Book Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events (#1-4)

Title: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Author: Lemony Snicket

Publisher: Scholastic

Year: 1999

Pages: >200 pages

Genre: Middle-Grade

Rating: 4 stars

One sentence summary: The Baudelaire orphans endure a series of unfortunate events as they are pursued by Count Olaf, a villain trying to steal their inheritance.

A full synopsis of this series can be found on Goodreads.

Spoiler Level: None

Book 1: The Bad Beginning

This will be my second time reading the Series of Unfortunate Events series, having read it previously when I was younger. I evidently enjoyed it as a kid because I own all 13 books, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it just as much this time around. I really really liked this first one! I love the writing style, which is quirky and witty and narrated by the third party narrator Lemony Snicket. The interruptions of word definitions didn't bother me at all and I think it was used effectively, adding charm and education for younger readers. The plot is indeed unfortunate. The darkness of the story really appealed to me. The situations the children find themselves in are of course terrible, but I liked seeing how the children dealt with the death of their parents and the abuse from their new guardian. These are strong, smart, and compassionate characters, and I'm looking forward to watching how they manage to elude Count Olaf in the rest of the series.

Book 2: The Reptile Room

I really liked the plot of this one! It kind of felt like a mini murder mystery. We know who the murderer is, but how did he do it? And can the Baudelaire children find out in time before they are whisked away to Peru? I also found this book a little darker and a little funnier than the previous. I especially liked the whole "who sits in which car condundrum," a silly dilemma but one that ultimately had the power to decide the children's future. I continue to enjoy the characters, from the brilliant and resilient children, to the friendly Uncle Monty, to the vile Count Olaf or "Stephano," who was even more villainous this time around.

Book 3: The Wide Window

Reading this on a cold, rainy, windy night was perfect, considering this book takes place on/near a lake during a storm. I liked the grammatical puzzle the children had to solve in this one, and as always I admired the children's ingenuity. Unlike the previous book, I found Aunt Josephine to be a terrible guardian. She put her own fears in front of the well-being of the children and as a result, was partially the bringer of her own demise. While darkness continues to permeate this story, there was a glimmer of light at the end of the story when the children recognize how lucky they are to all be together still. I really appreciate these moments of genuine warmth in the midst of all the despair.

Book 4: The Miserable Mill

This one just wasn't as exciting as the previous installments. I just feel like not much happened other than the children's drudgery of working at the lumber mill. And while I enjoy the darkness of this series, this one was miserable but not in an interesting way. Child labour, one meal a day, and wages in the form of coupons are just depressing to think about. As well, the lack of quirkiness and genuine kindness in the new guardians, as well as the general lack of menace from Count Olaf, subtracted some of the best parts of the formula from the previous books. Overall, I still enjoyed this one and I hope to resume this series soon. (For now, I'll be watching to see how the Netflix series holds up to these first four books).

Have you read the Series of Unfortunate Events? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!

Thanks for reading!