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Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile VillageDA
Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile VillageDA
Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile VillageDA
Audiobook4 hours

Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile VillageDA

Written by Lemony Snicket

Narrated by Tim Curry

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

Dear Reader,

You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages.

I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children's lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateSep 21, 2004
ISBN9780060793418
Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile VillageDA
Author

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket had an unusual education, which may or may not explain his ability to evade capture. He is the author of the 13 volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, several picture books including The Dark, and the books collectively titled All The Wrong Questions.

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Reviews for Series of Unfortunate Events #7

Rating: 3.8529085112465378 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,805 ratings43 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was one of the best novels in the Series of Unfortunate Events so far. Previous mysteries are solved, and new juicy details are introduced to keep the reader looking forward to the next installment. I thought Violet's invention in this book was particularly clever and loved the wordplay, as always.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    So good.u have never read such a good series in my whole life. And I have read a lot. I was crying and this book is so sad and bleak,yet
    awesome.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I liked that it had misterus and had a great storyline.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Trying to figure out the secret of VFD, which their friends the Quagmire triplets hinted at in the last book, the Baudelaire orphans go to live in a village titled "VFD" in a pamphlet. But alas, the villagers have no desire to parent the orphans, and isntead expect them to spend all their days cleaning up after the town's flock of crows (a flock so large that it completely blankets the town, making it look like a shivering mirage from afar). And of course, Count Olaf appears to make their lives even more miserable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think I enjoyed this one more than the last few. The formula was shaken up a bit. And I've never heard "deus ex machina" explained so well!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This time, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny find themselves being sent to a far-flung location as part of a new adoption program. Known as "It takes a village to raise a child" program, the Baudelaires find themselves with an entire village as a guardian. The village in question is know only as V.F.D. - the secret the Quagmires shouted to the Baudelaires as they were being kidnapped. Will Violet, Klaus and Sunny find their missing friends and finally uncover the mystery of V.F.D.?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Amazing
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The seventh book, The Vile Village, sees the Baudelaire's back in Mr Poe's office waiting to find out what latest terrible living circumstance he's managed to find. Unfortunately, even distant relatives want nothing to do with them and Mr Poe is reduced to a new government program based on the idea 'it takes a village to raise a child'. The children at least have a choice of village - but with Paltryville (the location of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, book 4), Tedia (near where Uncle Monty lives, book 2), Ophelia (Mr Poe vetoes this because of a rival bank - Ophelia Bank - yes good you have the children's welfare in mind) and V.F.D. - the final choice seems an obvious one. I mean, they still have no idea what V.F.D. stands for but being in a place that has the same initials can only lead them to the answers they seek. Or not. V.F.D. stands for the Village of Fowl Devotees and is home to a murder of crows. Although the whole village is supposed to be looking after them, they are placed in the care of Hector - the handyman - and are expected to confirm to the 19,000 rules the town has and to do all the chores. Because what else would you do with three orphans. Hector is an alright guardian by the standards of the Baudelaire's previous guardians - which means he believes them, he feeds them and he cares for them - but like all the rest is unwilling or unable to actually stand up to the town and defend them or help them when needed. On the other hand he's willing to let them live with forever and is even willing to home the Quagmire triplets if they ever find them. So still not the worst guardian they've had. And then they're told that Count Olaf has been captured. If they could just find the Quagmire's then all would be well, but alas it's not to be. Count Olaf is really Jacques Snicket and before he gets a chance to explain why he has a matching eye tattoo on his ankle (apparently it's for his job for the volunteer... and that's all they know), he winds up dead - which is probably actually better for him because he was going to be burned at the stake. Then Officer Luciano (Esme Squalor) introduces Detective Dupin (Count Olaf) and the Baudelaire's are arrested for Jacques murder. The plan this time is to burn two of the Baudelaire's at the stake and have one "escape" before being kidnapped and having to live with Count Olaf until he can get their fortune. All three manage to escape from jail, figure out that the Quagmire triplets are being kept in the Fowl Fountain and rescue them and then head over to Hector's to escape on Hector's self sustaining hot air mobile home. I enjoyed the use of the couplets hiding the clues to where the Quagmire's were. I liked it even better when I managed to figure it out myself. Although the five children make it to Hector's, only the Quagmire's make it aboard the mobile home. The Quagmire notebooks are destroyed when they try to throw them down and the only consolation is that by destroying the notebook, Luciana accidentally kills a crow. When the Village of Fowl Devotees realise, the mob mentality that worked so well for Luciana and Dupin turns against them and they find themselves having to flee. And so the Baudelaire's are once again on their own. This time they don't wait for Mr Poe and just leave the village on their own. Honestly, I would've been out of there at least three books ago. Like the last book, I'm left with so many more questions, not least of which is who the hell is Jacques and how does he fit into the equation? 3 stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Once again, right off the bat, Snicket asks you to go read someone else's book. He says, "And if you insist on reading this book instead of something more cheerful, you will most certainly find yourself moaning in despair instead of wriggling in delight, so if you have any sense at all you will put this book down and pick up another one" (p 6). With an introduction like that, how could you not keep reading Snicket's book? Very clever. By now you know the format: Snicket is still offering meanings for words and phrases. The three orphaned Bauldelaire children are looking for a place to call home. Violet is a teenager and still very much interested in inventions. Klaus is on the cusp of turning thirteen and still loves reading. Sunny is still an infant with four teeth who still can’t speak in full sentences, but she loves to bite things. They have escaped (again) from Count Olaf and his band of wicked accomplices. Banker and Bauldelaire family friend, Mr. Poe, is still in charge of sending the Baudelaire orphans to their next town of tragedy. This time it's V.F.D. ("Village of Fowl Devotees"), a mysterious town covered in crows. The problem is, no one in the town wants to be responsible for the children. As the name suggests, the community is devoted to their murder of crows. At a Council of the Elders, a timid and loner handyman who is too skittish to speak up at Council meetings, is order to become the children's guardian. All day long they must do chores for the community and always be respectful of the crows, crows, and more crows. By day, thousands of them hang around in town but by night they roost in the Nevermore tree on the outskirts of town, conveniently right by the handyman's house.As an aside, I skipped from Book 3 to 7. By not reading books 4-6 I missed out on Violet working at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, Klaus being enrolled at Prufrock Preparatory School, and all three children living with a couple named Jerome and Esme Squalor. At the end of book 6 Duncan and Isadora, two of three triplets are kidnapped. In Vile Village it is up to Klaus, Violet, and Sunny to rescue them.Additionally, what is pretty amazing about the series of unfortunate events the Baudelaire orphans experienced thus far is that they all happened in less than a year’s time. The fire that killed their parents, the escape from Count Olaf’s house, the escape from Uncle Monty’s house, the escape from Aunt Josephine’s cliff side mansion, the time in the Finite Forest, or at 667 Dark Avenue. Books 1-7 take place in less than 365 days.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    These children need a nap. They’ve been awake for four days straight.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Baudelaire children continue on their quest to find out more about their deceased parents -- and to escape the clutches of Count Olaf and his troupe of miscreants. I read this title many years ago, but I do recall absolutely loving this series and being impatient to get my hands on the next book in the series!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed reading this book because even though, by now, we know how things will unfold, the element of mystery and surprise is still prominent throughout the whole story. Moreover, Esmé could be the definition of a despicable woman, her and Count Olaf are a match made in hell!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this book.I love how Klaus talks about a Deus ex machina, and later one occurs.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "It takes a village to raise a child..." But, knowing the Baudelaires' luck; it takes a village to neglect a trio of poor orphans and to force them to do all the chores.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really like this volume of the series because it's rather whimsical. A town full of crows, thousands of ridiculous rules, and a hot air balloon house. Of course, all of the Snicket books are on the whimsical side, but this one just takes the cake (a phrase which here means it has crows, rules, and hot air balloon houses rather than meaning there is cake in it).

    I also like this volume because it has what so many other books in the same genre lack: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. I mean, the Baudelaires AGE. Sunny MATURES. They actually have BIRTHDAYS. I love it.Also, of course, we get further into the mystery of V.F.D. We get a hint as to what some of the initials stand for, and even briefly meet someone who knows quite a lot about it.On the note of characters, I love Hector. I totally empathize with his skittishness, and I am unspeakably proud of him for overcoming his fear (even if it's a little late).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is one my favourites of the series, I LOVED these books when I was a kid. I feel like they really taught me something, not least a lot of vocabulary.

    This book changed the series completely, finally the kids are on their own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Things are beginning to come together in the Seventh book of the "Series of Unfortunate Events". The Baudelaires are now in a town dedicated to and covered with crows. Through the crows, the children are delivered coded messages from the Quagmire triplets. The messages come in rhymes and the children spend much of their time (when not dealing with all the rules imposed on them by the townspeople) trying to decipher the 'poem'. And here is where the book tickled the literature teacher in me. The children go about systematically thinking about the meaning of each line of the poem, about each word and each word's various meanings and interpretations. What a lovely way to introduce children to literary analysis. Not that the 'poem' is very deep, but it is a fine example of multi-layered readings that a child can easily grasp. When they finally figure out the poem, they are able to rescue the Quagmire triplets, but as can be expected, the Baudelaire children do not escape with them. We learn, however, that Lemony Snicket is intimately related to what has been happening to the Baudelaire children, when his brother (?) Jacques Snicket makes a short and gruesome appearance in the book. Curiouser and curiouser.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Violet, Klaus, and Sunny arrive in a town covered in crows. They want to find the two Quagmire triplets, but will they?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another enjoyable book in the Series of Unfortunate Events series! I enjoyed the dark imagery of a city covered in crows with citizens who are all too eager to burn at the stake anyone who dares break one of their numerous rules. And of course, things never go well for our poor Boudelaire orphans, but they keep trudging along, making the most of their talents, working together to get through every dire situation. IMO, Lemony Snicket is an ingenious storyteller!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Having completed the seventh book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, I must say this one, The Vile Village, was the most difficult to get through. I imagine when I reach the end of the series, this is the one I'll look back on and ask, “what happened in that book?” I remember crows and... that's about it.There were a few moments worth a snicker. The overarching mystery moved forward a little. Very little. Overall, this book was fairly ho-hum. I've seen many television series go through the same thing—a moment where the creative team loses focus, hopes to stretch the plot while they decide what to do next (Anyone remember Lost's “Stranger in a Strange Land”?) I hope that is the case here. I hope this isn't the new direction for A Series of Unfortunate Events, but merely a breather. The Vile Village was equal with The Bad Beginning in scope and overall story, but I expect more from the seventh book in a series, so I declare this one the worst so far.A Series of Unfortunate Events:The Bad Beginning3.1The Reptile Room3.2The Wide Window3.6The Miserable Mill - 3.3 The Austere Academy - 3.4The Ersatz Elevator - 3.3The Vile Village - 3.1
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oh, the voice in this story! Snarky. Clever. Delicious. Perfect.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The series finally feels like it's got more mystery to it than in the earlier books. But I agree with user benuathanasia - sometimes you just want to smack them!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sometimes I just want to smack the orphans for being so dense. Still amusing, however.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another witty installment where the plot thickens. Not only are we worried about whether the Baudelaires will escape Count Olaf or whether the Quagmires will be saved, we see that the narrator and other characters are interlinked with the plot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a trechorous tale written by Lemony Snicket about threee children who's parents died in a fire. These children go on a series of unfortunate envent. Overall this is a great book and I encourag everybody from 7 and onwards. Rayna
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    this book is great the Baudlures free their friend in a village of comfment they also get the name muder
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It makes me so mad at how the Baudelaire's are wonderful children but are sent to an ungrateful town with a creepy tone to it. These people are ridiculous but at the same time I can't stop reading because theres so many things I don't know.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is one of the more scarier books in the series of unfortunate events. I would recommend it to a child who does not get scared easily.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is fiction. It is a fantastic book.There are 3 children Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Bauldlaire. There parents had died in a fire and they had been placed to live with many gaurdians all ending in disaster. The Bauldlaire orphans are sent to their 7th home. It is the village of v.f.d. Their new gaurdian is a guy named Hector. In this village there are many many many rules. If uy break one as simple as putting too much nuts on ice cream you will be burned at the stake. Later, the village said they had caaptured Count Olaf, the Bauldlaire's old gaurdian who wants to steel Violet's fortune. It really isn't him. In the night in the jail cell he is murdered. A new detective comes. He is Count Olaf the Bauldlaireshad said. It was true. He was discised as a detective so no one regonized him. Then, trouble has begun and it leeads to so much more in the story. This book is 7 points and i recomend it.By Abby Silver
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Yet more bad things happen to the Baudelaires. Normally this series is good at keeping you guessing, but this time I knew the solution to the mystery at the beginning of the book and I've already solved V.F.D. It's disappointing the brilliant Bautdealires aren't up to snuff on this one. It's nice to see them grow and change as a result of their misfortunes, and the series is still clever and well done.