Name: The Miserable Mill
Rating: 3.727142857142857 (350 reviews)
ISBN: 9781405208703

Lemony Snicket

Mr Poe delivers the three Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus and little Sunny, to their new guardian, the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill in Paltryville. But far from living in the mill, they quickly discover they will be working in it.

The Miserable Mill

There is nothing to be found in the pages of A Series of Unfortunate Events but misery and despair. You still have time to choose another international best-seller to read. But if you must know what unpleasantries befall the charming and clever Baudelaire children read on . . . There are many pleasant things to read about, but The Miserable Mill contains none of them. Within its pages one will find a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident and coupons. With 5 million copies sold in the UK alone, one might consider Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events to make him one of the most successful children’s authors of the past decade. We, however, consider these miserable so-called adventure stories and the Hollywood film starring Jim Carrey that accompanied the books for children as nothing more than a dreadful mistake.

Accidents, evil plots, and general misfortune abound when, in their continuing search for a home, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to live and work in a sinister lumber mill.

Grace O'Callaghan

Update: I binge read these first four books and absolutely loved them. They’re fun in the most disturbing and creepy way. But I can already see myself getting a little bored with the repetitive nature of them and I don’t want to taint my view of the first four. I may come back to this series some time in the future, but I won’t be reading for the foreseeable future. I’ll just stick with the TV show for now.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the others, but still a solid sequel and I loved where the story went.

After escaping Count Olaf’s clutches once again the Baudelaries are shipped off to Luckyside Lumber-mill where they are forced to work under dangerous conditions. Hypnosis, gum and coupons are all involved, but you’ll have to see as to how they fit into this dreadful story.

As I said, this wasn’t my favourite, but I adored the growth of the children in this book. They all recognise that they have their own strengths that are unique to them but are able to put themselves into the mind of the other sibling to try and help in a situation. When Claus cannot help their situation, Violet tries to think about what he would do and she’s able to find out things she wouldn’t have been able to had she not thought like Claus. I just think it was really important to demonstrate that whilst everyone has their strong suits, sometimes you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone to get the job done.

This isn’t anything to do with the plot or the characters but I love that there is always a library everywhere the Baudelaires are sent. They are a symbol of safety and sanctuary to them. That even in the darkest of places, books are always there to comfort and provide.

The plot is where this one lacked for me. It is the darkest of them so far, but I find myself a little bored at times. I just think that the lake or reptiles from the other books are much more interesting than a mill. This series is pretty formulaic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if things are always so predictable then I never fear for the characters.

A dark sequel with so much character development, but predictable at times.

Giulia Pianta

The settings are always so interesting and this is no exception.
I love comparing the books with the episodes of the tv series and see the changes they made. They are always little changes that don't affect the story too much.

I find it interesting how all the adults are always complete fools and the Baudelaire siblings are instead smarter and brighter. And I love the voice of Lemony Snicket, with the remarks on how their story is very miserable and that I shouldn't be reading it.

Olivera Mitić

WHY ARE THESE ADULTS SO INCOMPETENT???

I didn't like this one as much as the others.

Also that swordfight...like what even.

Jelke Lenaerts

kind of fell indifferent about this one ...

Danica Holdaway

I definitely liked this one more than Wide Window, although it's got some elements that shock me a little bit. Like "Did I really read this as a preteen? Yikes!" It is interesting to see them separated and having to work independently at times. Probably one of the most unrealistic settings in their story, but hey, none of this is realistic.

Leelynn Brady

Find this review and more on my blog: Sometimes Leelynn Reads

“Optimist" is a word which here refers to a person, such as Phil, who thinks hopeful and pleasant thoughts about nearly everything. For instance, if an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say, in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well, this isn't too bad. I don't have my left arm anymore, but at least nobody will ever ask me whether I am right-handed or left-handed," but most of us would say something more along the lines of "Aaaaah! My arm! My arm!”

My favorite thing about these books is the author commentary throughout it. It makes it so hilarious and punny and really makes me like Lemony Snicket as an author. Although it does make it almost that much worse that the Baudelaires have to go through so much crap because they live in a world where these adults they have to deal with are completely useless. It's ridiculous, but I bet that's what we would feel like if we were in these shoes.

It also makes me realize that Violet needs to learn way more words, and read way more like her brother Klaus. Since Klaus is mostly incapacitated during this book, she has to do the job for both of them, and there's a chapter where she is reading a book and for all the words that she doesn't understand, she would "hmm" in its place. I guess book nerds learn a lot more than non-book nerds! Is that me being biased? Not at all! Just look at Violet, who has to "hmm" her way through a book trying to figure out how to get someone to be unhypnotized, among other things.

Hmm.

Laura Springall

I love these books because of how ridiculous and outlandish they are, but this one was just a little bit too much 😂

Daryl Houston

It was fine. A little twist on the omnipresence of certain villains in the first three books, but not perhaps so much of a twist as I would have liked. It's as if these books were written for children.

Lysh (She/Her)

I zoomed through this one. Oh, the memories of reading this with Rach in year 5 and discussing all the ways the Bauldelaire orphans foiled Count Olaf. It has been a great experience to read her copies of these books and fall in love with the series all over again. 

If you are not up to speed with "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket, let me fill you in. "The Miserable Mill" is book the fourth in this series of (an unlucky) thirteen instalments. It continues describing the woes of the Bauldelaire orphans, who lost their parents to a mysterious house fire in book one. They have been bumped from "family member" to "family member" in hopes of finding a new home, but have continued to be trapped and tricked by the dastardly Count Olaf and his cronies who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Bauldelaire fortune. Full of despair and adventure, this series was one of my favourites when aged 10-12 years and the recent adaptation as a Netflix series reinvigorated my desire to rediscover this unfortunate world. 

In this book, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny find themselves at The Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Of course, being a place where children shouldn't sleep, let alone work, the children find themselves both sleeping and working under the limited care and supervision of their new guardian, "Sir". They know Olaf must be close, but where is he? 

As always, I enjoy Snicket's writing. He uses interesting vocabulary and imaginative plots. Kids know there is darkness in the world and his novels provide these orphans of such misfortune with the ability to overcome this woe, giving other children and escape and hope that they can overcome their own misfortunes. 

Recommended for children aged 9-12 years
Rating: 4/5 stars
2017: 51/50 books

Sandy

This is one of my least favourites of the series, though we are introduced to Phil, one of the best characters!

Manon van Heumen

Once more a fun read. I really liked that this installment had a different turn of events. I also quite liked the setting. However, I missed the kind characters a bit, like Mr. Monty. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

Shannon Leigh Williams

This was such a fun reread! I was in a reading slump & used this book to pull myself out of it. I still love Lemony Snicket's writing style, & I forgot how fascinating the plot was in this particular book. So much fun!

The Miserable Mill

Reviews

Highlights