Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (A Series of Unfortunate Events) Paperback – May 6, 2003

Loved this product! looks exactly as advertised.

It can be very very confusing, especially if you miss something, because Daniel doesn't just tell you the answers, you have to put them together, like a big, vague puzzle. I read the series twice, but I would NEVER have known half this stuff. He just is so funny. I would recommend this to anyone, but read it ONLY if you have read at least about nine of the books, but it would be best if you read all of them, because then yo wouldn't know some of the characters. It is so fun to find out who he is talking about. H i very vague, though.

Had fun reading this one! Solved some of the mysteries from the series.

This isn't a beginning-middle-ending type of story, so if you're looking for a novel that will pull you in, this may not be the book for you. I think the people who say they were confused may not have read the entire Unfortunate Events series. Don't get me wrong, it can be confusing. Like Unfortunate Events, it is meant to be mysterious - giving out clues about what's going on without ever really telling you. But if you have read the whole Unfortunate Events series you will pick up new tidbits that add to that story. It gives a more global perspective. It is an interesting way to tell a story, but I was hoping for more of a straightforward narrative.

I got this book yesterday and I can't put it down! It has the same style writing as the original series, which makes me very happy. It has given a lot of information about VFD, which are utterly fascinating. It's a great book, especially if you are curious about Snicket and VFD.

Arrived in mint condition to add to my lemony snicket collection of books.

While the title of the book purports to be an autobiography of Lemony Snicket, the fictional author of the Series of Unfortunate Events who ends up being a character in his own right in the story, the book is anything but a biography. In true Snicket style, the chapters are filled with misdirection and cryptic messages. The original chapter headings, which seem more traditionally biography-like, are crossed out, and are replaced with hand-written questions which seem to be penned by Lemony Snicket. Instead of learning about where Snicket was born, his early childhood, why he writes about the Baudelaires, and so on, the reader is asked to ponder questions like where was this photograph taken, why an actress was pulled after only one performance, and why a certain ship left dock three hours early. Instead of a linearly presented narrative of a life, readers are presented with excerpts of books and newspapers, sections of meeting notes, photographs, advertisements, and other supposedly original documents that have been collected together. Essentially, we're supposed to be reading s file of collected artifacts that have hidden meaning, which we assume we would understand if we were part of the mysterious VFD organization, but as we're not, we only get glimpses of the truth.Okay, this is all hilarious. The tone perfectly maintains the mystery that is built up over the course of the thirteen-book series about the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire children. Given how secretive Snicket is as the "author" of that series, it's unsurprising the his biography would stubbornly be absent of any actual information about him. Adding to these layers of confusion is the knowledge that Snicket is a fictional character, made up by Daniel Handler, the real author of these books, who camouflages himself as a representative for Snicket, and therefore himself becomes a character in these stories. Conspiracy theories exist as a collage of half truths and events that are built out with bizarre secret meanings, and this book is a masterful written portrayal of a fictional conspiracy theory (referring back to the days when conspiracy theories were strange and fun adventures that most people only took semi-seriously, before people started taking them in dark directions full of hate and violence, as they've become now). By reading between the lines and connecting this book to the series that inspired it, astute readers can piece together some new information about the lore of this fictional world. It appears that the VFD recruited children at young ages, and got their parents' permission but nonetheless took them in a way that resembled a child abduction. It appears that Olaf's parents were accidentally murdered, providing a motive for his insane, murderous ways in the Unfortunate Events series. It appears that the ridiculous costumes Olaf wears are actually a result of the costume training and standard costume kit that VFD members received. If readers are hoping for more concrete answers to the mysteries introduced in A Series of Unfortunate Events, they will be disappointed. Instead, this book offers some half answers and a lot more questions. If, on the other hand, readers are hoping to enjoy more of the secrecy-laden Snicket world, and Handler's narrative style full of anagrams, wordplay, dark humor, and irony, then this book will be an enjoyable extension of the fun. I fall in the latter camp. This novel was quirky and amusing. It's a bit gimmicky, but I like the gimmicks. This is definitely a good read for people who are fans of the unique style of A Series of Unfortunate Events, but likely would confuse anyone else.

Exactly as described.