Book Review

The End by Lemony Snicket


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fun to read a children's book once in awhile and this series is a very good one. After randomly choosing number 4 to read and enjoying it, I decided to read the first and last in the series of 13 to get an idea of the whole story.




Although agonizingly sad that the 3 children are orphans from the very first "unfortunate event" that causes their home to burn and their parents to perish, the author fortifies each child with abilities which make them equal to the task of continuing to persevere in the face of more and more events. Violet is superb at inventing things, Klaus is the accomplished reader and Sunny, although when young tends to specialize in biting, later becomes adept at cooking.




With evil Count Olaf as their guardian who only wants their inheritance, the children, indeed, have to overcome major obstacles on a daily basis just to stay alive.




This last book finds them washed ashore on an island with Count Olaf. They meet many strange people there with quite strange customs. Circumstances force them to use their resources to deal with it all.




What I find most appealing in these books is not only the humor employed within such devastating story lines, but also the way the author educates the reader to new words and their use, explaining meanings in a fun way. Life is indeed full of "Unfortunate Events" and banding together as family is oftentimes the best way to help us through them.




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