The Wide Window

THE WIDE WINDOW is the fourth book in Snicket's popular series, A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. The books are an interesting mix of Gothic suspense and desolation, didactic lessons, and the age-old conflict between good and evil. Following his formula, Snicket sends the three erudite children to their next guardian, an aunt who's afraid of everything. Enter Count Olaf in a new disguise, and once again we watch the children attempt to evade his clutches. Snicket's narration is surprisingly good; his narrator voice has just the right neutral tone, rising and falling in pitch with each plot twist. However, while he gives the characters recognizable voices, there are lapses, leaving the listener confused as to the speaker. The music, though appropriate, is more discordant than enhancing. Adults can usually handle only one of these titles, but students love them, and they engender lively classroom discussions. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2001
Author Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) reads volumes three and four of his Series of Unfortunate Events saga. A snappy, techno tune by a group called the Gothic Archies serves as toe-tapping introduction to Handler's chipper performance of his humorously melodramatic tales. The first two audiobooks in the series, performed by British actor Tim Curry, were released by Listening Library in March.