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juushikaTitle: The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 2)
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Published: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 190
Total Page Count: 122,300
Text Number: 356
Read Because: enjoyed The Bad Beginning, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: When the Baudelaire children come to live with their uncle Montgomery, they expect the worst—yet, with his large reptile collection and enthusiastic attitude, they seem to have found an ideal caretaker. But nothing ideal can last for long while the awful Count Olaf still seeks their fortune.... I enjoyed The Bad Beginning, but worried that the series would stall, resting within the intriguing but comfortable limitations of its atmosphere. To my relief, The Reptile Room provides exactly what I needed in the sequel: it goes further. Snicket's voice is more defined and refined, an ideal and darkly humorous companion to the gothic tone; that tone also broadens, introducing true joy in effective contrast to the bad. The illustrations are whimsical rather than dark, but suit the book. Simplistic characterization remains, but the Baudelaires are given room to grow, with more complex and personal emotional reactions. Again the plot relies on incompetent adults and frustrations of action and communication, and both are wearing thin—but Violet's proactive character is allowed to shine. On the whole, this is no sophomore slump: this is a better book than its predecessor, and I look forward to seeing A Series of Unfortunate Events continue to evolve.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Published: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 190
Total Page Count: 122,300
Text Number: 356
Read Because: enjoyed The Bad Beginning, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: When the Baudelaire children come to live with their uncle Montgomery, they expect the worst—yet, with his large reptile collection and enthusiastic attitude, they seem to have found an ideal caretaker. But nothing ideal can last for long while the awful Count Olaf still seeks their fortune.... I enjoyed The Bad Beginning, but worried that the series would stall, resting within the intriguing but comfortable limitations of its atmosphere. To my relief, The Reptile Room provides exactly what I needed in the sequel: it goes further. Snicket's voice is more defined and refined, an ideal and darkly humorous companion to the gothic tone; that tone also broadens, introducing true joy in effective contrast to the bad. The illustrations are whimsical rather than dark, but suit the book. Simplistic characterization remains, but the Baudelaires are given room to grow, with more complex and personal emotional reactions. Again the plot relies on incompetent adults and frustrations of action and communication, and both are wearing thin—but Violet's proactive character is allowed to shine. On the whole, this is no sophomore slump: this is a better book than its predecessor, and I look forward to seeing A Series of Unfortunate Events continue to evolve.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
