This is my second review on a book. This time, I turn to the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events.
The book series was written by Lemony Snicket. The weird thing about Snicket's writing in this series is that he would mix first-person writings with third-writings. It's like Snicket would narrate the story, but then turn around and talk directly to the readers. Also, he would sound like a private investigator at some point, and then go back to narrating the story.
What This Book Series Is About:
What's the series about? It's about these three kids... well, technically speaking, a girl, a boy, and their baby sister. The eldest sibling is Violet, who's great at inventing stuff in her spare time, or whenever danger rears its ugly head. The boy with the glasses is Klaus, who literally learns things out of books and uses the info out of books to the group's advantage. And the baby girl is Sunny, who has razor-sharp teeth that apparently makes a shark look like a tiny piranha, but later in the series she knows how to cook (which is weird for a baby like her).
Anyway, at the beginning the series, the children learn that their parents died in a house fire and are forced to be looked after by their strange, conniving uncle Count Olaf who abuses them in his care, and wants to steal the family fortune that's due to Violet when she becomes of age. Throughout the series, the kids are trying to flee from this Olaf guy, and are transferred from people's care to other people's care, and... well, everywhere they go, things go from bad to worse, or would seem good at first but then turn bad.
There are 13 books in this series, which is pretty long. I mean, the stories can be short, but it's still many books for a kids' book series. I remember checking out each book at my public library, and reading what happens to the kids, and if their troubles would ever end.
Movie Adaptation:
The story really caught on that Nickelodeon Movies did a movie for this book series entitled Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The movie combined the first book The Bad Beginning with the second book The Reptile Room and the third one The Wide Window. The film starred Jim Carrey as the evil Count Olaf, who I gotta say makes the character Olaf funnier and weirder than the one in the book series. Carrey plays the villain too weird and childish. In the book, Count Olaf was selfish, cruel, and disgusting to the point where he has the hots for Violet at some point. In the movie, Carrey's interpretation of Olaf is all that I just mentioned, except this one is torturously annoying but funny.
The movie got mixed reviews, because of how the film can be dark and twisted, but then funny, and then turn around and be serious.
My Insight on the Book Series:
This book series is a good read. I mean, if you like reading about tragedies and other people's depressions, then this is the series for you. If you like happier stories, then don't count on this series. The one thing I didn't like about the series is that it can get too depressing at times, and some of it can be a tease, because every time the characters are trying to have good times there has to be stuff that goes to hell for them.
As for the movie, it was okay, because Jim Carrey made the story less depressing and more interesting to watch.
In my opinion, I wouldn't recommend this book series to younger kids, because it's like strapping them into a chair and making them watch the most saddest scenes from every Disney movie in history over and over again until they cry their eyes out. But if some kid was just bored out of their minds and was dying to read this series, then let them. However, this would be a great read for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, that way they don't fry their brains with so... much... TV and video games.
Personally, I like this book series, and I wouldn't hesitate to read the series again.
Amateur Critic
Sources: A Series of Unfortunate Events (book series and movie)
All rights go to Lemony Snicket and Nickelodeon Movies.
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