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57th out of 1,087 books
—
3,184 voters
A Series of Unfortunate Events Box: The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1-13 boxed set)
Some boxes should never be opened.
For the first time, the complete A Series of Unfortunate Events – including the highly feared #13: The End – is available in one awful package!
We can't keep you from succumbing to this international bestselling phenomenon, but we can hide all thirteen books in a huge, elaborately illustrated, shrink–wrapped box, perfect for filling an empt...more
For the first time, the complete A Series of Unfortunate Events – including the highly feared #13: The End – is available in one awful package!
We can't keep you from succumbing to this international bestselling phenomenon, but we can hide all thirteen books in a huge, elaborately illustrated, shrink–wrapped box, perfect for filling an empt...more
Hardcover, 3243 pages
Published
October 13th 2006
by HarperCollins
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I really like Lemony Snicket's style of writing, asking us to stop reading throughout the book, giving definitions of the words. the books are totally funny. I have learned many new words and phrases by reading the series. I recommend the whole set!
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What I have enjoyed throughout this series is the way the author makes the reader think. By think I mean, research, investigate and remember important events, words, etc. You are encouraged to keep a journal to write down your thoughts and insights. It is dark humour and probably appropriate for about age 8 and up depending on the sensitivity of the child. It does deal with some sad things like the fact that our protagonists become orphans and the adults are either trying to off them or are too...more
I love that you love these books! It's clever that the one word sayings from sunny are actually ironic one word summaries of the exact situation or sometimes a word in a different language to describe her meaning. I enjoy that hes teaching children vocabulary and pharses in easy to understand and witty ways. I love Lemony Snickets dark sense of humor, I think that he is opening doors for children to be introduced to great literature and poets by referencing them in his books. (ie Robert Frost, T...more
I love this series. It can be very special, just live me. I know a lot of people think it sucks, but it doesn't!
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Apr 30, 2008
Sarah
added it
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" is brilliantly written, and though disturbing, you will not be able to stop reading the next in the series and the next and the next. You somehow feel driven to know what happens to the poor Baudelaire orphans. Every time something finally starts working out for them, the bottom falls out and they find themselves in even more dire circumstances than previously. After the mysterious death of their parents in a fire, the three children are shuffled form relative to...more
Basically, this book is about how kids are hella smart, and adults just don't give them enough cred. The Baudelaire children have just become the Baudelaire orphans, and everything bad that could ever befall them happen in this series. Each child has a skill: Violet is a brilliant inventor, Klaus is a bookwork with an incredible memory, and Sunny has razor-sharp teeth. Together, they are the ultimate machine.
There is mystery, multiple attempts at murder, serious pun-action, and a gothic overshad...more
There is mystery, multiple attempts at murder, serious pun-action, and a gothic overshad...more
I began reading the series after the first 12 had been released. I read #13 as soon as it came out. I think that the strength with this series is in its entity as a series.
For example, in the first books, there's a dichotomy between good and evil, but as the children go through their series of unfortunate events, morality becomes blurred. This was one of the things I admired most about the books.
In addition, Sunny is one of the most interesting and overlooked characters in the series, especiall...more
For example, in the first books, there's a dichotomy between good and evil, but as the children go through their series of unfortunate events, morality becomes blurred. This was one of the things I admired most about the books.
In addition, Sunny is one of the most interesting and overlooked characters in the series, especiall...more
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Overall I am glad I read this series, although I absolutely hated the last book. Snicket's wry style hooked me from the beginning and kept me going through some of the early books (which tend to drag a little due to the repetitive nature of the earlier books). The overall plot of the series is well laid out and really starts to hit its stride around book 6. I loved that the characters started to grow and develop at that point as well. The books deal with some important themes and raise great que...more
#1: The Bad Beginning; #2: The Reptile Room; #3: The Wide Window; #4: The Miserable Mill; #5: The Austere Academy; #6: The Erstz Elevator; #7: The Vile Village; #8: The Hostile Hospital; #9: The Carnivorous Carnival; #10: The Slippery Slope; #11: The Grim Grotto; #12: The Penultimate Peril; #13: The End
After the three Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) lose their parents in a house fire, they experience so much misfortune and so many narrow escapes from the evil Count Olaf that it ba...more
After the three Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) lose their parents in a house fire, they experience so much misfortune and so many narrow escapes from the evil Count Olaf that it ba...more
Jul 02, 2007
mLe
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
perpetual pessimists
Shelves:
light_hearted,
once_enough
what to say about a series whose title says it all? very wittily-written prose and nonsensical...nonsense at the same time. if you don't have a kid in you and don't have the ability to pull yourself out of the dark depths of your psyche, then don't read these books. even the author advises you to walk away, bury them in a deep dark hole and let the worms eat the pages. i don't exaggerate.
but despite the absurdly depressing stories and repetitive formula of the plot...i ended up liking it. not al...more
but despite the absurdly depressing stories and repetitive formula of the plot...i ended up liking it. not al...more
The way Mr. Sniket writes his books is unipue.You never can find out when the fantasy ends & when reality starts.The only criticism-in my opinion-is that sometimes the explanation is too much that makes the reader bored.And another thing -which I would like you to say if its an advantage or disadvantage- is that in some parts the events that happend have such stupid reasons that make it hard for the reader to believe:that could really happen.The series have a kind of attraction that makes yo...more
1 like · like · see review
July 17, 2007
This was a really fun series of books to read. My wife Terri and i read them together. We started reading the books after we took some kids my wife was babysitting to see the movie which consisted of the first three books and starred Jim Carey who we both also really like. So we started the series of thirteen books on the fourth book.
The books were very entertaining and unusual, especially as they are youth books. The books read with a dark cloud hanging over them, which for me, gro...more
This was a really fun series of books to read. My wife Terri and i read them together. We started reading the books after we took some kids my wife was babysitting to see the movie which consisted of the first three books and starred Jim Carey who we both also really like. So we started the series of thirteen books on the fourth book.
The books were very entertaining and unusual, especially as they are youth books. The books read with a dark cloud hanging over them, which for me, gro...more
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Reading Lemony Snicket is like reading a tongue twister by Dr. Seuss. Thoroughly enjoyable, yet leaves you wondering what the hell just happened? Slightly disappointed with the thirteenth book--was hoping the last book about the Baudelaires would contain a more fortunate event for the orphans (yes, I realize I was warned at the beginning of every book that this would not be the case). Maybe in a book the fourteenth? My favori...more
I would argue that the Lemony Snickett books are almost more fun and witty than Harry Potter. It's like the pessimists version without the magic. I read all of them and found them to be complete page turners. How I feel for the poor Baudelaire orphans. Snickett's metaphors are hilarious and though the last book in the series didn't tie up all the loose ends I had hoped, the whole series proved to be utterly enjoyable. I read them while I was really sick and I found them to be incredibly comforti...more
As a Library Assistant, I frequently do reader's advisories for patrons of all ages. In between editions of upcoming books in the Harry Potter series, many young readers enjoyed books I recommended from Lemony Snickett's [pen name]"A Series of Unfortunate Events." Curious, I tried them out, and enjoyed them as well. While I have read about 1/3 of them, I especially enjoyed listening to the audio versios narrated by Tim Curry. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed by the ending of the "The End"...more
I have read every single one of the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" while predictable they were very enjoyable. The author, Lemony Snicket, has a style that is very different from other writers. The series starts out with the Baudelair Children becoming the Baudelair Orphans. Their parents are killed in a great fire and the Orphans are sent to their Count Olaf's house. Count Olaf is "literally" an evil man, who will stop at nothing to get the Baudelair fortune. This said, your either going to h...more
This books are simultaneously dismal and delightful. You'll never understand what I mean unless you give them a try yourself, despite the author's warnings to the contrary. Adults will find the plot and mysteries intriguing and the humor very enjoyable; children will love the characters and trying to answer the question on everyone's mind: who is Beatrice?
Great vocabulary builder and critical thinking exercise while still following a literary format that children thoroughly enjoy and understand...more
Great vocabulary builder and critical thinking exercise while still following a literary format that children thoroughly enjoy and understand...more
Jun 28, 2007
Maralena
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes to lose track of time while reading
I hate literature. Unabashedly and with passion. This, my friends, is not literature. You could not waste your time sitting around in a stuffy room with the windows drawn on a beautiful day analyzing this text. This is pure storytelling plain and simple and leaves no room for the ego. This is what books are about, my friends: losing awareness of the self such that when you turn the last page and come out the other end, you have no original thoughts whatsoever, only the desire to keep reading.
*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*
This review may be misleading because I gave to book series two stars when in reality, it deserves one star. The only reason I gave it two stars was because I liked that I could read it and understand most of it when I was in the fifth grade and started reading the series. I also liked the book series a lot because I could feel and relate to the childrens' pain even though my pain was no where near as traumatic as theirs was. At the time of reading the...more
This review may be misleading because I gave to book series two stars when in reality, it deserves one star. The only reason I gave it two stars was because I liked that I could read it and understand most of it when I was in the fifth grade and started reading the series. I also liked the book series a lot because I could feel and relate to the childrens' pain even though my pain was no where near as traumatic as theirs was. At the time of reading the...more
Okay, I have some seriously mixed feelings about this series.
First off, I thought the stories themselves were entertaining, even though the format was repetitive...Baudelaire Children get a new guardian, Count Olaf shows up in disguise, no one recognizes him, and he starts working on his evil plan, then the children unmask him, and he escapes, while the children get kicked out or have to leave their guardian. Okay, sure it was formulaic, but the stories were entertaining.
But with that said, I co...more
First off, I thought the stories themselves were entertaining, even though the format was repetitive...Baudelaire Children get a new guardian, Count Olaf shows up in disguise, no one recognizes him, and he starts working on his evil plan, then the children unmask him, and he escapes, while the children get kicked out or have to leave their guardian. Okay, sure it was formulaic, but the stories were entertaining.
But with that said, I co...more
The Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus and Sunny) find themselves orphans when their parents are killed in a house fire. Thus begins their series of unfortunate events. They are passed from guardian to guardian and always seem to find themselves in less than favorable circumstances. The evil Count Olaf is constantly persuing them in hopes of somehow obtaining their family fortune. The children always maintain their integrity and try to do what they know to be right. At times they struggle with t...more
I didn't buy this box set, but I didn't want to go through and check off all the books in the series. These are my favorite children's books ever, they are infinitely better than Harry Potter. HP's are good, but ASOUE is AMAZING. I love its style, the illustrations, the characters, the themes...everything. These books will prepare kids for harder books they'll have to read down the road, like Baudelaire, Umberto Eco, and Franz Kafka to name just a few. Older people can read it too, I'm 16, stil...more
Positive Points
The author found a creative way to introduce complicated words and expressions to young children. Even the titles contain difficult words, such as penultimate and ersatz. The words are explained either by the characters or by the narrator (often in a humorous way), and repeated several times throughout the story, which makes them easier to absorb.
The three main characters each have one special ability: Violet invents useful things, Klaus reads many books and has a lot of knowledge...more
The author found a creative way to introduce complicated words and expressions to young children. Even the titles contain difficult words, such as penultimate and ersatz. The words are explained either by the characters or by the narrator (often in a humorous way), and repeated several times throughout the story, which makes them easier to absorb.
The three main characters each have one special ability: Violet invents useful things, Klaus reads many books and has a lot of knowledge...more
Let me make it clear that I am not the target audience for these books. I found them patronizing and repetitive, but I also noted a wry sense of humor and a very interesting way in which the author constantly drops hints at a bigger conspiracy. By the time I reached the third or fourth book I decided that I would have to read the rest to find out about this complex conspiracy being hinted at. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the twelfth book I realized that the grand conspiracy was not going...more
This is one of my favorite series. There's always a new twist, villian, setting, people it doesn't get boring. Snicket keeps the excitement going in every book!! I was sad that only the first three books were released as a movie. I loved the books and movie they were both fantastic and well done. I love how the three siblings each have their own unique ability. Basically this series never got boring for me it was a great series. But I think Snicket droned on too much whenever a new chapter would...more
This "woe-filled" collection of thirteen books about the tribulations of three unusually talented orphans will keep adults entertained as well as children. When I first saw the series I thought, "That looks too depressing," but soon I discovered the hilarity in overabundant alliteration, contemptible villains, and idiotic bystanders.
As the series progresses and the mysteries deepen, the children's characters grow and develop in surprising ways as togehter they face obstacles and a growing numbe...more
As the series progresses and the mysteries deepen, the children's characters grow and develop in surprising ways as togehter they face obstacles and a growing numbe...more
"If you do not wish to read a story of tragedy and sadness, this is your very last chance." However, should you wish to read a set in which tragedy after tragedy befalls about main characters, I encourage you to keep reading my review. For it is my sad duty to tell you dire situations will plague the Baudelaire children, starting with the house fire that robs them of their parents, their home, and happy life. Just remember: You have been warned!
When with trembling hands you turn to the first cha...more
When with trembling hands you turn to the first cha...more
I can't be bothered to add and review each of the books individually, so I shall cheat :)
Well, yes I loved this series immensely. I can't really pinpoint why, but it was definitely to some degree because of the literary allusions, satire, dark humour and that hazy sense of mystery that followed each book everywhere.
I understand how Lemony Snicket can be frustrating as a narrator; him being a character himself, he is over-dramatic, unreliable and sometimes extremely annoying. But then, he really...more
Well, yes I loved this series immensely. I can't really pinpoint why, but it was definitely to some degree because of the literary allusions, satire, dark humour and that hazy sense of mystery that followed each book everywhere.
I understand how Lemony Snicket can be frustrating as a narrator; him being a character himself, he is over-dramatic, unreliable and sometimes extremely annoying. But then, he really...more
Alright, The Complete Wreck, A Series of unfortunate events.... Well that pretty much sums up my ideas on the books right there... I disliked it, very much, yes a few books were ok and didn't deserved to be added along with the other atrocities Lemony Snicket called “books”... honestly, the only way it got 2 stars from me was because some of the books deserved better, the comments about putting the books down right away were amusing(and should be followed immediately), as well a the fact that Mr...more
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| The Most Awesome ...: A Series of Unfortunate Events | 10 | 5 | Jan 25, 2013 06:59pm |
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler. Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events (his best-known work) and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional character and a real person. This article deals primarily with the character.
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“If you like books with happy endings then put this book down immediately.”
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