Penultimate Peril
Jun. 27th, 2006 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebRobin and I just read the penultimate volume of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. It's the worst book of all so far. It's the longest, and yet the least happens. Mostly it's a lot of reminding you about what's happened and who's who.
The final book is coming out Friday the Thirteenth, of course (October 2006). What's he going to do? Another disturbing book? A happy ending? Both somehow?
The rest of this entry is nothing but spoilers. If you know what's good for you, you'll stop reading right now and go and do something a little more fun, interesting or useful. Like cleaning out the refrigerator, reading the 'r' section in the dictionary, or tearing paper towels in half, respectively. (Oops, channelling.)
Robin is worried that things have gotten much worse in this latest volume. And then I realized that the fact that Violet invented nothing, Klaus looked up only one thing, and Sunny bit nothing (though she did grind her teeth at one point), through the entire book, was not a fluke. They are turning into well-meaning but ineffective adults, aren't they? What's-her-face Snicket said they were growing up right at the beginning of the book. And all the grown-ups in this series are either evil or ineffective or both.
These are children's books; the author is trying to teach lessons. At first it was kind of nice. There were lessons like if you try hard enough, you can find a solution. If the people who are in charge are clearly disturbed, then you need to escape them.
But he has hinted before that good people can turn evil. I specifically remember him explaining that someone you would normally trust would not be trustworthy in certain situations.
Robin says because the Baudelaires failed at their main task, they were not able to be good. They didn't know who to trust. But wouldn't you think that bringing a loaded harpoon gun to Carmelita Spats can not have been the right thing to do ever? Why didn't Violet invent something that looked like hooks but were harmless? The flypaper was trickier. Had he thought it was bad, Klaus could have hung it backwards. Or not hung it at all--I don't recall anyone paying much attention. And Sunny could have hung the lock but held off on setting it. Instead, all three of them could think of nothing better than just going along with what people said, hoping that this would be a good idea. And then it got worse. I mean setting fire to the hotel? With the book as kindling, in a room probably full of other less important kindling (namely, laundry)?
Terrifying.
The books so far have always had terrible endings, but there's still been hope. I don't think he can do that in the next book.
The final book is coming out Friday the Thirteenth, of course (October 2006). What's he going to do? Another disturbing book? A happy ending? Both somehow?
The rest of this entry is nothing but spoilers. If you know what's good for you, you'll stop reading right now and go and do something a little more fun, interesting or useful. Like cleaning out the refrigerator, reading the 'r' section in the dictionary, or tearing paper towels in half, respectively. (Oops, channelling.)
Robin is worried that things have gotten much worse in this latest volume. And then I realized that the fact that Violet invented nothing, Klaus looked up only one thing, and Sunny bit nothing (though she did grind her teeth at one point), through the entire book, was not a fluke. They are turning into well-meaning but ineffective adults, aren't they? What's-her-face Snicket said they were growing up right at the beginning of the book. And all the grown-ups in this series are either evil or ineffective or both.
These are children's books; the author is trying to teach lessons. At first it was kind of nice. There were lessons like if you try hard enough, you can find a solution. If the people who are in charge are clearly disturbed, then you need to escape them.
But he has hinted before that good people can turn evil. I specifically remember him explaining that someone you would normally trust would not be trustworthy in certain situations.
Robin says because the Baudelaires failed at their main task, they were not able to be good. They didn't know who to trust. But wouldn't you think that bringing a loaded harpoon gun to Carmelita Spats can not have been the right thing to do ever? Why didn't Violet invent something that looked like hooks but were harmless? The flypaper was trickier. Had he thought it was bad, Klaus could have hung it backwards. Or not hung it at all--I don't recall anyone paying much attention. And Sunny could have hung the lock but held off on setting it. Instead, all three of them could think of nothing better than just going along with what people said, hoping that this would be a good idea. And then it got worse. I mean setting fire to the hotel? With the book as kindling, in a room probably full of other less important kindling (namely, laundry)?
Terrifying.
The books so far have always had terrible endings, but there's still been hope. I don't think he can do that in the next book.