaths of their parents as the book begins. When Count Olaf finds out that merely being the childrens' guardian is not enough to obtain their fortune, he attempts to marry Violet in an elaborate ruse.
It's very up front about terrible things happening to the children, so much so that part of the framing is that the narrator (who is also kind of a character in the series) actively attempts to dissuade the reader from continuing at several points. That part of the framing holds up rather well, generally.
One of the villains is a large non-speaking person of indeterminate gender… and that’s pretty much it as the story’s justification for monstrosity. They’re socially marginalized and in the proximity of Count Olaf, therefore they’re creepy. While being in Olaf’s troupe is indeed sufficient grounds to be deemed terrible, this person is described in dehumanizing language by the narrator. Even the hook-handed man has specific dialogue where his actions are monstrous separate from his physical abnormality, but the non-gendered person is treated as though their mere existence is monstrous. Because the various troupe members are referred to by physical descriptions rather than names, there is a repeated emphasis on their strange appearances, which just reinforces the issue. I don't consider them to be queer representation because they don't provide any statement of their identity, it's just that the narration states that the Baudelaire children read their gender as ambiguous, which (in this context where ambiguous equals creepy) is judgmental and meaningless.
I know why this series gripped me as a kid, but I don't recommend this book now because of the way it equates physical difference with bad intentions, lumping in choices (like wearing all-white makeup) with physical characteristics (like baldness or being fat). It could have just been that the children are frightened by adults in the company of an adult who has declared his intentions to do them harm, but the way dehumanizing language is used makes it feel like the narrator shares in moral condemnation of the way certain characters look.
THE BAD BEGINNING is the start of Count Olaf's attempts to get the fortune of the Baudelaire children, newly the Baudelaire Orphans, with the deaths of their parents as the book begins. When Count Olaf finds out that merely being the childrens' guardian is not enough to obtain their fortune, he attempts to marry Violet in an elaborate ruse.
It's very up front about terrible things happening to the children, so much so that part of the framing is that the narrator (who is also kind of a character in the series) actively attempts to dissuade the reader from continuing at several points. That part of the framing holds up rather well, generally.
One of the villains is a large non-speaking person of indeterminate gender… and that’s pretty much it as the story’s justification for monstrosity. They’re socially marginalized and in the proximity of Count Olaf, therefore they’re creepy. While being in Olaf’s troupe is indeed sufficient grounds to be deemed terrible, this person is described in dehumanizing language by the narrator. Even the hook-handed man has specific dialogue where his actions are monstrous separate from his physical abnormality, but the non-gendered person is treated as though their mere existence is monstrous. Because the various troupe members are referred to by physical descriptions rather than names, there is a repeated emphasis on their strange appearances, which just reinforces the issue. I don't consider them to be queer representation because they don't provide any statement of their identity, it's just that the narration states that the Baudelaire children read their gender as ambiguous, which (in this context where ambiguous equals creepy) is judgmental and meaningless.
I know why this series gripped me as a kid, but I don't recommend this book now because of the way it equates physical difference with bad intentions, lumping in choices (like wearing all-white makeup) with physical characteristics (like baldness or being fat). It could have just been that the children are frightened by adults in the company of an adult who has declared his intentions to do them harm, but the way dehumanizing language is used makes it feel like the narrator shares in moral condemnation of the way certain characters look.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Transphobia, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Death
rory_john14's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Incest
Minor: Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexism
ohkmurr's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I did not realize how much trauma the Baudelaire kids go through until I reread these books as an adult. These poor children, my god. But I still appreciate the way Lemony Snicket emphasizes how important the trusting bonds with people you love are, and how sometimes the adults aren't right.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
demo's review against another edition
3.5
I needed something relatively easy to read yesterday while I rested and this was just the ticket. The story is unusual and intriguing, the pacing is excellent, and the language used is interesting enough to keep you engaged even though the sentence structure is often very simple. As far as kids books go, it's up there as one of my favourites.
While I devoured this series as a kid, it's not quite as good as I remember, not quite as eloquent or clever, and sometimes a little clumsy. That seems to be the case with a lot of books I loved as a kid, namely Harry Potter. (If you haven't already, go back and reread Philosopher's Stone and you'll see what I mean.) Still, they're great stories and I will probably reread them a few times in my life for fun, because why not?
That said, adult me has a few pet peeves, because we all know I'm a raging feminist who is never happy with anything:
There's a fair bit of domestic violence apologism. Disclaimer: I am not saying this book promotes domestic violence or says it's ok. But it does make excuses for it. I'm saying that kids reading this book might get the wrong idea about being able to go to adults for help and might start to feel responsible for their own abusive situations, should they be in one.
Most infuriatingly, the adults give zero fucks about the physical abuse Olaf inflicts upon Klaus. As a kid you might think that there's no point coming forward or seeking the help of an adult if you've been abused because no-one will care, and thus you must handle the situation yourself. Violet is presented as blaming herself for her siblings' predicament and holds herself responsible for fixing it. The whole premise of the series is the children rescuing themselves, which is cool in theory because it gives kids confidence in their own abilities to problem solve. Unfortunately, most kids don't have super inventing powers or an extensive knowledge of the law, so taking on the entire burden of resolving a domestic abuse dynamic could be kind of a problem. Regardless, no child should have to feel responsible for any abuse they endure. Unhelpfully, this book says "keep your chin up." Like, it literally says, "keep your chin up," which means "try to stay cheerful."
There's also some transphobia towards the person who "looks like neither a man nor a woman" and who is described as looking non-human and referred to as "it". There are so many better ways they could have conveyed that character's appearance and essence without throwing non-binary people under the bus.
I also have one stylistic peeve: The constant defining of words gets irritating. Sometimes the effect comes off well, others it's unnecessary. For example...
"But thanks to her adroit inventing skills--the word "adroit" here means "skillful"..."
Definitions 101: Don't include the phrase defined in the definition. "Her skillful inventing skills..."? This little aside is genuinely pointless.
A Series of Unfortunate Events has its problems, but it was fun to revisit. I remember finding it thrilling because it was so twisted and unusual. From memory it gets pretty dark and that's when the fun starts. The next time I have a rest day I'll start on the second book.
While I devoured this series as a kid, it's not quite as good as I remember, not quite as eloquent or clever, and sometimes a little clumsy. That seems to be the case with a lot of books I loved as a kid, namely Harry Potter. (If you haven't already, go back and reread Philosopher's Stone and you'll see what I mean.) Still, they're great stories and I will probably reread them a few times in my life for fun, because why not?
That said, adult me has a few pet peeves, because we all know I'm a raging feminist who is never happy with anything:
There's a fair bit of domestic violence apologism. Disclaimer: I am not saying this book promotes domestic violence or says it's ok. But it does make excuses for it. I'm saying that kids reading this book might get the wrong idea about being able to go to adults for help and might start to feel responsible for their own abusive situations, should they be in one.
Most infuriatingly, the adults give zero fucks about the physical abuse Olaf inflicts upon Klaus. As a kid you might think that there's no point coming forward or seeking the help of an adult if you've been abused because no-one will care, and thus you must handle the situation yourself. Violet is presented as blaming herself for her siblings' predicament and holds herself responsible for fixing it. The whole premise of the series is the children rescuing themselves, which is cool in theory because it gives kids confidence in their own abilities to problem solve. Unfortunately, most kids don't have super inventing powers or an extensive knowledge of the law, so taking on the entire burden of resolving a domestic abuse dynamic could be kind of a problem. Regardless, no child should have to feel responsible for any abuse they endure. Unhelpfully, this book says "keep your chin up." Like, it literally says, "keep your chin up," which means "try to stay cheerful."
There's also some transphobia towards the person who "looks like neither a man nor a woman" and who is described as looking non-human and referred to as "it". There are so many better ways they could have conveyed that character's appearance and essence without throwing non-binary people under the bus.
I also have one stylistic peeve: The constant defining of words gets irritating. Sometimes the effect comes off well, others it's unnecessary. For example...
"But thanks to her adroit inventing skills--the word "adroit" here means "skillful"..."
Definitions 101: Don't include the phrase defined in the definition. "Her skillful inventing skills..."? This little aside is genuinely pointless.
A Series of Unfortunate Events has its problems, but it was fun to revisit. I remember finding it thrilling because it was so twisted and unusual. From memory it gets pretty dark and that's when the fun starts. The next time I have a rest day I'll start on the second book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
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