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Oct. 20th, 2011 11:32 amBy all rights I should have adored Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Not only does it have one of the best titles in the history of anything ever (and the title refers to a pirate ship!), it also includes:
- a plucky heroine who values the importance of flossing!
- PIRATES vs. FENCING SCHOOLTEACHERS
- an ANGRY GIANT OCTOPUS who is extremely depressed about his ACTING CAREER
- a mysterious train carrying a TIME-WARPING PARTY and also possibly ZOMBIES
- a LADY MAD SCIENTIST INVENTOR AND ALSO OFFICER IN THE BRITISH NAVY
. . . and so on and so on. It's all very Quirky and Madcap! The problem I think lies in those capital letters, because with all the bizarre plot events and arch narrative asides and excessive capitalization - well, I just kind of get the feeling that Adrienne Kress was trying really, really hard to be Lemony Snicket, and sometimes even Lemony Snicket can't pull off being Lemony Snicket without making my eyes start rolling of their own accord. And this book, alas, has none of the dark subversiveness that gives Snicket his bite.
On the other hand, I love and adore things that many other people find overwhelmingly twee, so I am certainly no judge - if you like the sound of the plot elements, and Lemony Snicket, it may well be worth seeing for yourself!
- a plucky heroine who values the importance of flossing!
- PIRATES vs. FENCING SCHOOLTEACHERS
- an ANGRY GIANT OCTOPUS who is extremely depressed about his ACTING CAREER
- a mysterious train carrying a TIME-WARPING PARTY and also possibly ZOMBIES
- a LADY MAD SCIENTIST INVENTOR AND ALSO OFFICER IN THE BRITISH NAVY
. . . and so on and so on. It's all very Quirky and Madcap! The problem I think lies in those capital letters, because with all the bizarre plot events and arch narrative asides and excessive capitalization - well, I just kind of get the feeling that Adrienne Kress was trying really, really hard to be Lemony Snicket, and sometimes even Lemony Snicket can't pull off being Lemony Snicket without making my eyes start rolling of their own accord. And this book, alas, has none of the dark subversiveness that gives Snicket his bite.
On the other hand, I love and adore things that many other people find overwhelmingly twee, so I am certainly no judge - if you like the sound of the plot elements, and Lemony Snicket, it may well be worth seeing for yourself!
