Mystery

Not favorite book in the series thus far, but still entertaining. I did enjoy it, just not as much as some others. I'm looking forward to see what happens in the next book. I would recommend this. 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

That moment when you finally remember what VFD stands for and you gasp loudly on public transit and you probably look strange but you feel transported back to elementary school and reading these books for the first time. Great moment. ( )

(3.5 / 5)

The three Baudelaire orphans are on their own now, but that doesn't make them safe. In fact, now they have to be wary of anyone who's ever read the newspaper, which is just about everyone. Fortunately, they're able to hide in a group of volunteers who don't read the paper and whose organization initials happen to be V.F.D. This leads them to a hospital, where they encounter Count Olaf and his associates in full force.

As we continue to progress away from the tired formula that the first half of the series followed, I find the overall story a little more interesting. I still don't get most of the humor that others seem to like, but I'll admit I found some of Sunny's dialog to be funny in this book (I even laughed out loud one time). The V.F.D. mystery is gaining interest for me, and the ending was such a departure that it felt like a breath of fresh air.

In some ways, though, outside of the stand-out things mentioned above, this was still the same old story. Still, I liked it more than most of the previous ones, and Tim Curry singing the V.F.D. song throughout the book was a lot more fun than it probably should have been. (This book is brought to you by the word "spurious.") ( )

The Baudelaires need a safe place to stay--somewhere far away from terrible villains and local police. A quiet refuge where misfortune never visits. Might Heimlich Hospital be just the place?

In Lemony Snicket's eighth ghastly installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, I'm sorry to say that the Baudelaire orphans will spend time in a hospital where they risk encountering a misleading newspaper headline, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire.