Lemony Snickety
Book Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
I've gotta admit: I used to hate Daniel Handler (a.k.a Lemony Snicket). But ever since I saw the film for this popular children’s series, I wanted to look into the books themselves. When A Series of Unfortunate Events first hit the shelves, I was strongly against reading them. My main argument was, “What author would publish under an obviously phony name so prestigiously, and then constantly blab about how terrible his books are?” But when I watched the movie, I saw how the books actually had a purpose behind everything. A Series of Unfortunate Events is, as a whole, a parody on children’s books today. They don’t end so nicely—which is why the back cover(s) is riddled in warnings. And as for the pen name, Lemony Snicket is actually a character in the series.
But neither of those things are the true theme of the book. The real point that Snicket (I’ll just refer to him by his pen name so as to avoid confusion) is trying to get across is that life isn’t so wonderful day in and day out with singing deer and birds, and no villains lurking behind the next tree and no conflict. Many kids books are about happy-go-lucky adventures of ponies, bears, elves, etc. Lemony Snicket attempts here to expose kids to the real life, where things aren’t a happy ending every single time. I say that the sooner a kid realizes that, the better off he or she will be in this slowly darkening world.
Snicket makes subtle humor and satire on children’s books. For example, the adults are very reminiscent of Roald Dahl (author of The Witches, James and the Giant Peach) in that all the adults are either well-intentioned and clueless, or extremely sinister and overtoned with varying adult definitions of evil. Snicket defines “big words” here and there, and also makes excellent use of the English grammar “isms” that only readers above the age of 16 will understand.
The book actually has more than one theme. One is that everyone has talents and gifts that they can contribute to influence the world for good. Everyone has something to give, and things will run a lot smoother when we work together. Violet, the oldest of the Baudelaire orphans, has a knack for invention. Klaus, the only boy, has a passion for reading books and remembers everything he reads. And Sunny, the infant, loves to bite everything that she can get her little teeth on. Each of these skills can be useful, and the Baudelaire children use their skills to outwit and undermine evil plots that surround them, threatening to take away everything they hold dear. Use of these skills encourages creativity, and calls on the reader to employ their own imagination.
Another teaching of the book is that no matter how grim the situation, there is always something that can be done. There is always hope to hold onto, and there is always something available to your disposal that you can use to get yourself out of your situation. As Violet says in the film adaptation, “…And what might seem like a series of unfortunate evens may actually be the beginning of a beautiful journey.”
All in all, I recommend this book to everyone. I used to hate even the thought of saying that, but I really like the messages of the steampunk A Series of Unfortunate Events—especially the moral of maintaining high hopes despite evil around you. Readers really should be warned: this book includes many disasters such as a house fire, itchy clothing, a man with hooks for hands, cold oatmeal, and a nuptial---a word which here means “having to do with legal marriage” law book. The ending isn’t very pleasant and somewhat unpredictable. So if you don’t like books about tragic events or conspiracies or fighting with only your brain against all odds—in other words, if you don’t enjoy reading about real life, then I strongly suggest that you read Little Red Riding Hood or Winnie the Pooh. Or perhaps even The Pony Party!, the first book in The Luckiest Kids In The World! children's series, written by Loney M. Setnick.
I've gotta admit: I used to hate Daniel Handler (a.k.a Lemony Snicket). But ever since I saw the film for this popular children’s series, I wanted to look into the books themselves. When A Series of Unfortunate Events first hit the shelves, I was strongly against reading them. My main argument was, “What author would publish under an obviously phony name so prestigiously, and then constantly blab about how terrible his books are?” But when I watched the movie, I saw how the books actually had a purpose behind everything. A Series of Unfortunate Events is, as a whole, a parody on children’s books today. They don’t end so nicely—which is why the back cover(s) is riddled in warnings. And as for the pen name, Lemony Snicket is actually a character in the series.
But neither of those things are the true theme of the book. The real point that Snicket (I’ll just refer to him by his pen name so as to avoid confusion) is trying to get across is that life isn’t so wonderful day in and day out with singing deer and birds, and no villains lurking behind the next tree and no conflict. Many kids books are about happy-go-lucky adventures of ponies, bears, elves, etc. Lemony Snicket attempts here to expose kids to the real life, where things aren’t a happy ending every single time. I say that the sooner a kid realizes that, the better off he or she will be in this slowly darkening world.
Snicket makes subtle humor and satire on children’s books. For example, the adults are very reminiscent of Roald Dahl (author of The Witches, James and the Giant Peach) in that all the adults are either well-intentioned and clueless, or extremely sinister and overtoned with varying adult definitions of evil. Snicket defines “big words” here and there, and also makes excellent use of the English grammar “isms” that only readers above the age of 16 will understand.
The book actually has more than one theme. One is that everyone has talents and gifts that they can contribute to influence the world for good. Everyone has something to give, and things will run a lot smoother when we work together. Violet, the oldest of the Baudelaire orphans, has a knack for invention. Klaus, the only boy, has a passion for reading books and remembers everything he reads. And Sunny, the infant, loves to bite everything that she can get her little teeth on. Each of these skills can be useful, and the Baudelaire children use their skills to outwit and undermine evil plots that surround them, threatening to take away everything they hold dear. Use of these skills encourages creativity, and calls on the reader to employ their own imagination.
Another teaching of the book is that no matter how grim the situation, there is always something that can be done. There is always hope to hold onto, and there is always something available to your disposal that you can use to get yourself out of your situation. As Violet says in the film adaptation, “…And what might seem like a series of unfortunate evens may actually be the beginning of a beautiful journey.”
All in all, I recommend this book to everyone. I used to hate even the thought of saying that, but I really like the messages of the steampunk A Series of Unfortunate Events—especially the moral of maintaining high hopes despite evil around you. Readers really should be warned: this book includes many disasters such as a house fire, itchy clothing, a man with hooks for hands, cold oatmeal, and a nuptial---a word which here means “having to do with legal marriage” law book. The ending isn’t very pleasant and somewhat unpredictable. So if you don’t like books about tragic events or conspiracies or fighting with only your brain against all odds—in other words, if you don’t enjoy reading about real life, then I strongly suggest that you read Little Red Riding Hood or Winnie the Pooh. Or perhaps even The Pony Party!, the first book in The Luckiest Kids In The World! children's series, written by Loney M. Setnick.
posted by Alexander at 5:18 PM
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