The three Baudelaire orphans have been set up with a new guardian, Aunt Josephine. She's afraid of everything, including cooking food, and thus only serves cold food, insists on correcting everyone's grammar, and lives in a house that's nearly falling into a lake, of which she's also afraid. Count Olaf trying to get the kids out of her guardianship seems like a blessing this time, except that he's happy to commit murder to do so.

I do not get what people have seen in this series that it went as far as 11 books and spawned 2 adaptations. I'm not necessarily against formulaic series—sometimes the formula is what makes something work well, but not when the formula is held to this strictly. Not nearly enough changes, and the "dark" tone is just unpleasant, in my opinion. After the first book, I thought surely it would get more interesting or creative, but it's really just a rinse and repeat of the book before it. Except that while the guardian in the previous book was a nice, somewhat normal-seeming guy, Aunt Josephine was an over-the-top, ridiculous loony.

What made it all worse for me was that I started into this series primarily because the books were narrated by Tim Curry, but the places I have access to audiobooks for free only have a version narrated by the author for this one and the next 2. I almost ended the series right there, and maybe I should have. But they're short, quick listens, so I figured I'd stick it out. For now. We'll see how it goes from here on. ( )

This book tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children, who despite being likeable, lead lives that are doomed. From the very beginning of this volume, when the children learn that a storm is gathering over a lake full of leeches, continuing on to the last page of this distressing story, disaster lurks around every corner.

After narrowly escaping the menacing clutches of the dastardly Count Olaf, the three Baudelaire orphans are taken in by a kindly herpetologist with whom they live happily for an all-too-brief time.

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all. If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair. I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune.