What do You think about The Hostile Hospital (2001)?
Originally posted at A Novel Idea ReviewsRating: 3/5After eluding the clutches of Count Olaf and avoiding being burned at the stake by a bunch of vile villagers, the Baudelaire orphans now find themselves in a van full of Volunteers Fighting Disease. The van, crammed with happy, singing volunteers and heart-shaped balloons, is heading to Heimlich Hospital to cheer up some patients and strum their guitars. Our orphans secure a job for themselves in the hospital’s Library of Records, where they make a discovery both heartening and depressing. Another discovery, not heartening but certainly depressing, is the presence of Count Olaf and his henchmen, who have succeeded in following them yet again! How will Violet, Klaus, and Sunny manage to escape a craniectomy, giant cans of alphabet soup, medical professionals, and stiletto heels???The three surviving Baudelaires have spent virtually every moment since their parents’ tragic deaths being mired in the worst possible luck a person could have. Most everything goes wrong for them, and yet they still keep going, taking care of each other and using everything they’ve got to survive their enemy’s constant attempts to relieve them of their inheritance. All the while, all kinds of mysteries remain unanswered. Surrounded by monsters, the Baudelaires found in this book that they could so easily become monsters themselves; in the process of trying to outwit Count Olaf by playing his own game, they are shocked to realize that they can’t tell if they are victims or villains. This point is a very interesting one, and it marks a turning point in the children’s lives, because they can either decide to keep fighting fire with fire, or choose another route. So, while this volume of their quest was really rather bloodier and more gruesome in some concepts than the others (another series I’m not entirely sure should be categorized as being solely for children), I was intrigued by the question that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny had to ask themselves. It’s a series full of questions about morality, but what answers will the Baudelaires give?
—Paola (A Novel Idea)
A Series of Unfortunate Events 8: The Hostile Hospital / 9780061757204I've been reading this series in order since I first gained interest through the tie-in movie "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events". I love the series for its superb characterization, lovely writing, quirky plotlines, and deeply dark humor, but it's worth noting that the series so far has been extremely formulaic: Mr. Poe drops the children off with a new guardian, things get progressively worse as Count Olaf shows up and starts causing trouble, and then the children barely thwart a cruel plan before being whisked off by Mr. Poe to do it all over again. This eight book in the series really attempts to mix things up a little bit by not starting out with Mr. Poe, and indeed not showcasing a new guardian at all. In some ways, this installment is one of the first where I've been truly frightened for the plucky Baudelaire orphans, and the first one where they seemed genuinely alone and in danger to me. Maybe it's because of the tension of separation for several chapters -- it's impossible not to be on the edge of your seat when the unstoppable trio is forced to split up and one of them is put in very grave danger. And perhaps also it's because this is the first novel where the whole wide world of surrounding adults really seem genuinely hostile towards the poor orphans instead of simply foolish, apathetic, or generally worthless. If you've loved the series so far, you'll love the engaging writing and increased creepiness of this one, but if you're getting tired of the basic plot premise then this book isn't going to be a breath of fresh air. A note about the audiobook edition of this book: this installment features the superb narration of Tim Curry that the early books in the series featured. Curry does an incredible job with the story and it is impossible to not be drawn into his deep, rich narration as he follows the orphans through their dangerous adventures. ~ Ana Mardoll
—Ana Mardoll
Sadly to say, this is one book in the series that I did not like. Well not all, but most of it. However, there are new clues and new highlights in the series that might explain what V.F.D is and there are documents in "The Library of Records" which has evidence about the fire with Baudelaire's parents and someone else. Their house were caught fire but there were 3 person in the house and one has escape death. Who is it?Violet was captured and left Klaus and Sunny to save the day. I would just like to add that Sunny is one character that I love to read most about in this book because you can see how she has developed as a child with proper usage of words, NOT sentence but words. I would really want continue with the next book just to see how this book ends.Ratings: 3.5 out of 5 starsMy Blogspot Review
—Jbb Lim
