A review by forsidious
The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Woof this book does not hold up - the treatment of the androgenous villain is frankly despicable - they're bigger and you can't tell if they're a man or a woman, therefore, they're a "creature" and "it" not human. I tried to be forgiving because it was of course written during a different time, but even then, the dehumanization is awful.  On top of that, Aunt Josephine is possibly the worst character ever written. Her grammar police schtick is obnoxious and she ends up having zero redeeming factors as she is willing to sacrifice the orphans to save herself.

The puzzle with the last will was interesting at least, but the payoff was low since Aunt Josephine set it all up herself out of fear rather than cleverness. Honestly the first moment I'm realizing the Netflix series is better  than the books and improved upon them. Hopefully the next will be better since I didn't hold fond memories of this one in the first place. 
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