Comments | _thirty2flavors: thanks to a conversation with <strong class="lj-user"><a href="/read/user/firstofoct">firstofoct</a></strong>

_thirty2flavors

thanks to a conversation with firstofoct

Apr 14, 2011 18:22

I am now curious: has anyone read all of the Series of Unfortunate Events books? Can someone give me a basic run-down of the ending and whether or not it was happy or whatever? I read the first five years ago and lost interest but I've always been curious and Wikipedia is confusing and vague.

ask the audience, books: best weapons in the world, hannah leads a double life

Leave a comment

Back to all threads

daisysusan April 14 2011, 23:29:06 UTC

The end was ambiguous and COMPLETELY UNSATISFYING I HAVE A LOT OF RESIDUAL ANGER ABOUT THIS.

But the first twelve books were AMAZING and I love them.

firstofoct April 14 2011, 23:40:29 UTC

LOL. IKR?

I read all 13 books and liked them when I read them, but I do not think I understood the ending or the entire plot of the series.

daisysusan April 15 2011, 01:22:07 UTC

I loved them and was obsessed and spent ages trying to figure everything out, so it felt like a total scam that there wasn't any payoff to the years of my life I spent trying to put all the pieces together.

_thirty2flavors April 15 2011, 21:27:57 UTC

Wow that sounds annoying, there's nothing more annoying than investing time in a series and getting a totally shit ending. Glad I jumped ship when I did. I was a bit too old when I picked them up, so I never kept up with them, but I was always curious about whether there would be a happy ending or not -- I mean, it said there wouldn't be, but it's a kids' series.

daisysusan April 15 2011, 21:46:51 UTC

It wasn't a sad ending, per se, just an ambiguous one. And I really did love them so I think you ought to finish the series. I mean, they're kid's books but I know a lot of adults who read and enjoyed them. :)

_thirty2flavors April 15 2011, 21:57:03 UTC

Did the writing style mature at all? I don't mind reading kids' books -- I loooove Harry Potter, and I just recently read Pullman's stuff for the first time -- but I remember that Lemony Snicket's writing started off charming and then started to grate on me, with things like the "a word which here means [blah]" stuff.

daisysusan April 15 2011, 22:09:32 UTC

Yeah, the writing style matured, and the plots did too. And this whole crazy mythology started building up, especially after the sixth book. The attention to detail was amazing. My mother and I spent hours pouring over every little bit to get all the pieces together, and working out anagrams, and all kinds of stuff.

And as for some of the stuff like him being all "a word which here means [blah]," it got more clever. Like, if you were paying attention, the definitions would be circular.

Back to all threads