The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13) by Lemony Snicket; illustrations by Bret Helquist
HarperCollins, 2006. 978-0064410168
Synopsis: If end means “to cease”, then this is where things conclude. If end means “to complete”, then the story of the Baudelaires may indeed carry on. But that is for the reader to decide.
Why I picked it up: This is the end. Or is it?
Why I finished it: I became so invested in the Baudelaire’s story that finishing the series only made sense. I had to know if indeed there would be an end to the misery or if the poor orphans were destined to be miserable. Given what Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have gone through, it seemed somewhat appropriate that the three children once again find themselves once again with Count Olaf, bringing everything somewhat full circle. They seem to have found themselves at last in a safe place when the foursome is shipwrecked on a mysterious island where the orphans are welcomed, and Count Olaf is the outcast. But when the islanders begin to turn on the Baudelaires for rocking the boat and keeping secrets, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny must find a way to save themselves once again. The discoveries that the children make about the island, the inhabitants, and how it ties into their own sad history is an interesting attempt to tie up loose ends, yet it leaves quite a few strings still dangling. Whether the story is truly ended is left for the reader to decide, a notion that Snicket himself fully acknowledges in the final pages. I will say that it is an appropriate conclusion to the series and while it is open-ended, it entices the reader to review and revisit the earlier volumes to further make those last connections.
Other related materials: The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 4) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 7) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 8) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 9) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 10) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 12) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist; The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket; illustrations by Brett Helquist; Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket; All The Wrong Questions series by Lemony Snicket; The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket; illustrations by Caron Ellis, music by Nathaniel Stookey; The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart, illustrated by Carson Ellis
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