I don't know why I thought it would be a good reason to reread this series, I mean the things that happen to the Baudelaire children are more than unfortunate, rather they are downright dreadful and nauseating. I had forgotten some of the horrible things that happened to the Baudelaires and it’s almost like I'm reading these books for the first time. If you recall, the previous novel left Violet, Klaus, and Sunny squished in the back of Count Olaf's car in an attempt to escape the fire Count Olaf has started in the hospital. The Carnivorous Carnival starts moments after the previous novel ended with the three orphans stuck under mounds of clothes for hours as Olaf drives. Finally, the car stops and Olaf and his associates get out talking about seeing Madam Lulu and her circus freaks. Taking the opportunity, the three children get out of the trunk and follow them to Madam LuLu's tent. Eavesdropping below the window, the three children overhear count Olaf thank Madam LuLu for always helping to find the children and assisting in his dastardly deeds. Shocked, the three hurry back to the car where they disguise themselves as circus freaks in order to hide themselves and continue to learn more about how Madam LuLu always knows where to send Count Olaf. Disguised as a two headed person and a wolf-hybrid, Madam LuLu begins to tell the children about how once she belonged to an organization that used codes, disguises, eye tattoos, and fires. Not only were she and Olaf once members, but the Baudelaire children realist that their parents and maybe even the quagmire parents were once all apart of it. The bad situation only gets worse when Olaf tries to feed the Baudelaires to a pack of hungry lions only to have Madam LuLu and one of his associates die in the struggle. Count Olaf then steals Sunny and pushes Klaus and Violet down a mountain, where the 9th book ends with their screams. I feel like this is where my memory almost completely fails me. The books at this point are becoming so heartbreaking, and the realization that things really won't get better for the Baudelaire children sets in. I had forgotten all about the children being separated and honestly can't remember how it gets fixed, thank goodness I already own the books!!
“And sometimes we discuss frightening and troublesome animals that might be nearby, and this topic always leads to much disagreement over which part of a frightening and troublesome beast is the most frightening and troublesome. Some say the teeth of the beast, because teeth are used for eating children, and often their parents, and gnawing on their bones. Some say the claws of the beast, because claws are used for ripping things to shreds. And some say the hair of the beast, because hair can make allergic people sneeze. But I always insist that the most frightening part of any beast is its belly, for the simple reason that if you are seeing the belly of the beast it means you have already seen the teeth of the beast and the claws of the of the beast and even the hair of the beast, and now you are trapped and there is probably no hope for you.” Having hidden themselves in the trunk of Count Olaf's car to escape from a burning hospital at the end of the last book, the Baudelaires do indeed find themselves in the belly of the beast. That car has taken them to a circus carnival in the middle of nowhere (the aptly-named Hinterlands), where their best choice is to disguise themselves as "freaks" -- Violet & Klaus as a single person with two heads and Sunny as a half-wolf baby.“The story of the Baudelaires takes place in a very real world, where some people are laughed at just because they have something wrong with them, and where children can find themselves all alone in the world, struggling to understand the mystery that surrounds them.” They find a few more clues to the mystery of VFD and the possibility of a surviving parent, but must also make some difficult decisions. I love that this book introduces young readers to William Shakespeare and the types of plays he wrote, even outlining the plot of King Lear. “Tragedies are stories that usually begin fairly happily and then steadily go downhill, until all of the characters are dead, wounded, or otherwise inconvenienced.” Yup, that pretty much sums it up. “But the sad truth is that the truth is sad, and that what you want does not matter. A series of unfortunate events can happen to anyone, no matter what they want.”
Do You like book The Carnivorous Carnival (2002)?
Well, well, well... I wasn't expecting such an ending. The whole time I thought it was a good turn of event that Count Olaf doesn't know nuts about the existence of the Baudelaires' at all. The author got me all bluffed up! This whole book promotes greater suspense than any other books in the series. There were a glimpse of character building with the carnival's freaks and I have kinda grown attached towards them until the end. I have my reasons but then again it was explained clearly why they react the way they were.All in all, this book makes me wanna go on with the next one. So, I won't want to review into such details by revealing too much.Ratings: 4 out of 5 starsMy Blogspot Review
—Jbb Lim
As a series these books are incredible. The formulaic plot that is repeated in every book satisfies the child who is being read to's expectation of what's going on, right and wrong and the band of simple characters. Where the books become really clever is the additional bits of plot woven into the anecdotes, dedications and acknowledgments, written for the older reader, whether parents reading aloud or older children. The humour is clever, beautifully insightful and infinitely quotable. Type Lemony Snicket quotes into any search engine and you will receive a barrage of hilarious snippets which readers of any age can appreciate. The beautiful sense of innocence is what I love about the books as well as the introduction of long words and the imaginative anecdotes to which they pertain. Although the actual definition of the words is sometimes glossed over, I assume the intention is to entertain the older readers and intrigue the younger ones into asking what they mean.Overall Lemony Snicket (real name Daniel Handler) uses the fact that he is writing a book to his advantage more than anyone else I have read. His tone of voice is unique and wonderful. He plays with the words on the page, often inviting readers to skip chapters, find out more, answer questions or search for hidden meanings. In one instance, being unable to describe just how black the tunnel was, he illustrates his point by colouring the next two pages in black ink. His love of books comes through in every sentence often using them as a device to tell between good and evil."Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." Lemony Snicket
—Kat Thomas
The Carnivorous Carnival was okay but this series is starting to drag ridiculously for me, which is why it took me so long to finish this one!Even though this book did use a different formula to the previous A Series of Unfortunate Events instalments I still thought that the storyline was a little over done. Count Olaf is supposed to be a very clever man but he still can't seem to capture the Baudelaire children. He also doesn't realise that he is being tricked by the children even though they are using disguises that he has used previously. We did get quite a few answers from Madame Lulu in this book but at the same time it made me have even more questions. The carnival was a pretty good idea but I didn't like the 'freaks' storyline, everyone was cruel to them but they still did anything to get their attention and approval. It's also quite annoying that every character Snicket creates apart from the Baudelaire's are stupid. It's getting very tiring. The ending of this book really made up for the beginning and middle. Disaster really does strike and I'm not sure how Klaus and Violet are going to find a solution to their problem!
—Amy
