❝The Baudelaire orphans stopped. It was early in the morning, and the three children had been walking for hours across the flat and unfamiliar landscape.❞

Welcome again to yet another adventure of the poor, beloved orphans. This book, as expected based on the events from the previous one, is significantly different. Violet, Klaus and Sunny have their worst experience, since the horrific events at the Miserable Mill. Wanted for a murder they did not commit, they take residence to a half build side of a hospital where during the day they work at the "Library of Records". In there, they find out that a folder named "Baudelaire" exists, but it was removed for police inspection. Only the last page (page 13 - I see what you did there Mr. Snicket...) is left.  Olaf of course comes for the orphans again! I rated this one the lowest of the series yet, as I wasn't very fond of the darker twist things have gone. Also, the teasing of the mystery wasn't that pleasing. As I side not I love anagrams and it was a clever addition to the list of things the Baudelaires solved.

I hope the next one is better.

 This review can also be found at: Blogger & Goodreads.

We open with Baudelaire fleeing from an angry mob wanting to burn them at the stake, life for the orphans will never be smooth sailing. With nowhere safe to turn they head to a hospital after another encounter with the letters V.F.D.

 

After being assigned work in the Library of Records there's a chance luck could be on their side, especially when co-worker Hal says he recognises them, and not from the lies printed about them in the newspaper but from the many documents he sorts and files. At last it looks like they may finally get some answers, their biggest problem, Hal has the keys and their not allowed to read the documents they sort. Not to mention complicated filing system.

 

As Violet, Klaus and Sunny pursue their quest for answers they have to grow up fast, and part of that is doing some things they don't want to. In order to get some answers they'll have to steal Hal's keys and steal the file their after, but with Count Olaf hot on their heels a race to find the missing file.

 

Much to my enjoyment there was more to the story than them searching for the file, the hospitals new head of human resources, Matthias, is planning a spectacular surgery that everyone will want to witness. A lobotomy.

Happy reading.

It's such a duh to say that as always, Snicket is brilliant. Even if you're not familiar with the Series of Unfortunate Events books, you probably could have figured out how much I like this one from the five stars I clicked for it.

Sunny's dialogue hits moments of humorous perfection in this volume. Some of her attempts at speech are random syllables, as has been the case throughout the series; but as she gets older, many of her remarks hit home (though no one seems to notice but her siblings):

"'After all, a cheerful attitude is the most effective tool against sickness.'

'I thought antibiotics were,' Klaus said.

'Echinacea!' Sunny said. She meant 'Or well-tested herbal remedies,' but the bearded man had stopped paying attention to the children.'"

Later, the Baudelaire siblings are discussing the wicked Count Olaf and his henchpeople with their usual thoughtful thoroughness. As is frequently the case, the more you know about other people's books, the more you can enjoy the works of Lemony Snicket:

"'Well, the Quagmires were researching Count Olaf and his sinister plot,' Klaus said. 'Maybe Ana Gram is one of Olaf's associates.'

'It's probably not the hook-handed man,' Violet said, 'or the bald man with the long nose. Ana is not usually a man's name.'

'It could be the name of one of the white-faced women,' Klaus said.

'Orlando!' Sunny said, which meant 'Or the one who looks like neither a man nor a woman.'"

This particular volume in the series is also, if I'm not mistaken, the first to touch on a moral concern Snicket goes on to explore in great detail: How do we tell the good guys from the bad guys in any given situation?

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have just realized that they spent most of this book tricking to people, lying to people, and disguising themselves. Just like Olaf and his associates. In the course of escaping villains, have the Baudelaires become villains themselves?

"'We're not villains. We're good people. We had to do tricky things in order to save our lives.'

'Olaf has to do tricky things,' Violet said, 'to save his life.'

'Different,' Sunny said.

Sunny's right. Fleeing from pursuit and resorting to lies only when the world refuses to hear the truth is fundamentally different from pursuing the innocent and telling lies because it beats getting a real job. But as is the case in real life, the innocent always feel guilty while the guilty feel nothing at all. Violet isn't convinced of the Baudelaires' moral superiority until she witnesses a vivid demonstration of it. And if you want the details of *that,* I'm afraid you'll have to read the book.

Anagram.......

I love this series!