I first heard about Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events a few years ago when I read reviews of some of the books. I finally picked up the first few books around the time that the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was released. I have had a few of the books in my piles of books to read for a while now and just finally read the fourth book, The Miserable Mill.

Before I discuss The Miserable Mill specifically, I am going to briefly talk about the series in general. This paragraph could have some minor spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read the first three books yet.

The books in the series follow the three Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, in what happened to them after the death of their parents in a strange fire. A fortune was left behind that Violet would inherit once she turned eighteen. Until then, Mr. Poe, a banker, was in charge of the inheritance and took the children to live with a guardian, Count Olaf, a distant relative. Count Olaf was an actor that wanted to get his hands on the inheritance and kept plotting how to do that. The children were able to prove what Count Olaf was up to and Mr. Poe took them to a new guardian. Unfortunately, Count Olaf turned up in disguise with a new plan for getting the inheritance. That happened again once the children had a third guardian.

Mr. Poe took the children on a train to their new guardian, the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill in Paltryville. Mr. Poe wasn’t taking the children to actually meet their guardian - Mr. Poe couldn’t even pronounce the man’s name - because of the train schedule, so the children set off on their own for the lumber mill. They were very disturbed to see that there was a building near the mill that looked like the tattoo Count Olaf had on his ankle. At the gate to the mill, the children found a letter stating that they were to go to the dormitory and would be expected to work in the mill. The children tried to handle the work the best they could, putting up with Foreman Flacutono, a very nasty man. The Baudelaires were convinced that Count Olaf was lurking somewhere in town.

The Miserable Mill picked up very soon after The Wide Window ended. Some things that happened in previous books were briefly mentioned, so anyone that decided to start with this book could be confused by those things. So far, each book in this series has built on what happened in previous books. Because of that, people should read these books in order. If they are read out of order, the later books would have spoilers for the earlier books.

The Miserable Mill, like the first three books in the series, was aimed at children even though they aren’t typical children’s books. Many adults also read and enjoy these books. The books have dealt with dark and serious subjects and tend to involve the Baudelaire siblings getting into some kind of danger. There really hasn’t been any graphic violence in any of the books, but there were some events that could be disturbing to some readers. I didn’t think there was anything really disturbing in this book. Maybe that was just because I’ve gotten use to the books now. I was shocked by a few things that happened in The Bad Beginning even though I knew that the books were darker. These books could be too different for some readers even though they manage to be very entertaining. Since the second book, the books have followed a pattern with Count Olaf turning up once the children were settled with a guardian. That did make this book predictable at times. There was a small amount of mystery added to the book in regard to the Count Olaf which would probably keep children guessing more than adults.

The Miserable Mill was written in the same unique way that the first three books were. Lemony Snicket, the author, inserted himself into the book. It seemed like he had either observed what had happened to the Baudelaires or had talked to people that had seen what had happened after it was all over. These are the only books that I’ve read that have been written like this. It was a bit different at first, but I have gotten use to the style now. The blurb on the back on the book was written like a letter from Snicket and said how depressing the book would be. Even during the book, Snicket would take time out to say how unpleasant the book was and that people should stop reading and pick a different book. Every so often, Snicket would provide a definition for a word or phrase that children might not know. The definitions were provided in a way that didn’t distract from the story. It didn’t seem like Snicket was talking down to the reader when the definitions were provided either. At different times in the book, explanations for Sunny’s babbles were provided, which did add a little bit humor.

The Baudelaire siblings and Count Olaf have been the main characters in the series. In The Miserable Mill, Count Olaf played a much smaller part than the children. Count Olaf’s part has been small since the second book. He was an actor that only cared about getting his hands on the inheritance. He used disguises to try to get close to the children. He had a group of people who were in his acting troupe that helped him with his plans to get the inheritance. Mr. Poe has had a small part, usually just at the beginning, of each book. He tended to be absorbed with his work at the bank, so he didn’t realize what was going on most of the time.

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny were very close and tried to look out for each other. All three of the children were resourceful and used their abilities to get out of dangerous situations. Violet, the oldest, liked to invent things. Klaus loved reading and he usually remembered what he read. Sunny, the baby, had four very sharp teeth and she liked to bite things with them. Violet and Klaus each had to do something they weren’t use to doing in this book.

Phil was a kind man that worked at the lumber mill. He always saw the good in things, even when bad things happened. He was the first person the Baudelaires met at the mill. Many people worked at the mill and they all lived in the dormitory. No one seemed to know what the owner’s name was and everyone called him Sir. He wasn’t the nicest employer and he paid the workers only in coupons. For some reason, he believed that it would be a good idea for the children to work in the mill. Charles was supposed to be Sir’s partner but he seemed to be more like a servant since he was always ironing or doing something like that. Charles didn’t think the children should be working in the mill and he tried to help them the best he could though he wouldn’t confront Sir about anything. Foreman Flacutono was a very nasty man that treated everyone horribly.

In December of 2004, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events was released. The movie was based on the first three books in the series. When I first heard about the movie, I wasn’t sure how well it work having a movie based on three books. Once I started to read the books, I saw that it would work all right since the books were so short. After reading the books, I did think the movie handled the material well and was a good adaptation. Some things were changed, and the order of a few events was changed around slightly. I had only read the first book when I saw the movie, so people who haven’t read all the books could see the movie and be able to follow it.

The Miserable Mill was an entertaining addition to A Series of Unfortunate Events. People that have read and enjoyed the first three books should also enjoy this one. It was a very fast read since it was so short.

A Series of Unfortunate Events Reviews
The Bad Beginning ~ The Reptile Room ~ The Wide Window ~ The Austere Academy ~

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ~



Recommended: Yes