More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
On gray and cloudy days, the Baudelaires had the beach to themselves to do what they liked.
she was right-handed, so the rocks skipped farther across the murky water when Violet used her right hand than when she used her left.
first mention of violet being right-handed.
the children saw with relief that it was not anybody frightening at all, but somebody they knew: Mr. Poe.
the real villain.
“The fire department arrived, of course,” Mr. Poe said, “but they were too late.
which one, though?
If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven’t, you cannot possibly imagine it.
to be in one’s own room, in one’s own bed, can often make a bleak situation a little better,
“Your parents’ will,” Mr. Poe said, “instructs that you be raised in the most convenient way possible.
If they weren't dead already, their parents would be catching these hands.
They passed horse-drawn carriages and motorcycles along Doldrum Drive. They passed the Fickle Fountain,
Phantom Tolbooth vibes
The front door needed to be repainted, and carved in the middle of it was an image of an eye.
They could see, in the space of pale skin between his tattered trouser cuff and his black shoe, that Count Olaf had an image of an eye tattooed on his ankle, matching the eye on his front door. They wondered how many other eyes were in Count Olaf’s house, and whether, for the rest of their lives, they would always feel as though Count Olaf were watching them even when he wasn’t nearby.
amazing foreshadowing, sets the reader up to keep a look out for eye-imagery.
Count Olaf was neither interesting nor kind; he was demanding, short-tempered, and bad-smelling. The only good thing to be said for Count Olaf is that he wasn’t around very often.
Sometimes, just saying that you hate something, and having someone agree with you, can make you feel better about a terrible situation.
i love the way it feels to be a hateeerrr
“Count Olaf gives us a lot of responsibility,” Violet said. What she wanted to say was, “Count Olaf is an evil man,” but she was well mannered.
shade queen in the making
tomatoes, which are actually fruits and not vegetables as most people believe.
this was the moment 11 year old me learnt that tomatoes were a fruit. and my life was never the same.
the three children were not used to kindness from adults, and weren’t sure if they were expected to do anything back.
well that's heartbreaking
Needless to say, Sunny was very frightened and began crying immediately, too scared to even try to bite the hand that held her.
play on "biting the hand that feeds you"? except olaf is barely feeding them. either literally or metaphorically.
She thought of switching to her left hand, but because she was right-handed she was afraid she might spill the sauce
second mention of her right-handedness.
snicket is very aware that his audience needs to know this without feeling as though they are being hammered over the head with it.
Klaus began to sob, not so much from the pain but from rage at the terrible situation they were in.
Even though the fire was of course not Mr. Poe’s fault, Klaus was reluctant to see Mr. Poe because he was afraid of getting more bad news.
one should always be reluctant to see mr.poe simply because is the the worst.
plus, has anyone ever met a pleasant banker?
Mulctuary Money Management.
mulctuary: imposing a pecuniary (concerning or involving money) penalty; consisting of, or paid as, a fine.
His face was kind, but it didn’t look like he really believed what the Baudelaire orphans were saying.
i hate this man. three children begging for help and all he does is ignore and belittle them. if poe has no haters, im dead.
Violet tried to picture Count Olaf as a youngster, but couldn’t. His shiny eyes, bony hands, and shadowy smile all seemed to be things only adults possess.
“I received a phone call yesterday,” Count Olaf said, “from Mr. Poe. He told me you children had been to see him.”
freaking snitch. god, he's the worst.
The really frightening thing about Olaf, she realized, was that he was very smart after all.
VFD likes to spout nonsense about how intelligence = good and ignorance = evil and they must be the good guys because they are oh so booksmart. but it's never that black and white. the truth resists simplicity.
Count Olaf would take care to stay out of sight as he planned his next move. He was far too clever to be captured by the likes of Mr. Poe.
but your parents’ will is very specific.
it really wasn't though
They didn’t understand it, but like so many unfortunate events in life, just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so.
