The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Reviews from Audiobook-Heaven

Title: The Wide Window
Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Third
Author: Lemony Snicket
Narrator: Lemony Snicket
Publisher: Recorded Books
Duration: 3 hours, 4 minutes
Copyright: 2003
Genres: adventure, fantasy, juvenile
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY:
Dear Listener,
I am sorry to say that the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.
If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signaling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this audiobook will probably fill you with despair.
I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
©2000 Lemony Snicket; (P)2001, 2003 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

DEDICATION: For Beatrice: I would much prefer it if you were alive and well.

MY THOUGHTS: The run of bad luck for the poor Baudelaire orphans has not run out yet. After Count Olaf murdered their Uncle Monty in “The Reptile Room”, Mister Poe, the Baudelaire’s executor, placed Violet, Klaus, and Sunny with their Aunt Josephine. Aunt Josephine is a bit peculiar, but she does at least seem genuinely interested in providing a safe, and grammatically correct home for the children. Do I have to tell you what happens next? That’s right, that dastardly devil Count Olaf shows up again, this time disguised as peg-legged Captain Sham. This can only spell more woe and misery for the unfortunate orphans.
“The Wide Window” is the third audiobook in Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series. The more I read, the more I like Snicket’s style. He is a bit twisted, but his attention to detail almost rivals that of J K Rowling. Almost, that is. He always remembers to add those little touches that make a story special.

LEMONY SNIPPET: If you are allergic to a thing, it is bes not to put that thing in your mouth. Particularly if the thing is cats.

NARRATOR: For whatever reason, Lemony Snicket decided to handle the narration himself on this audiobook, and the next two in the series. He’s not a bad narrator, for an author, but I always hate it when authors narrate their own audiobooks. It really should be left to the professionals. Well, he only did three of the books, then turned it back over to Tim Curry again, who did a good job with the first two audiobooks.

SPECIAL FEATURES: As with the other audiobooks in this series, “The Wide Window” includes a song by Daniel Handler’s band, “The Gothic Archies.” This song, titled “The World Is A Very Scary Place”, explains how dangerous and deadly our world is, but in a funny way that kids will enjoy.

FINAL WORD: Even though the narration wasn’t quite as good, I think “The Wide Window” is my favorite audiobook of the series, so far. I really got a good chuckle out of this one.

FILM ADAPTATION: Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” hit theaters in 2004, and starred Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly, and Catherine O’Hara. It had a monumental budget of $140 million, and grossed about $209 million.
The film version of the wildly popular children’s book series covered only the first three books, out of a total of 13. It would have been nice to see some sequels covering the other books, but it doesn’t seem likely at this point since the children will all have aged several years by now.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook review)
The Wide Window by Lemony snicket (Audiobook review)
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook review)

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If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "The Wide Window", A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3 by Lemony Snicket (Unabridged Audiobook) Audio CD, from Amazon.com.

Interested in the movie?
Get "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2-Disc Special Collector's Edition) on DVD from Amazon.com.

This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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