"The End" of Lemony Snicket

[Not Afraid]

I finished "The End" today. :(

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series of "Unfortunante Events". The stories are dark, humerous and contain great references to other works of art. Caligari Carnval is one of my favorites, but The End had so many "shipwreck" references I actually couldn't keep up. Sunny's vocabulary never fails to make me laugh (she actually used both Merde and Shisse - French and German for sh!t - in previous books).

There a nice little piece about some of the Snicket references here (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6253438) but there are many many more. Also, I found a very difficult quiz about previous volumes (that I failed - a word which here means "I have a pathetic memory") here (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6252979).

Anyone else "in the same boat" with me?

[tracilicious]

Ooh! We're getting it tomorrow! I can't wait. Such good reading.

[flippyshark]

I finished this morning. (I was in the "equivalent flotilla.") There was lots to enjoy, especially the voluminous literary references, and interesting observations re: how to make a safe society. Pretty heady stuff for kids, and even grown ups.

While I did appreciate the series on the whole, I admit that the author's distinctive voice, with its endless digressions, repetitions and expositions, went from hilarious to deadening for me over the long haul. I'm glad I stuck with it, but around book seven or so, I was no longer phoning up my friends and reading passages aloud. The whole enterprise was an elaborate shaggy dog story, which I initially delighted in, but found something of a chore as it wore on.

I do think that kids who read these books, and take an interest in looking up the obscure references and figuring out the various codes and literary games, will be leagues ahead of their classmates on their SATs.

Sunny remains, throughout, by far my favorite character. I loved when she said "Anais," which meant "in the flesh."

[Cadaverous Pallor]

While I did appreciate the series on the whole, I admit that the author's distinctive voice, with its endless digressions, repetitions and expositions, went from hilarious to deadening for me over the long haul. Same here, though I didn't stick with it. I've read 5 or 6 of them, picking up the next one as the feeling strikes. I enjoyed the ones I did read but it just was too repetitive for me. I've always maintained GD should read them. Everyone bug him for me ;)

[DreadPirateRoberts]

I've always maintained GD should read them. Everyone bug him for me ;)

Bugging him is your job. :)

[Not Afraid]

If I had read them one after another, I would probably agree with Flippy, but I spread them out over time and each read was fun for me. However, as with any series, I forget what happened in the previous books by the time I get to the latest. I have the same issue with Potter.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Seems they were only looking at Book the Fifth when they wrote that Q/A.

About Snicket's digressions, they seem to get longer and longer as the books get on (as do the books). I was annoyed with it as well, and I haven't read Snicket since Book 12 came out last year, FWIW.

[Not Afraid]

I was reading "I, Lucifer" at the same tim I read "The End" and Snicket has nothing on Lucifer in the way of digressions.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I havne't read I, Lucifer, and I'm not opposed to digressions, but for me, Snicket's digressions, at the beginning of the series, was a gimmick that was fun and funny in the first 5 or so books, and seemed forced in the last few.

[lashbear]

but is it any good, and is Meryl Streep there ?

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Good po-mo fun for kids, I'll give Handler that. Plus, he followed the explored the feminist model for the story climax, rather than the traditional masculine bing-bang-BOOM climax. In other words, the story goes off on tangents and doesn't necessarily end in resolution. A la, Icelander by Dustin Long, I guess.

There are things about these books I love and things about them I find very, very irritating. Not sure if those things would have irritated me at all or more if I were a young person. And there were questions left unanswered, on purpose, that I found frustrating, though there were things one could work out for oneself, as well...and that I liked.

I recommend them in fits and spurts. Attempted to read quite a lot of them in a row and found it maddening.

LOVED the reference to Dante's unrequited love, of course. And Olaf wound up being a more interesting figure than I'd anticipated.

Rereading The Beatrice Letters again after "The End" was somewhat heartbreaking, though. Still, he kept his promise. The story was never going to end a happy one.