books
I received in a timely manner,I was very pleased with the condition of the set of books
Troublesome tales for the young and old
I read these tales with my daughter at night before she goes to bed. It has been as much a revelation to me as it has been for her this series of most unfortunate events, as they differ enough from the movie to give her pause while I enjoy the copious word play of Lemony Snicket.
The three books are each divided into 13 chapters as one would imagine. Not so lengthy that you can't read two aloud in one night. It begins as one expects with the Baudelaires being thrown into the evil clutches of Count Olaf, who immediately starts his sinister plan to work with the help of his filthy assistants. The orphans gain some comfort from their next door neighbor, Judge Strauss, but as they soon learn adults aren't much help and they are forced to pry themselves free from the clutches of Olaf themselves.
Books 2 and 3 take Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine in turn. Hard to picture them as anyone other than Billy Connolly and Meryl Streep now. The two adventures once again find the orphans matching wits with Count Olaf as he takes on fiendish disguises which all too easily fool the adults, who once again prove no help at all to the orphans. Whereas in Book the Second we get a fantastical story of reptiles, mostly charming snakes, in Book the Third we get quite a little study in grammar that ultimately leads to poor Aunt Josphine's demise.
Mr. Poe is perhaps the most troublesome character in these tales as one would expect after being fooled each time he might wisen up a little, but sadly not, and the kids find themselves moving from one ill-fated adventure to another, all in good humor of course as not to give young readers too much fright.
A Warning
If you are thinking of reading this review, first be forewarned that it contains very little happiness in it at all. Inside the pages of the books that this review reviews, you will find such terrible things as orphaned children, a greedy villain out to steal a fortune, an incompetent banker (the word 'incompetent' here means, 'unable to protect or even remotely assist the Baudelaire orphans in their attempts to avoid the evil Count Olaf'), a murdered relative, a harmless Incredibly Deadly Viper, the reappearance of a villain, a widowed, phobia-ridden aunt (phobia-ridden here meaning, 'an aunt too afraid to touch the doorknob, use the oven, or be near realtors'), a library devoted entirely to grammar, a house that teeters on its foundations, and leeches. Clearly, if you had any sense at all, you would not wish to read about such things.
If you do, however, chance to pick a volume up, be sure to drop it as quick as you can, kick dirt over it so no one else can find it, and run in the opposite direction. Because if you do pick it up you will find, to your horror and misery, that the tales recorded within are most definitely unsuited to such a person as you. Tales of a fortune-stealing man named Count Olaf out to get a trio of clever and incredibly unlucky children are not, I am sure, the sort of thing you would enjoy. So I recommend that you purchase another book, perhaps a volume by Lenoy M. Setnick entitled THE PONY PARTY, the first of his series called THE LUCKIEST KIDS IN THE WORLD!, which can be found by purchasing Mr. Snicket's unauthorized autobiography in hardcover and turning the dust jacket inside out.
A very good day to you.
Rating: Very Good
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