The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket | Teen Ink

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket

July 23, 2011
By Adi12345 PLATINUM, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey
Adi12345 PLATINUM, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey
36 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Of all the catchy books I have read, the most addicting of them all is called, “The Hostile Hospital”, by none other than Lemony Snicket. “The Hostile Hospital,” has an interesting plot, with twists, turns, and countless roadblocks. The plotline kicks off when Baudelaires sent a telegram to Mr.Poe (in a general store), a rather irresponsible banker in charge of their affairs, for help, but didn’t receive a reply. Soon, though, the shopkeeper found out about the “murderers,” (the Baudelaires weren’t really murderes; they were alleged) but the Baudelaires escaped before they were caught with a combination of drama and sheer luck. Not much later, they boarded the Volunteers Fighting Diseases van, and reached Heimlich Hospital. The Baudelaires acquired a voluntary job at the Library of Records, where they filed papers. Later, though, Babs, the head of the hospital “resigned”.
This is where the villain kicks in. Possessing only one eyebrow, a tattoo of an eye on his ankle, and a scratchy voice, Count Olaf is always after the Baudelaires, trying to get his hands on the enormous Baudelaire fortune. This ruthless character is ready to kill two of the Baudelaires, since he only needs one to steal the enormous Baudelaire fortune. In previous sequels, Olaf murdered Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire’s parents and numerous guardians with the use of his evil associates and foxy ruses. Ultimately, when Count Olaf faked his own death and tricked everyone into believing that the murderers were really the innocent Baudelaire children, they were left with no one except for each other. Everyone who read the newspaper, The Daily Punctilio, turned against the Baudelaires. Nonetheless, Count Olaf uses his latest disguise, and “becomes” the new head of the hospital, Mattathias. He orders his associates to set fire to the hospital, where everybody almost dies. In fact, this fire killed one of his most faithful assistants, and yet, Count Olaf’s mind was focused only on the Baudelaire fortune, showing he showed little mercy to his followers as he did to his enemies.
Nevertheless, the Baudelaire children are more than a match for Count Olaf and his ruthless comrades. Sunny Baudelaire “bites her way through problems” with her razor sharp teeth, while Violet is an astute inventor. Klaus is an extremely active reader. His vast knowledge comes in handy, as it was used to save Violet’s life (read to find out how!). What makes this book interesting is that while books usually have happy endings, this book somewhat hovers in between a tragedy and a happy ending. Also, three children having to face the wrath of a terrible villain and his associates who manages to bamboozle the police force and a whole town! Now that makes a good read. This book is definitely recommended if you have a thirst for extreme action and adventure. Undoubtedly, you’ll be fascinated by the way the Baudelaires use their wit to defeat Olaf and his associates’ evil schemes.


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on Aug. 9 2011 at 7:58 pm
alexandria1124 BRONZE, Nowhere., Kentucky
1 article 0 photos 28 comments
I am very excited to know that people still read those books. Thank you.