I have a confession: I haven’t read any of Lemony Snicket’s books before Poison for Breakfast. I have heard of him and A Series of Unfortunate Events sits on a shelf somewhere in the house, but not read by me. On Page One, Snicket states “This book is about bewilderment”. I think it would be more accurate to say “This book causes bewilderment”. It starts straightforwardly with the author finishing breakfast and then seeing a piece of paper between the door and the floor. The paper said “You had poison for breakfast.”

This is not a novel. Snicket’s quest to find out who poisoned him by determining which item in his breakfast was poisoned and how, is a framework for a set of philosophical musings and anecdotes. As he says, “… it is also a book of philosophy, a word which here means thinking about things and trying to figure them out.” It has poignant moments, talking about several people who are no longer here. It’s a quick read – I think it took me 90 minutes from start to end – but I would probably have benefitted from stopping and reflecting every so often.

And that’s the issue: I found Lemony Snicket’s style irritating. He often writes “xxx, a word/phrase which here means yyy”. That is how one talks to small children. I thought he was going to be ironic but nope, it’s often a straight definition. The narrative shoots off at another tangent every few paragraphs. Rather than bewildered, though, I was frustrated. That made me want to just finish the darn thing as fast as I could. My loss, I suspect.

Would I recommend this book? Yes and no. No – the style is really really not for me and others may be similarly frustrated (and, yes, Mr Snicket, bewildered). Yes – there are probably some good messages in there and observations that deserve some reflection. I suspect, though, that many people will be too distracted by the idiosyncratic style to heed them. The book’s end-notes demonstrate the author’s genuine erudition – I wish he’d written this book in a more adult way.

#PoisonforBreakfast #NetGalley

Genre: Is Lemony Snicket a Genre?

Release Date: Expected 2nd September 2021

Publisher: Oneworld Publications | Rock The Boat


It all starts with breakfast; tea with honey, toast with cheese, a sliced pear, an egg.

After breakfast, Mr Snicket finds a lone scrap of paper informing him he'd had poison for breakfast. But rather than patiently waiting for his demise, he decides to investigate where this unwanted ingredient could have come from and sets off to track down some tea and honey ...

In that trademark Lemony Snicket style, which is almost a genre of its own at this point, Poison for Breakfast, is a delightfully absurd story for curious readers of any age. Full of the trademark expressions and prose I've come to love and expect, a strangely familiar sense of foreboding and a unique twist, this didn't fail to live up the reputation of Mr Snicket.

A quick read, this was the perfect length. Especially seeing as instead of a story, per se, this is more like a long string of thoughts being told haphazardly to the reader, feeling totally incoherent and making perfect sense at the same time. There is no dramatic climax or shock reveal to wait for, just a steady stream to follow to the end until the story drifts off into the distance.

During our authors journey to find out why he has been poisoned, he thinks about life, about death, about strangers, friends and enemies and about the wonder of simply existing. Raising questions about morals and philosophy, and making some excellent insight into how completely strange it is to be a writer of all things.

Poison for Breakfast was thirteen chapters of sublimity - a word which here means being wickedly clever, surreal and so very fun.

GENRE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Lemony Snicket, Oneworld Publications and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Classic Lemony Snicket!
I am a huge fan of a Series of Unfortunate Events and this didn’t disappoint. After All The Wrong Things I was a bit nervous to pick up a new one from this author but I should have trusted him more, and now I’m back on board, his future books will go to the top of my tbr pile. It has all the elements which make it a recognisable book without knowing who the author is - the stream of consciousness which lead off into tangents, the liberal use of “a word which here means” and the smart observations.
It’s impossible to nail down a synopsis but trust me, this is such a short book it’s worth a read. Definitely also a great intro into the world of Lemony Snicket if you’ve not read before as well!

Let's take a trip down memory lane... 16 years ago (Woah i am OLD!) when i was reading Nancy Drew and Malory Towers. I was looking for a change and came across A Series of Unfortunate Events. WHAT A DIFFERENT BOOK. Such a unique writing style and so gripping, i just knew i would love this author forever.

So its no surprise that i loved this.
1. I love the author
2. He goes off on a tangent
3. It's classic Lemony Snicket
4. Olaf is mentioned!
5. But now Olaf makes.me think of Frozen.
6. You are getting off track.
7. When you read this book, this bizarre list will make sense 😂

No seriously, i thought it was clever, well written, very much enjoyed it. It was too short, i needed more!

I struggled to make my way through the meandering and barely connected series of anecdotes to a conclusion I then found lack-lustre as well. I love Lemony Snicket but this one really wasn't suited for my reading tastes, unfortunately.

What better way to waste a afternoon after work then sitting down with a decent book.
When I saw this book on Netgalley I was eager to get a copy.

"I was appreciating a close-up view of gravel,"

This book was interesting. And I have missed Snicket's style of writing.
But even I'll admit at times I thought he was on a mad ramble.

It was an entertaining read overall. And I'm am so glad I had the chance to grab an early copy.

I haven't read much Snicket before,but aware of how well read they are.
So was keen to see what all the hype was about.
This is a fun book,it's narrated in such a way that I could hear someone chatting away to me as they went about their investigations.
It was at times thought provoking,and at others,complete nonsense..

Quite the combination,yet here,it mixed well.