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A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room
A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room
A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room
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A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.

In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odour.

In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateOct 13, 2009
ISBN9780061757143
Author

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket had an unusual education, which may or may not explain his ability to evade capture. He is the author of the 13 volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, several picture books including The Dark, and the books collectively titled All The Wrong Questions.

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Reviews for A Series of Unfortunate Events #2

Rating: 3.776212594864479 out of 5 stars
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2,804 ratings93 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Adding Curry to Lemon(y) makes for a yummy recipe!

    I had tried to get into Lemony Snicket books many times in the past, but they just felt dry and needed something to inject a little flavor. That flavor, for me, seems to be the rich and fluid voice of Mr Tim Curry. He has been a favorite actor of mine for so many years, that I knew of he were narrating this book then I must give it a chance. I am so glad I did! His voice and enthusiasm for the story put so many visions into my head that I can now imagine him reading any of the other Lemony Snicket books (if I can't find him narrating them on Audible 😉).

    This specific Lemony Snicket book is about the orphaned children moving to the home of their Uncle Montgomery, the Herpetologist. This seems a little sketchy for them enough, knowing the the series is about the children not having very good luck and going through a series of unfortunate events. There are many snakes, presumably poisonous, and an assistant who appears and seems familiar to the children but no ones believes them. I'm not sure if this is similar to the other books in this series, but the story started out endearing and then went a little off kilter with the climax and ending a little mushed together. I felt as though the story sort of died after the climax and it were all mush after that with the resolution being the obvious because of the way the series ties each series goes together.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very enjoyable and a fast read. Great for kids.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Mr. Poe is really thick! Also these poor kids. I'm still enjoying these books
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The unfortunate and orphaned Baudelaire children go to live with a distant uncle who is a famous herpetologist. He proves to be a wonderful guardian: friendly, loving, and kind. Life seems to be looking up for the children until that fateful day Uncle Monty’s new assistant arrives and then their lives take a drastic turn for the worst.

    Lemony Snicket offers up another witty and yet dark tale of the Baudelaire’s seemingly never ending misfortune. Like many books for young adults and children, there were moments I wanted to bop the adults on the head for being so blind and stupid to what was right there in front of them. So far the series is proving to be a fun one to read and I look forward to reading the third book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    love this series.i keeps u on yours toes.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Just like the first book, easy to read and enjoyable. I suspect the stupidity of adults in this series is going to get seriously irritating, though. The patronising tone of the narrative seems unnecessary -- it gives Lemony Snicket a distinct character, of course, but... -- and in any case, it gets irritating.

    One thing I did like best about this book was the characterisation of the friendly snake. It made me smile. And the jokes/puns about the snake names, and not letting the Virginian Wolf snake near a typewriter...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Listened to book with my daughter on a road trip. She was less interested until the end but then wanted to keep listening even when we arrived. I thought it was a good book and I enjoyed it. I also liked how it infused vocabulary into the book and seamlessly explained difficult words.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    These book is the second part of the Baudelaire adventure. They are moved into a museum with there uncle and that is when things get interesting.I recommend this book to children who liked the first book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I feel it would not have been inappropriate for a publisher to have mushed all 13 books in this series into one volume. Then I would have just powered through it.
    As it is, I've been trying to pick them up, but I don't have them all in order, and I'm not SO thrilled with them that I feel motivated to go acquire all of them.
    So now, I've read two. I have a couple more that come later in the series floating around.

    This second "chapter" in the story finds our Unfortunate Orphans at a seeming upswing... they've escaped their evil cousin Count Olaf, and have been placed in the care of their uncle, a kindly herpetologist.
    Fun and interesting activities are promised, such as taking care of unusual reptiles and amphibians, and even a trip to Peru... but of course, things are bound to go wrong.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. The second in the Series of Unfortunate Events. The poor Baudelaire children go to their uncle's home. Uncle Montgomery (Monty) turns out to be a herpetologist specializing in snakes (Snicket does a nice side-step of the inevitable Monty's Python pun and only uses the word "python" once in the whole novel). Of course, the evil Count Olaf, their nearest living relative and nemesis, has not forgotten the Baudelaire children and hatches a wicked plot to kidnap the children and get his hands on their inheritance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think this was a delightful book, a word which here means "it was even better than the previous one, partly because I've stopped expecting rational plots and am starting to really enjoy this series"
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Book 2 in the "Series of Unfortunate Events" has all of the charms of the first novel, but an improved plot which makes the sequel a better book than the first. Once again, the narrator is quite self-conscious about writing a story, and so explains and uses terms such as "dramatic irony." He continues to explain difficult words by saying "which means in this case..." and while such things can be tiresome to an adult reader, it seems appropriate for a early chapter book reader. I am looking forward to reading the 3rd entry in the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After their last disastrous stay with Count Olaf, the Baudelaire children are shipped off to live with their uncle Monty, a renown herpetologist. They immediately love the well-intentioned and quirky Monty, but sadly this is just one more chain in the series of unfortunate events the children will experience....This book follows in the same vein as the previous title, with lots of dark humor, plays on words, and an eccentric cast of characters. The poor Baudelaire children are brilliant but never listened to by adults. Another compelling read in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the 2nd book in the tales of the Baudelaire children, also known as "A Series of Unfortunate Events". After escaping from Count Olaf's clutched in the "The Bad Beginning", Mr. Poe has placed the children with an uncle in the nearby country side. For a change the children actually enjoy their time with Uncle Monty. But Count Olaf promised to get their fortune if it was the last thing he did and he tries to make good on the promise. Do the Baudelaire's succeed in thwarting him? You'll have to read to find out.This is anther great book in the series, a little darker than the last one and gets a little meaner in the middle but I think it was a better book than the first one overall.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A great ghoulish read! Okay, so the plot was very similar to the previous book, but this is a children's book, so all is forgiven. I will continue to read the rest of the series as I am in love with the dark themes, the witty text, beautiful drawings and erudite references. I wish such books had been around when I was a child!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I especially liked the page full of the work "ever"! The Baudelaire children find the perfect guardian, and then Count Olaf arrives to mess everything up. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stupid adults in this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of my favorite in the series, the peril and tragedy is very real. In this episode, the hapless Baudelaires are find a great new guardian in reptile expert Uncle Monty but Count Olaf destroys their newfound happiness. Snickett's clever definitions and outragous characters make for some laughs in this dismal tale.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really like this series. It's different from what I'm used to reading. I'm used to reading about happy endings. This series doesn't have that. 'The Reptile Room' is about the children going to live with their Uncle Monty. By the title, you can tell this book has something to do with reptiles. Monty is a reptile expert. That's all I'm telling you about the story. But, this is an interesting book. In my opinion, it's better than the first. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "Now back at the ranch..."This has excellent humor and I love this second book in the series!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Reviewed Jan 2005 Book two in the series, read in one day (2 hours actually) the story is far-fetched, which means difficult to believe, as well as predictable. Heck the author tells you all along what is going to end up happening. It sets my teeth on edge that these children who are soooo brilliant can be so stupid not to just all the police. I bought all these books and Stirling said he would read them but he doesn't like them at all. The writing can be humorous, which means funny, at times. Pages 26/27 Chapter 2 ends with Sunny being bitten by a snake. Chapter 3 begins with the author telling us he is sorry to leave us hanging. But he was late for dinner. On page 31, Dr. Monty says, "here is a pair of snakes who have learned to drive a car so recklessly that they would run you over in the street and never stop to apologize." This is all spoken about what dangerous snakes he has, this line is so funny to me. Snakes driving a car isn't dangerous enough he had to add they do it on purpose recklessly, adding they wouldn't even apologize. Thinking about these books now, they seem to be the kind that would be great read out loud, wish I had someone young to read to. 3-2005
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was an okay book and a quick read. I guess younger children would enjoy it more than adults.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Slightly less-good than The Bad Beginning, but still good for a giggle, and much better than the portion of the movie based on it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Still clever.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book will get pretty much the same review as the first book because I think he did a different story line but he pretty much got into the characters heads and the characteristicts were great. I think he did a wonderful job writing but didn't really add anything new to their personalitys throughout the series so most of the books are going to get almost the same review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The second book in the series. Rescued from the evil Count Olaf the Baudelaire children enjoy a moments happiness with Dr Montegomery Montegomery and his collection of reptiles. But soon Count Olaf is back, disguised as Dr Montegomery's new assistant and terrible things happen. Lovely dark tale, with interesting comic asides...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Like the first book in the series, this was somewhat dark. The story took a while to get going, and even then was one dimensional. Not sure I will read the others in the series until my son is old enough to want to - as I fear the plot in every book will be repetitive.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5

    More good stuff from Lemony Snicket. Sunny still gets all the best lines. Violet is a baby engineer! What a splendid role model for girls. On the other hand, don't think I could read another one for a little while.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The three Baudelaire children are desperate for a happy ending. Violet is the oldest and loves to invent things. Klause is the second oldest and loves to read. And the youngest is Sunny who loves to bite hard objects. These three children are in hope for a great relative to live with them and take care of them. They had just gone through a terrible time with one of their relatives named Count Olaf. He is desperately trying to steal their fortune. He was caught trying to marry Violet and failed to do so. Now they live with Uncle Monte. Montgomery is a reptile studies person. He loves snakes and collects different species. In the meantime, he is about to go on an adventure to Peru to find more species. Well, he is planning on bringing the Baudelaire children with him. He hires a second hand helper doing this adventure to Peru. His name is Stephano, also later in the book called Count Olaf. A murder appear in the Reptile Room.My opinion about this book is unanimous. Lemony Snicket is a great and adventurous writer and loves to write about depressing stories. In this book my favorite part about it is, that he tells you in the beginning what is going to happen at the end. He always gives away the climax of the book at the resolution. It is very interesting to me of how this works, and how so many things happen in a short book called the Reptile Room.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think The reptile room is an extremely well written book. This book is more of a mystery and suspense book in finding Count Olaf hiding in the Baudelaire lives left and right. The story is a good story but not a happy one. This book is rather gloomy and is not good to read if you are not feeling up to hearing about three innocent children being harmed repeatedly. I would give this book a four star rating because it is an extremely interesting, and well written book. I would suggest this book to an older children group between t he ages of nine and fourteen. But be warned, its not a just a joke that its called a series of unfortunate events.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is perhaps the saddest book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. Even though all the books are tragic, this one gets to me the most because for just a few moments, the orphans had it so good. Uncle Monty is one of my favorite characters, and he's one of the few people who treat the Baudelaires well. The ending with the snakes gets me every time.

Book preview

A Series of Unfortunate Events #2 - Lemony Snicket

CHAPTER

One

The stretch of road that leads out of the city, past Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia, is perhaps the most unpleasant in the world. It is called Lousy Lane. Lousy Lane runs through fields that are a sickly gray color, in which a handful of scraggly trees produce apples so sour that one only has to look at them to feel ill. Lousy Lane traverses the Grim River, a body of water that is nine-tenths mud and that contains extremely unnerving fish, and it encircles a horseradish factory, so the entire area smells bitter and strong.

I am sorry to tell you that this story begins with the Baudelaire orphans traveling along this most displeasing road, and that from this moment on, the story only gets worse. Of all the people in the world who have miserable lives—and, as I’m sure you know, there are quite a few—the Baudelaire youngsters take the cake, a phrase which here means that more horrible things have happened to them than just about anybody. Their misfortune began with an enormous fire that destroyed their home and killed both their loving parents, which is enough sadness to last anyone a lifetime, but in the case of these three children it was only the bad beginning. After the fire, the siblings were sent to live with a distant relative named Count Olaf, a terrible and greedy man. The Baudelaire parents had left behind an enormous fortune, which would go to the children when Violet came of age, and Count Olaf was so obsessed with getting his filthy hands on the money that he hatched a devious plan that gives me nightmares to this day. He was caught just in time, but he escaped and vowed to get ahold of the Baudelaire fortune sometime in the future. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny still had nightmares about Count Olaf’s shiny, shiny eyes, and about his one scraggly eyebrow, and most of all about the tattoo of an eye he had on his ankle. It seemed like that eye was watching the Baudelaire orphans wherever they went.

So I must tell you that if you have opened this book in the hope of finding out that the children lived happily ever after, you might as well shut it and read something else. Because Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, sitting in a small, cramped car and staring out the windows at Lousy Lane, were heading toward even more misery and woe. The Grim River and the horseradish factory were only the first of a sequence of tragic and unpleasant episodes that bring a frown to my face and a tear to my eye whenever I think about them.

The driver of the car was Mr. Poe, a family friend who worked at a bank and always had a cough. He was in charge of overseeing the orphans’ affairs, so it was he who decided that the children would be placed in the care of a distant relative in the country after all the unpleasantness with Count Olaf.

I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable, Mr. Poe said, coughing into a white handkerchief, but this new car of mine doesn’t fit too many people. We couldn’t even fit any of your suitcases. In a week or so I’ll drive back here and bring them to you.

Thank you, said Violet, who at fourteen was the oldest of the Baudelaire children. Anyone who knew Violet well could see that her mind was not really on what Mr. Poe was saying, because her long hair was tied up in a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes. Violet was an inventor, and when she was thinking up inventions she liked to tie her hair up this way. It helped her think clearly about the various gears, wires, and ropes involved in most of her creations.

After living so long in the city, Mr. Poe continued, I think you will find the countryside to be a pleasant change. Oh, here is the turn. We’re almost there.

Good, Klaus said quietly. Klaus, like many people on car rides, was very bored, and he was sad not to have a book with him. Klaus loved to read, and at approximately twelve years of age had read more books than many people read in their whole lives. Sometimes he read well into the night, and in the morning could be found fast asleep, with a book in his hand and his glasses still on.

I think you’ll like Dr. Montgomery, too, Mr. Poe said. He has traveled a great deal, so he has plenty of stories to tell. I’ve heard his house is filled with things he’s brought from all the places he’s been.

Bax! Sunny shrieked. Sunny, the youngest of the Baudelaire orphans, often talked like this, as infants tend to do. In fact, besides biting things with her four very sharp teeth, speaking in fragments was how Sunny spent most of her time. It was often difficult to tell what she meant to say. At this moment she probably meant something along the lines of I’m nervous about meeting a new relative. All three children were.

How exactly is Dr. Montgomery related to us? Klaus asked.

Dr. Montgomery is—let me see—your late father’s cousin’s wife’s brother. I think that’s right. He’s a scientist of some sort, and receives a great deal of money from the government. As a banker, Mr. Poe was always interested in money.

What should we call him? Klaus asked.

You should call him Dr. Montgomery, Mr. Poe replied, unless he tells you to call him Montgomery. Both his first and last names are Montgomery, so it doesn’t really make much difference.

His name is Montgomery Montgomery? Klaus said, smiling.

Yes, and I’m sure he’s very sensitive about that, so don’t ridicule him, Mr. Poe said, coughing again into his handkerchief. ‘Ridicule’ means ‘tease.’

Klaus sighed. "I know what ‘ridicule’ means," he said. He did not add that of course he also knew not to make fun of someone’s name. Occasionally, people thought that because the orphans were unfortunate, they were also dim-witted.

Violet sighed too, and took the ribbon out of her hair. She had been trying to think up an invention that would block the smell of horseradish from reaching one’s nose, but she was too nervous about meeting Dr. Montgomery to focus on it. Do you know what sort of scientist he is? she asked. She was thinking Dr. Montgomery might have a laboratory that would be of use to her.

I’m afraid not, Mr. Poe admitted. I’ve been very busy making the arrangements for you three, and I didn’t have much time for chitchat. Oh, here’s the driveway. We’ve arrived.

Mr. Poe pulled the car up a steep gravel driveway and toward an enormous stone house. The house had a square front door made of dark wood, with several columns marking the front porch. To each side of the door were lights in the shapes of torches, which were brightly lit even though it was morning. Above the front door, the house had rows and rows of square windows, most of which were open to let in the breeze. But in front of the house was what was truly unusual: a vast, well-kept lawn, dotted with long, thin shrubs in remarkable shapes. As Mr. Poe’s car came to a halt, the Baudelaires could see that the shrubs had been trimmed so as to look like snakes. Each hedge was a different kind of serpent, some long, some short, some with their tongues out and some with their mouths open, showing green, fearsome teeth. They were quite eerie, and Violet, Klaus, and Sunny were a bit hesitant about walking beside them on their way up to the house.

Mr. Poe, who led the way, didn’t seem to notice the hedges at all, possibly because he was busy coaching the children on how to behave. Now, Klaus, don’t ask too many questions right away. Violet, what happened to the ribbon in your hair? I thought you looked very distinguished in it. And somebody please make sure Sunny doesn’t bite Dr. Montgomery. That wouldn’t be a good first impression.

Mr. Poe stepped up to the door and rang a doorbell that was one of the loudest the children had ever heard. After a moment’s pause, they could hear approaching footsteps, and Violet, Klaus, and Sunny all looked at one another. They had no way of knowing, of course, that very soon there would be more misfortune within their unlucky family, but they nevertheless felt uneasy. Would Dr. Montgomery be a kind person? they wondered. Would he at least be better than Count Olaf? Could he possibly be worse?

The door creaked open slowly, and the Baudelaire orphans held their breath as they peered into the dark entryway. They saw a dark burgundy carpet that lay on the floor. They saw a stained-glass light fixture that dangled from the ceiling. They saw a large oil painting of two snakes entwined together that hung on the wall. But where was Dr. Montgomery?

Hello? Mr. Poe called out. Hello?

Hello hello hello! a loud voice boomed out, and from behind the door stepped a short, chubby man with a round red face. I am your Uncle Monty, and this is really perfect timing! I just finished making a coconut cream cake!

CHAPTER

Two

"Doesn’t Sunny like coconut?" Uncle Monty asked. He, Mr. Poe, and the Baudelaire orphans were all sitting around a

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