Lemony Snickett's The Wide Window & The Miserable Mill

 

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted; but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all. If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair. I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story. (Goodreads)

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log.

The pages of this book, I'm sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.

I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven't, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection. (Goodreads)

It's a children's story, about three children not having the time of their life. This is the third and fourth installment that I've read of this series and its premise is always the same. The children are brought to another foster home, where the caretaker is either malicious or oblivious and Count Olaf, their nemesis, seizes that opportunity to try and gain the custody of the children and with that the possession of their fortune. 

His plot is always thwarted in the end, due to the vigilance of the children, because the grownups in this series amount to very little. 

Fun thing, for children, is that difficult words tend to be explained fitting the circumstance. 

I didn't read these ones to my daughter, since she's a reading machine and easily devours thick books all on her own now and my son is still a bit too young for these, but they are light reading and I was a bit curious to see how they got on. They are a bit tedious in their repetition for me, but I can see the allure they would have on children. 

The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2)

I read this one to my daughter.
I had just read The Bitter Beginning to her and she wanted to know what happened next.

The Reptile Room is more of the same, actually. If you've read the first you'll know the baudelaire children and you know that they don't get much luck.
With Count Olaf trying to get to their fortune by setting op a plot to marry Violet, which was only countered in the nick of time.
In The Reptile Room the children are sent to Doctor Montgomery, a distant relative who seems to have the best interest of the children in mind.
But as the writer reminds us.. happiness isn't in the future of these kids and count Olaf does find a way to wiggle his way back into their lives.

It was mostly fun to read and my daughter really got engaged into the story. At times it was a bit long winded and my daughter had trouble following the story when the author saw fit to diverge from the story and tell what he himself was up to.

She's still a fan though and we'll probably won't wait too long to begin with part 3.

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

This is a book I would love for Amélie (my daughter) to read when she is a little bit older and has learn how to read.
These kinds of books are the reason I still love to read, because if you didn't love it when you were younger, you aren't going to love it now.

I had some terrific books growing up, most of them unknown to the english public, although some of them made it across the water.

I'm talking about Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek (Crusade in Jeans), all of Anthony Horowitz's novels, Mark De Bel and so many others.
They knew how to write for a young public.
And Lemony Snicket does as well. He's somehow making you feel like you shouldn't be reading this book, which I would've loved back in the day. Also, he isn't afraid of using BIG words and explaining them very well.
I'm getting the feeling the writer must be a teacher of close to it. He has an uncanny feeling to what attracts children to certain novels. JK Rowling has that talent as well and I applaud them for it.

Even though I'm already past 30, I still loved reading about the Beaudelaire children and their misfortune. It's a tale full of misery but brought very sober. It doesn't want you to feel bad afterwards, but it doesn't give you the satisfaction of all's well, end's well either.

The plot is pretty simple and you get thrown in almost immediately.
The beaudelaire children find out their parents have perished in a fire and they are left in the care of a distant relative, Count Olaf, who turns out to be a very wicked man.
He puts the children through a rough time and is scheming to get their fortune without actually caring for the children.

As much as I loved the book, I understand now why the adaptation to the big screen has been such a letdown.
It's not a book easily put into images, it's rather subtle in a way that can't be translated with grand gestures. And with Jim Carey playing Count Olaf, it's pretty much all grand gestures and overarticulation.

I recommend the novel, to both children and their parents. It's fun to read something for a 10year old, something which I find most adult novels lacking.
Reading should be fun once in a while.
And on that note..