A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

[Liv_Rem]

I read volume seven in this series and saw the movie a few years ago. I must say, this is right up my alley! I know that the books can be somewhat lacking in cheer most of the time, but the storylines are so interesting and atypical of YA fiction that Lemony Snicket never fails to impress me with the various mishaps and misadventures that chronicle the lives of the Baudelaire children. There's is never a boring moment.

[RussetDivinity]

While I agree that the series is sad, there are also moments of happiness that, while not being cheery, are bright enough to make up for the fact that so much is happening to such young people. I thought it was pretty clear that the Baudelaires were resourceful enough to survive and even thrive, despite all the difficulties being thrown at them. I also really liked how morality lines blurred a little in the later books, which I think doesn't happen enough in YA or children's books.

As to all the questions raised and unanswered, I don't think this is the sort of series that can be tied up with a neat little bow. It's the sort that shows just how complicated and inexplicable the world is, and leaving so much open is the author's way of showing that.

[LivreAmour217]

Honestly, I read through part of the series and although I enjoyed it at first, I eventually got worn out by the style of the books. I just kept thinking, "How many bad things can possibly happen to these kids?" Maybe I should try to re-read them now that I am older (I started reading these about a decade ago). Who knows--perhaps I'll appreciate the style better now.

[Dando]

I never read these books as a kid and I feel like I definitely missed out. I still want to read them now.

[RussetDivinity]

I never read these books as a kid and I feel like I definitely missed out. I still want to read them now.

Oh, you definitely should! There's a lot of jokes in there for adults who read it, and you might well get more out of the series than you would if you had just read it as a kid and never looked at it again.

[Kerebear]

This entire series is morose however it is a great read. I read this in elementary school and I'm still in love with it. The narrator is an amazing character all on his own and he is by far my favorite. He is all that a narrator should be because he adds flavor to the stories.

[mrswinter14]

This is a good series. The bad begging was a great start to the series, but after reading the rest of the books the plot line doesn't ever really change. Throughout the whole series something bad will happen, then they have something good happen, and in the end of the book something bad happens again and that is the end of the book. Of course you can find out what happens in the next book, but you already have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen to them.

[BookLovers2015]

I've read the while series multiple times and I love the pessimism that Lemony Snicket instilled in the series. The Bauldelaire's misfortune just made me feel better about my life. I loved the characters and U even loved Count Olaf's determination to steal the Bauldelaire's fortune.

[SleeplessRushing]

A Series Of Unfortunate Events were the essence of my childhood as the Harry Potter series was for a lot of others.
Yes, it was sad and yes, its formula became stale but what I enjoyed most was the author's constant berating of the reader. He makes fun of your intelligence by incorrectly giving you translations to "smart" words and warns you at every corner to stop, quit while you're head and do something jolly.
Ultimately it had the opposite effect to me, however.
I simply couldn't stop reading and desperately cared for the Baudelaire children, trapped on their psychotic railroad.
The art was also fantastic.

[KReading]

I read the entire series and couldn't get enough. It was sad but the backstory is really what interested me. It was the best part. I don't remember ever seeing the movie but from what I can recall I've never had any interest in seeing it. It just seemed too silly and goofy to me.

[I can read]

I have read the first three. They are good reads and the film was pretty good as well. I did not continue because I couldn't read another series of unfortunate events happening to these three children again. I might read the last one after reading this post. It's the whole if you read one you have read them all thing.