Lemony Snicket – A Series of Unfortunate Events

The age group prescribed for this collection is 7 to 14. I saw this movie. I liked the movie; many of my friends did not. So just started reading and I’m happy I did. I sometimes feel smug that I have read so many books. I did not really read so many books but I’d like to think so! ;-) When I come across some new, different book title it makes me feel as if I’m missing out on so much. A Series of Unfortunate Events is one such thing. The story, the story-telling is quite unusual.

This is a story of three children –orphans – who are constantly facing troubles. Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are the three unfortunate children who lose their parents in a terrible fire. Mr. Poe, the banker who is in charge of the Baudelaire fortune, has to find them a guardian until Violet turns 18. Their first guardian, the main villain of the story, Count Olaf is an evil, shrewd man who is always making plans to make the children’s lives miserable so he could get the Baudelaire fortune.

Wherever these kids go their troubles follow. I won’t tell how unlucky they are or how depressing this story is, because the Lemony Snicket person (the narrator of the story) tells us that at least once in every chapter of every book. And there are thirteen books. Children who are sick of reading Cinderella, Snow white, etc will find this so refreshing. Not just the children, sometimes the unusual grownups like me who love reading books that are listed under the genre ‘Children’ or ‘Young Adult’.

There is a subtle, mild humour mostly in the form of Sunny Baudelaire, sometimes the Count Olaf team and the writing. The plots are quite good. The characters are well defined. There is suspense that is handled well. I have not yet reached the end so I cannot really comment more on this. The usual parameters that are used for a book review cannot justify these books. You just have to read at least one to know what I’m talking about. Admittedly, you might get bored after second or third books. The plot is more or less the same and the ‘humour’ is the same old, same old. I, however, am still reading because I just want to know how it ends.

Also, I liked so many characters, this means so many rantings coming up..!

Sons of Fortune - Jeffrey Archer

Just finished reading this and started typing because later I might forget what I wanted to say.

This is a story about Nat Cartwright and Fletcher Davenport, twin brothers who get separated at birth. They both are brought up by different families, attend different schools and go on to pursue different careers. One becomes a successful banker and the other a senator. At one point it so happens that one brother has to defend the other in a murder trial. Later on, they both contend for Governor. Yes it sounds so cliché but wait till you read the book, it gets more cliché.

If you want to know the story just read the back cover of the book. It is the narrative that keeps you reading. Calling it ‘narrative’ makes it sound a bit boring, because there are also twists and suspense and courtroom drama (only twice but still!) and the success stories of the two brothers. The story weave is just perfect. It is not always you find a book that makes the most normal, mundane things interesting.

‘Leaders are born not made’ – the classical leadership theory says so. Both Nat and Fletcher were ‘born’ leaders not ‘made’. I really enjoyed reading their speeches. They’re all too political, yes, but they make good sense.

There is this villain Ralph Elliot. He seems to bother both Nat and Fletcher for no apparent reason, just for the fun of it. Ok that might not be true but there is no more to this character in the book so I’ll assume anything want. He does villainous things because that’s what villains do!

Also, except for this villain, there are no other hurdles to both the heroes. Their lives are so easy – bed of roses. Then again, I cannot complain about this because, this IS the reason why I watch movies or read books. I want to read stories that restore your faith. If I wanted to know a story that is close to REALITY, I might as well ask the person sitting next to me in a bus or somewhere, about his/her life. I wouldn’t bother sitting up late at night and read this 500 page book.

Nat and Fletcher will come to know in a not-so-unusual way that they’re brothers. But the dialogue between them after that is too cheesy. For me anyway. Gets tiresome towards the end. I felt the suspense was too long – ‘the counting of the ballots’ was the suspense here! I had to skip through those pages not because I couldn’t wait to know the end; I just wanted to finish it!

If you have read Kane and Abel, you might have the feeling that the author wanted so badly to write another book with a similar plot. But it is a good read on the whole.

Severus Snape

After reading Deathly Hallows I had changed my opinion about Snape. Who didn’t! But now I'm reading HP books all over again (now Goblet of Fire) and I seem to have forgotten why.

So...let me see...

Snape was a brave man (Dumbledore says so), he was not selfish (considering the big picture, and putting people like Draco, Voldemort, etc out of the picture), he was in love with Lily (In spite of the fact that she was a muggleborn... Oh my, imagine that :-p!), and he has been acting as Dumbledore’s spy all this time “at great personal risk” and did things that only a few would have dared to do(no comments here, it is true isn’t it?).

BUT, if you don’t take the big picture, if you look closely into what he has been doing ever since Sorcerer’s Stone, well, I don’t know about you but more than once I wanted to break his big nose and punch in his mouth to wipe away that godawful sneer. What I’m saying here is, why be so mean and be the one everyone hates when you can suppress that impulse and live peacefully? Can someone really enjoy that? (The answer to this is so easily “yes”; otherwise the word “bitter” would only refer to taste) Or, come to think of it, he is technically a spy so is it a cover? No, big no! He seems to relish the idea of putting any student in sight in detention – one step short of Filch. He has reasons. He was this miserable geek (no offence) who turned bitter eventually because of the dumb (again no offence, just telling these two kinds apart) yet popular kid who could fly well. He just did not grow out of it. Poor guy he didn’t even get a chance! Even the nice, pretty girl he actually liked went for the star kid and he is all alone (there is his boss of course but that comes under “work”).

It must have been real hard for him, yes, but it is so far in the past! He could have taken the “high road” and put things behind and live like a normal person. But no! He had to be so Snape-ish. He had a problem with James. But that has NOTHING to do with poor Harry! It is not Harry’s fault he was born to James, or that he was famous for no apparent reason. He is just a kid in school and this Severus-grouchy-Snape is a teacher for crying out loud!

Another thing that bugs me about Snape – Why is he ASHAMED of admitting his love towards Lily? One not-so-nice reason would be that she was a muggle-born and he was Slytherin head, so the official Slytherin principles must have stopped him. But why would he be ashamed of admitting that he always meant good? (Yeah yeah... Spy working undercover! Whatever!)

Like I said, I was feeling too resentful towards Snape that is why the lament. There was no point really here but I never promised any such thing did I?

But after reading Deathly Hallows I kept remembering all the people I knew in real life who would be classified as the “Snape” kind, you know those teachers you hated in school, pestering neighbours, occasionally a grandmother or some just the grouches you happen to know! I kept wondering if they were really depraving. It seems to me (and I would like to think so) that even the most bitter person has to have something nice hidden deep inside; a greater cause (d.e.e*); and all the bitterness is simply a mask behind which there is always a smug, knowing smile.

There is also a second kind – the “Umbridge” kind. I cannot think of reasons for forgiving these people. They are mean just for the sake of it. Some sort of spiteful pleasure I guess! Am I being too harsh? I don’t know, But I will let you know once I come across someone like the Toad Witch whether I’m being too harsh (If there is a frog prince there can be a toad witch..hmph!)

*Dramatically Enhanced Expression