Product Description

Dear Listener,

If you have chosen to listen to this audio for pleasure, I advise you to put it down instantaneously, because of all the audios describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest.

This recording contains such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, and coupons. If you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

I also shouldn't mention the interactive features of the CD, which include:

• A perplexing word game
• Photos from The Lemony Snicket Archives
• Art from The Brett Helquist gallery

I have promised to record the entire history of these poor children, but you haven't, so please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #539107 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-19
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From Amazon.com
"The Baudelaire orphans looked out the grimy window of the train and gazed at the gloomy blackness of the Finite Forest, wondering if their lives would ever get better," begins The Miserable Mill. If you have been introduced to the three Baudelaire orphans in any of Lemony Snicket's previous novels, you know that not only will their lives not get better, they will get much worse. In the fourth installment in the "Series of Unfortunate Events," the sorrowful siblings, having once again narrowly escaped the clutches of the evil Count Olaf, are escorted by the kindly but ineffectual Mr. Poe to their newest "home" at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Much to their horror (if not surprise), their dormitory at the mill is crowded and damp, they are forced to work with spinning saw blades, they are fed only one meal a day (not counting the chewing gum they get for lunch), and worst of all, Count Olaf lurks in a dreadful disguise as Shirley the receptionist just down the street. Not even the clever wordplay and ludicrous plot twists could keep this story buoyant--reading about the mean-spirited foreman, the deadly blades, poor Klaus (hypnotized and "reprogrammed"), and the relentless hopelessness of the children's situation only made us feel gloomy. Fans of these wickedly funny, suspenseful adventures won't want to miss out on a single one, but we're hoping the next tales have the delicate balance of delight and disaster we've come to expect from this exciting series. (Ages 9 to 12)

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-This fourth book in the series about the Baudelaire orphans works fine as a stand-alone. The "poor little rich kids" lead lives filled with unhappiness, gothic horror, and melodramatic despair. Here, the protagonists are sent to work in a lumber mill in Paltryville, where they are fed only a stick of gum for lunch and are forced to perform backbreaking labor. Their enemy, Count Olaf, is not far from the scene, and will certainly utilize any disguise to get at the siblings' inheritance. Violet, Klaus, and Baby Sunny are responsible for their own fate and, as usual, they take matters in hand. This is for readers who appreciate this particular type of humor; it exaggerates the sour and makes anyone's real life seem sweet in comparison.
Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
For the Baudelaire orphans life means escaping from Count Olav, whose quest is to become the beneficiary of the Baudelaire fortune. In this fourth adventure, Snicket's characters find themselves working "midgets" at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, with Count Olav nowhere in sight. Snicket's tale lends itself to being read aloud, and what better person to do this than the author! His commentary on word meaning and life experiences becomes informative asides. His treatment of the array of zany characters is humorous and full of appealing voices. He champions Violet, Klaus, and Sonny, whose individual strengths and devotion to each other are detailed in the adventure and underscored through Snicket's tender narration. Whatever the odds, the power of family triumphs. A.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine