Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

11 reviews

lexilovesreadingandlaufey's review against another edition

emotional funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Murder and Death of parent

owly2014's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury

maggieoc_x's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Kidnapping

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Confinement, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

erebus53's review

adventurous dark informative lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This series had been on my radar for well over a decade, but I didn't have the motivation to start until I was in a book club that has it on the reading list. The vibe of the whole thing is a bit Dickens meets Roald Dahl with less of the child slavery and fart jokes. I can't stand Roald Dahl, so it you're a fan at least you are aware of my bias.

The tone of the story is charming and peppered with conversational notes for children on vocabulary and grammar ("vocabulary and grammar", in this sense means, the words that are used, and in which order, so that they make good sense.) I laughed at parts of the story such as when a child is reading late at night and is so tired that he repeats the same part over and repeats the same part over and repeats the same part over.

I find it a little irksome that to have scary adult characters they lean into the body horror, caricaturing an amputee with two hooks for hands and a fat, gender indeterminate person with white eyes. It's a bit circus freakshow, and challenges my desire for positive representation of Disability. Call me a snowflake, I dare you.

For a book that ostensibly has nothing but unfortunate happenings, sad beginnings, and sad endings, I was still not surprised that the children use their extensive resourcefulness to solve problems. It would be utterly unengaging if there was no hope, but the whole point is that these children are relatively irrepressible (which means that compared to most people, they don't let unfortunate or difficult things stop them). Yes the ending faces them with a new valamity, but such is the way with serial stories.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, and Bullying

thechocolatefinger's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Alcoholism

The adult/minor relationship (villain adult man with 14-year-old girl) isn’t real, it’s a

fake marriage

but they do discuss it quite in depth (nothing sexual/romantic, but she imagines having to sleep in the same bed). Many evil adults are creepy towards the children calling them “pretty” and “beautiful” but it’s not supposed to be genuinely paedophilic. Alcoholism is that they call Count Olaf “a drunk” and say he drinks too much wine.

lucyselim's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism

sophiemar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

mayr3adsab00k's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, and Confinement

etherealyoungster's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, and Torture

laurajones's review against another edition

dark funny sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Transphobia