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The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 12)
by Snicket, Lemony. Illustrated by Brett Helquist
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- ISBN 10
- 0064410153
- ISBN 13
- 9780064410151
- Seller
-
Stow, Ohio, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: HarperCollins, 2005. Hardcover. 1st edition, 1st printing. 353 pp. Fine book (no markings) / No dust jacket as issued. A clean, fresh copy.
Synopsis
The Penultimate Peril is the twelfth novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
Reviews
On Dec 26 2016, a reader said:
The Penultimate Peril is the twelfth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events by American author, Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler). As we once again join the unlucky Baudelaire orphans, they find themselves in a taxi on the way to the Hotel Denouement.
Having narrowly escaped a burning hospital and already suffered the loss of their parents, the threat of marriage, slave labour, hypnosis, a terrible boarding school, being thrown down a lift shaft, being thrown in jail, acting in a freak show, being thrown off a mountain, almost dying from a lethal fungus and the murder of their Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine at the hands of the evil Count Olaf and his nefarious assistants, the siblings are ever-vigilant of his reappearance. Luckily these well-mannered and uncomplaining children are also very resourceful: Violet invents, Klaus researches and Sunny cooks.
Snicket's tone throughout is apologetic, sincere and matter-of-fact as he relates the unfortunate events in the children's lives; his imaginative and even surreptitiously educational style will hold much appeal for younger readers, as will the persistent silliness of adults. Snicket's word and phrase definitions are often hilarious. As always, the alliterative titles are delightful and Brett Helquist provides some wonderfully evocative illustrations.
This instalment sees the Baudelaires finally reaching the Hotel Denouement, where they dress as concierges to carry out observations of hotel guests: telling apart noble volunteers from treacherous villains proves difficult. They encounter most of their noble friends, many of whose foolish acts disappointed them, and those under whose charge they suffered much during all their adventures since they became orphans. A confrontation with Count Olaf and a harpoon has a very unfortunate outcome, and Count Olaf and the siblings stand trial to determine their innocence or guilt.
The theme of responsible adults letting down the siblings with foolish actions at every turn is getting a wee bit tired. All three Baudelaires are involved in acts which would not be considered noble, even if their intentions are pure: the story takes rather a black turn. The denouement of this extended tale is rather long and drawn out, and some readers may be relieved to have only one more book to complete the series, the thirteenth and final book aptly being titled The End.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Buckeye Bookshop Online (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 9986
- Title
- The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 12)
- Author
- Snicket, Lemony. Illustrated by Brett Helquist
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0064410153
- ISBN 13
- 9780064410151
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2005
- Bookseller catalogs
- Children's and Juvenile Books;
Terms of Sale
Buckeye Bookshop Online
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Buckeye Bookshop Online
Biblio member since 2009
Stow, Ohio
About Buckeye Bookshop Online
Buckeye Bookshop's owners retired on December 28, 2019, and closed the retail shop on Brittain Rd. in Akron, Ohio.We continue to sell books online via Biblio and a few other venues. We currently have about 4,600 books listed online.
Glossary
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