When we last left the Baudelaire Orphans, they were fleeing from Count Olaf and entering a car with a woman in the back seat who they had never seen before. That woman was Kit Snicket. Kit Snicket, one of the many on the right side of the schism, takes them to The Hotel Dénouement. There, they hope to learn the answers to some of the questions that plague them.There, treachery is a foot. No one is who they seem to be and lies are a plenty. Kit informs the Orphans that they must rescue the sugar bowl and it’s precious contents before Count Olaf finds it. If he finds the sugar bowl, they are all doomed. How are they to infiltrate the Hotel Denouement, however? Surely they will be recognized? Their picture is in the Daily Punctilio every day, with details of false crimes they have committed.Kit solves this problem by providing the Orphans with clever disguises. They will dress as concierges so that they can infiltrate the hotel unnoticed. There is a catch, though. They will also be Flaneurs. “Flaneurs,” explains Kit, “are people who quietly observe their surroundings, intruding only when absolutely necessary. Children make excellent flaneurs, as so few people notice them.” In doing this, the Beaudelaire Orphans hope to lend a hand to the V. F. D (The Volunteer Fire Department) and find what treachery may be under their feet.It will not be easy however; they will have to split up to find out as much information as they can. Every volunteer, good and evil, are meeting at the Hotel Dénouement for that all-important Thursday meeting. And things in the hotel are more than what they seem. Klaus knows not to judge a book by its cover; as well, he knows that every book holds secrets. And The Hotel Dénouement is quite the book.For instance, why is Esme Squalor on the roof looking into the skies with reverse binoculars? What does she hope to see? Why are Sir and his partner Charles there from the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill? Who is the mysterious person with the initials J. S. that they are hoping to meet? Why is Principal Nero from Prufrock Prepatory School there to meet this same J. S? And what is her fascination with measuring things? Why does she hate Indian food?All these questions and more are raised as the orphans try to infiltrate the hotel and find out what they can. But whether or not they succeed depends on one man, Frank or Earnest, who may be a friend or foe. Not knowing which side he is working for, the Baudelaire’s put into action plans that may spell their doom, or their freedom….As with any book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, “The Penultimate Peril” is rollicking great fun. I’ve loved the series since the first book, “The Bad Beginning”, and it’s just gotten better with each installment. New questions are raised at every turn, in every book, and one wonders if the Baudelaire’s will ever find an answer to the questions that plague them.If you are hoping that the second to last book (Penultimate means “Next to last”) has any answers be warned: Few questions are answered here. We see several, if not all, the supporting characters from all the past books and the plans are treacherous indeed, but few questions are answered. The rest, I’m afraid, are left for the last, and final book, of A Series of Unfortunate Events that came out in October 2006.That’s not to say that “The Penultimate Peril” is not worth reading. Far from it, in fact. The book adds much to the series’ mystery and gives us enough answers to keep reading and keep guessing. The strength of the series lies in Lemony Snicket’s way of spinning a tale and keep us guessing. The orphans are growing up and are learning some grim things in this installment. To fully appreciate how far they have come, how much they have grown, “The Penultimate Peril” is a must. It may, in fact, hold more answers than we know
Kierra Mandell Goodreads ReviewThe Penultimate PerilThe Penultimate Peril took place in a hotel called Hotel Denouement. The Baudelaire children have to disguise themselves as concierges so that they can observe people to see if they are evil or good. They meet all sorts of friends and enemies as they visit the different rooms of the hotel. They must figure out who is good or bad so that at the special VFD meeting on Thursday, the sugar bowl doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. The major characters of the story are Violet, Klaus, Sunny, Dewey, and Count Olaf. Some of the minor characters are Esme Squalor, Carmelita, Frank, Ernest, Kit, Justice Strauss, and Jerome Squalor. Most of the characters in the book seem a little fake honestly. They all have the same general emotions and appearances of a human, but Lemony Snicket didn’t really portray the characters of the book as actually people. He has a great act going, pretending to have searched and searched and gathered all of his information from the little clues and hints the Baudelaires have left behind. But it doesn’t seem believable that a makeshift boat can “fly” through the air and land “safely” on the ocean. Or that a crow can carry a sugar bowl to the exact location that the people who sent it wanted. Violet Baudelaire's appearance in my mind is that she is very pretty and sweet, but will do anything to protect the ones she loves. She has brown eyes, brown hair with bangs, and usually wears either a disguise or a ragged dress from one of her guardians. One thing I actually enjoyed very much was Violet’s spunky personality. She knows sadness, trouble, and anger. She’s seen it all. “If you have lost anyone important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven’t you can’t possibly imagine it.”Towards the end of the book, Violet tells Count Olaf she will help him unlock a code to get access to the room that holds the sugar bowl. Klaus and Sunny were shocked and surprised by this strange new “strategy”, and wasn’t sure if Violet had given up or had a plan. (***SPOILER ALERT*** In the end it was actually a plan). In the earlier books, Violet was described as an inventor. She could think of things very fast at crucial times, and “joining forces with Count Olaf” was indeed a brilliant plan.This definitely wasn’t the best book I had read, but was one that caught my attention. My friends in 6th grade encouraged me to read this series, and to be honest I didn’t think I would make it to book 12. I liked this series because is exciting, with a new secret, character, or plot twist after every book. Although to be honest, it is a bit tiring reading every single book, having a basic knowing of what was to happen next. The theme of this story is that things aren’t always what they seem, and that you have to sometimes take a step back and look at the cards you’re dealt. When the Baudelaires were in a small, dark closet, waiting for court, they figured out many of the things that they had been pondering about, like where the sugar bowl was.
What do You think about The Penultimate Peril (2005)?
Part of the Great ASOUE Re-Read of 2015.If The Slippery Slope is my favourite, I must admit that The Penultimate Peril is my second-favourite. It's a close race, and I think it's because the Penultimate Peril is one of those books where everything is really well done.It's a really good end to the circular journey of the Baudelaires. They end up on Briny Beach, the place where Mr Poe visited them so long ago to tell them their parents had died and everything changed. It's still the same beach, but these are not the same Baudelaires. They've gone through two birthdays and a maturation out of babyhood and have seen horrors and tragedies unspeakable. When Mr Poe shows up at the end of GG, the Baudelaires refuse to go with him--a sensible move, as Mr Poe wouldn't get anything done. It's always interesting to come back to a place after you've changed, and I think this book illustrates the "nothing will ever be the same" aspect well.We also get the most interesting setting of all the books. Hotel Denouement is organized by the Dewey Decimal System (which, honestly, I'd stay in a hotel organized by library classification--although to be honest, I think I'd prefer Library of Congress, although I recognize that that would be a far more complicated setup). Not only that, but as it's the Last Safe Place, we get cameos from nearly everyone involved in the series (well, those who are alive, at least). The chapters where Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have to split up are pretty fun. I'd like to consult a Dewey Decimal chart to see what each number stands for--I have a loose idea, but I'm sure there are some hidden jokes in there.We also get Dewey Denouement, who is one of my favourite bit characters/guardians/librarians/what have you in this series. (view spoiler)[I said in an earlier review that Uncle Monty's death was the most tragic, and perhaps I should revise that statement--his is the most tragic of the early guardians. Dewey's is up there in terms of drama for the entire series, partially because the Baudelaires have something to do with his death. It's rough because Dewey could have offered the Baudelaires a relatively safe life where they could continue their acts of volunteerism, but... yeah, that's not going to happen. This is ASOUE, what did you expect? (hide spoiler)]
—Alex
As a series these books are incredible. The formulaic plot that is repeated in every book satisfies the child who is being read to's expectation of what's going on, right and wrong and the band of simple characters. Where the books become really clever is the additional bits of plot woven into the anecdotes, dedications and acknowledgments, written for the older reader, whether parents reading aloud or older children. The humour is clever, beautifully insightful and infinitely quotable. Type Lemony Snicket quotes into any search engine and you will receive a barrage of hilarious snippets which readers of any age can appreciate. The beautiful sense of innocence is what I love about the books as well as the introduction of long words and the imaginative anecdotes to which they pertain. Although the actual definition of the words is sometimes glossed over, I assume the intention is to entertain the older readers and intrigue the younger ones into asking what they mean.Overall Lemony Snicket (real name Daniel Handler) uses the fact that he is writing a book to his advantage more than anyone else I have read. His tone of voice is unique and wonderful. He plays with the words on the page, often inviting readers to skip chapters, find out more, answer questions or search for hidden meanings. In one instance, being unable to describe just how black the tunnel was, he illustrates his point by colouring the next two pages in black ink. His love of books comes through in every sentence often using them as a device to tell between good and evil."Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." Lemony Snicket
—Kat Thomas
Originally posted at A Novel IdeaRATING: 3.5/5Violet Baudelaire (our ingenious inventor), Klaus Baudelaire (our remarkable researcher) and Sunny Baudelaire (our celebrated chef) have arrived at the Hotel Denoument. If you have ever stayed at a hotel where all the rooms are organized according to the Dewey Decimal System, then you will no doubt be familiar with the Baudelaires’ new problems as they attempt to be hotel concierges and gather evidence to prove their innocence at the same time. For one thing, a hotel organized like the Dewey Decimal System is difficult to find anything in if you don’t have a catalog, and proving your innocence is nearly impossible when you can’t tell who is contemplating treachery and who is not. If you have to contend with things like harpoon guns, frog-shaped lamps, gigantic spatulas, the secret of who killed Count Olaf’s parents, and a truly sinister cocktail party, then things really just get worse…You have to be an amazing writer to have this many secrets and mysteries and plot twists. You have to be an even more amazing writer to manage all of that in such a way that your readers only ever want to know more. These are all qualities that a great series of books should have; they leave you needing to find out what happens next, and not because you want something to make fun of (ahem Twilight series). Violet, Klaus, and Sunny’s adventures draw to a close in the thirteenth book, and you can believe I was scrambling to get to it.
—Paola (A Novel Idea)
