A parent is not responsible for any crimes committed by their child. Yes, he created and abandoned his monster, but no one forced the monster to hurt other people.

Please tell me you watched the 2004 film. If you enjoyed the settings of the books, you'll love the film's production value and set design. (I so wish we got another movie of books 4-6 and 7-9, that would've been epic. Netflix series doesn't compare, imo.)

As to your points – I do see what you mean, but most of those things never bothered me. Someone else mentioned that ASOUE is a caricature and I agree. They're not meant to be totally realistic. Part of the fun is all the crazy behaviour and dialogue from Mr. Poe, Olaf, Esmee, and all the absurd situations the Baudelaires are put through.

Think of a Leslie Nielsen movie (The Naked Gun movies). You're not supposed to take them seriously, and the fact that they're so absurd is part of the appeal. ASOUE strikes a similar vein, just with a darker undertone, but they are very much comedic at their core.

And as a kid reading these, the tone and style of these books was so unique and different from other children's books, that they were immediately compelling, despite any plot holes or lack of realism.

I think the only issue I had with the series is that when you get to the last book, many of the VFD mysteries and questions are left unanswered. So the series ended for me without that catharsis that you feel when you get a really tight ending to a series (i.e. Deathly Hallows, for example).

It's a bit of a bummer, because up until book 13, I did actually believe that Handler (Snicket) would actually be able to tie up all the loose ends and basically pull off a magician's trick. So to find out that, no, there was no grand ending that would tie up all the mysteries, that he was just leaving a bunch of things ambivalent, after 12 books of build-up, was a bit disappointing.

That being said, I'll always have fond memories of these books. The locations, the characters, the dialogue, the 'steampunk'/Victorian style, the clues and mysteries... there's something really quirky and cozy about these books (cozy might seem like a weird word for ASOUE, but I think you know what I mean... maybe my memory of reading them is cozy, and that affects my perception).

For a more realistic series with clues and mysteries, check out Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, or The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Also: His Dark Materials. Totally different from ASOUE, but what an epic trilogy, and beautifully written. I wouldn't even call them children's books, tbh.

Edit: Btw, the fact that I see an ASOUE thread on /r/books once every few months is very heartwarming. It just goes to show how, despite any criticism of the books, they really have touched something within all of us. These are technically kid's books, yet here we are, years later, still engaging with any thread that mentions them :)

Yes, he very much did. That was a key part of the plot, in fact.

Weird take. Also it’s 1 episode per book, it couldn’t have been any longer.

Hi there. This subject has been very popular in the past. Please use reddit search and/or check the /r/books/wiki/faq.

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The band was great. I was a huge Stephen King fan in elementary school and got to go see his band and watch him sing ‘Stand by Me’ with the likes of Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Ann Rice & some others I can’t remember/didn’t know.

Saw him perform a few times over the years with different writers. He was decent and very nice.

Read on the loo whilst taking a fat one also don't bother with actually reading each individual word though do google big word or small archaic word helps a bunch and roll with the text pretty sure it's not hard to know what the author is trying to paint if a spade, deck of cards or any object that 100% legitimately exists unless the author uses a very specific technical term.

It sounds like you're experiencing some difficulties with reading comprehension and focus, which can be frustrating. However, there are several things you can do to improve your reading skills and make the reading process more enjoyable and productive.

Start with easier material: If you're struggling with reading comprehension, it can be helpful to start with material that is easier and more accessible. For example, you could try reading short stories or articles before moving on to longer books.

Break it down: Instead of trying to read an entire chapter or book in one sitting, try breaking it down into smaller, more manageable sections. Take breaks in between each section to give yourself time to process and absorb the information.

Take notes: As you read, try taking notes on the main ideas and concepts. This can help you stay focused and retain information more effectively. Read out loud: Reading out loud can help you engage more fully with the material and improve your understanding and retention.

Practice visualization: While you may have difficulty imagining things in your head, you can still practice visualization exercises to help improve your reading comprehension. Try picturing scenes and characters in your mind as you read, and see if you can create mental images to go along with the text.

Get support: If you continue to struggle with reading comprehension, consider seeking support from a tutor, teacher, or learning specialist. They can work with you to identify specific areas of difficulty and provide strategies to help you improve your reading skills.

I will say I have the same issue, but the way I have come to get better, I just would sit there and read take a five second look away, but I will come right back to it again. I will say it takes longer, but it is the best thing I could think of for me. I think you could try, but I am not going to say it will do the job fully. Anything is worth it though, right?

Hi, thanks, I did not downvote you FWIW. Anecdote I told matches several friends over my life who disclosed to me step-parent, foster-parent, and mom's-latest-boyfriend you-are-to-call-uncle sexual abuse.

My abuse was of a different nature which I do not really like to get in to. In particular to all the people who keep telling me therapy, spent a lot of money and wasted incredible amounts of time on that and it keeps coming down to that I have to "forgive" them. Yeah, no. I want reform of laws so abusers can legally kill their perps. That's what I want. Legal. Not illegal. And the people who say this means I need more therapy can bleep right off with that abuse. We need legal reform so victims can legally kill their perps. Like in Saudi Arabia where victims have the option to behead those who have wronged them. But with far more judicial review and for real crimes, not that Saudi BS.

>private companies can't be authoritarian

you some sorta ancap

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That’s weird; I seem to recall addressing this very point with a specific example.

It can be

https://mommyish.com/moms-who-sleep-should-be-charged-with-criminal-neglect/

Here's a more recent case involving a babysitter

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/02/09/sleeping-sitter-charged-with-neglect/

edit:this is going by contemporary US law. Not sure what laws are like elsewhere in the world and I doubt leaving a child unsupervised would count as neglect in the 1800s

In Stephen King's "The Langoliers", Albert imagines the voice of his father saying: "That's no way to treat an expensive musical instrument!", which is a verbatim line from Jim Steinman's "Love and Death and an American Guitar". I don't know whether that was intentional or coincidental, but I like to imagine Sai King would dig such a creepy poem enough to slyly quote it in a creepy novella.

I read the books as they came out. The last one came out when I was 13. I’ve always found them excellent. Of course they’re not a “realistic” mystery series, they weren’t from the start

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Its bringing awareness to the fact that most kids experiencing child abuse are ignored, and the foster care system only makes it worse.

What is the point according to you?

Wowza

I just finished collecting there series because I remember loving them back in elementary school. I too, was hoping to reread and I had heard others say that they're perfect for enjoying as a kid and an adult, but OP isn't wrong that there's a clear formula. I'm only hoping that since I always knew the formula was the same, ie new adult, bad situation kids have to think out of, etc, that I won't be disappointed rereading them but who knows. I'm a little nervous now tbh

I loved these books so much when I was a kid. I started the series when I was in 3rd grade and ended up reading all the books. I own them now too.

I haven't read them as an adult for the very reason of finding unrealistic elements and major plot holes that would have gone unnoticed as a child. I love the memories the series holds for me and I'm a little hesitant that rereading them might ruin it.

Maybe I'll give it a go at some point.

It's something that is technically dead that is reanimated.

The only "good" reanimation in popular culture is the resurrection of Christianity, and certainly not applicable to a creature that defiles that very same concept by stealing the earthly remains of the people that need them as part of this supposed resurrection.

This hinges on whether the monster has sufficient capacity to be responsible for its own actions. An animal, a child, or an insane person does not have the reasoning capacity (under the law, I'm not looking to get into a scientific discussion) to weigh consequences and make choices accordingly, and therefore be held responsible for their poor choices. Frankenstein certainly INTENDED for the monster to be more reasonable than an animal, a child, or an insane person, and the monster's monologues would seem to indicate that he succeeded. I'm trying to recall one of his final monologues, where he (the monster) seemed to display a knowledge of right and wrong; if this was the case, this would mean he 100% had the ability to tell right from wrong, but just chose not to, and ergo, he is responsible for his own actions. This is the crux of the case.

Questions about "should Frankenstein have ever created him in the first place" are a giant strawman, since no criminal, or saint, ever asked to be born they way they were, either.