Coffee Klatch

Julie: Well, here we are after a short break (ahem) to talk about The Bad Beginning. This is one I read eons ago, loved, and read again since we'd said that we would discuss it for Coffee Klatch. The only thing is, now there's a movie coming out! Alas, instead of being ahead of the curve, now we're behind it. Bummer man. (Though I must say I really want to see the movie, from the trailer it looks awesome).

But to get this started, I have to say I love this series. Or, at least, I love up to where I've read so far, which is only the first 3 or so books. (I have through 9 on my shelf, and will be reading them soon.)

I was trying to figure out what it is about them that is so captivating, and although I think it's really pretty cool the way the stories aren't locked into the whole happily ever after thing, I think for me it's the style. I love the voice the narrator uses. A sort of talking to the camera thing (this goes way back w/ me; Ferris Bueller is a favorite in my house!) And the authorial asides are an absolute hoot. I particular love: "Violet found their situation lamentably deplorable, a phrase which here means 'it was not at all enjoyable.'"

So, Kathleen, what did you think of the book? And, um, since I didn't bother, wanna give us a quick plot summary, too?

Kathleen:

The story is about three children, Violet, Klaus, and the baby Sunny who suddenly find themselves orphaned and in the custody of nefarious Count Olaf, who is willing to put them through a Series of Unfortunate Events in order to get his hands on their wealth. I have to say, I love the series, too, although I've only read the first book; however, my daughter has read up to Book 8. Julie, you're right. It's the narrator that makes the stories so much fun. Without that voice, the series would not be nearly as popular, because the plots are certainly nothing new. And I have a minor disagreement, because I'm actually not looking forward to the movie because I think there are certain books that are better books, and even though I know my children will drag me to this one, I'm dreading it, because what if it's bad? Do you ever have that feeling that you don't want to see the movie because the book was just too good? Anywhoo, that's a personal hang-up…. So, the thing I loved about the book besides the author's voice, was the way he described his characters. Here's a quote when he's talking about Violet, the oldest:
"Violet had a real knack for inventing and building strange devices, so her brain was often filled with images of pulleys, levers, and gears, and she never wanted to be distracted by something as trivial as her hair." I love this. You know, he could have said that she was practical and enjoyed inventing things, but instead he uses this nice piece of description and it's so much more fun.

So, what did you think of the plot, Julie? You've read up to book 3. If you tell me the others are better, I'll go scrounge up Book 2 right away!

Julie: You know what, you're right. About the movie thing, I mean. There are lots of times when they really, really, really should have left the book alone (the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas leaps to mind, and though I didn't see The Cat and the Hat, I'm risking a guess that it fits into that category, too). There are, however, times when I think the movie is just as good (and, dare I say it? Sometimes even better) than the book. Or at least it adds another layer/dimension/look at the characters. And there are times when the book is great (or not) and the movie is great. I haven't read the book that The Ring is based on (as an example) but I think the movie is one of the horror genre's best. And I think Carrie and The Shawshank Redemption are fab examples of movies that do total justice to their literary counterparts. (And it's not just that horror or Stephen King that translates well. There are a lot of Stephen King stinker movies out there.) And, at the risk of getting totally off topic here, I'm trying to think of other examples. Um, The Firm translated really well. And, hey, I think the Harry Potter films were excellent. Sure, I wouldn't want to just see the movie, but having read the book, being sucked into that world just added a whole 'nother level of enjoyment.

And (sorry, this is what happens when you start me talking movies) there are the major duds not based on Dr. Suess; you are so right about that. V.I. Warshowski (spelling??) and Fletch are primo examples. (Oh, but three other good book renditions just jumped to mind; not necessarily better, but just good and classics in their own right: The Godfather, The Princess Bride, and The Exorcist.) Voila. I rest my case.

That being said, I hope this series lands squarely in the good side of the film/book karmic accounting slot. It would be a shame to mess up such fabulous books. And, from the trailer at least, the filmic translation really does look awesome. (The cast is stellar and the director also did The Lost Boys, which I think is an excellent flick and has the best last-line-in-a-movie ever, in my opinion. Here's a page w/ more info for the curious: http://www.lemonysnicket.com/movie.html

But, ahem, you probably want me to answer the actual book question, eh? Yes, yes, yes!!! You must read on. And unfortunately, I can't tell you too much w/o spoilers, but I will say the books pull no punches. You meet nice people, who are nice to our (clever and resourceful) kids, and yet (gasp!) they don't survive to the next book! It's enough to make a romance author nuts!!

So, you have a kid who's devouring the books (my child is, alas, at the age where, like Sunny, she might literally devour the books). What do you think the appeal is to kids? I mean, don't kids like a happy ending? Or is that just an adult thing? (As in, Please, please, please give me a happy ending? I have mortgage and car payments and potty training to deal with. I neeeeeeeeeed a happy ending!!!)

So, the appeal???

Kathleen: So I'm going to have to pull out Book 2, aren't I? Well, as soon as I finish these series of unfortunate events that we authors like to call revisions…, which segues (NOT) into the happy ending question… I have an opinion. The kids do manage to triumph, sorta, over Olaf, if not over their surroundings. So, playing psychiatrist here, I think it mirrors the frustration that kids have, with the same minimal control over their surroundings. In a lot of kid books, the kids are doing exotic things that are outside the boundaries of what real children are able to do in the adult world. But in the Series of Unfortunate Events, they have boundaries as well. I don't know. Maybe kids just don't like happy endings, but I don't think so.

I got the answer from an actual kid expert (i.e my daughter) and she said that "happy endings get boring." Very depressing. Actually, I've heard the author refer to his books as gothics, so I wonder if there is a whole new generation of readers being raised on the gothic novel? Probably not, but if there is a resurgence in the gothic novel in about 10 years, you heard it here first.

And now I've got to ask what your favorite part was. I think my favorite part was the ending, where they revealed how Violet gets out of the marriage to Count Olaf (and I'm sorry if that's a huge spoiler, but let me state it here that no, in the children's book, the 14 year old girl is not forced into marriage with the 40 year old man). The solution was so completely bizarre, but then the narrator explained it away, and by the end of the looooonnnnng explanation you completely forgot that the solution was bizarre. I think I'm going to try that in my books some time…. Julie, what was your favorite part?

Julie: Well, I actually liked that bit, too, and for similar reasons. Mine being the itty bitty digs at lawyers J And, I really loved the authorial voice popping in at the near-end telling you to shut the book now if you wanted a happy ending because, hey, it was just going to get worse.

And you know what? Speaking of authorial series of unfortunate events, we should probably wrap this up get on with revisions and synopsis drafting. So, overall rating? I give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Or, to keep with the coffee theme, five lattes. Kathleen? Your rating?

Kathleen:

I'm stingier with my lattes. Four and a half here. But it's a great book, and I promise I'm digging out Book 2 just to see what horrible fates will befall the poor orphans next. So, what are we doing next?

Julie: Good question. How about something from the world of thrillers? You're already reading The Rule of Four. Wanna dish about it next, uh, time?

Kathleen: Perfect! You're on.