You didn't really expect a traditional resolution from Mr. Snicket, did you? I think the whole point is that there aren't any such things - resolutions, that is. I haven't paid attention to what other people think (excepting of course yourself), but I liked it and found it rather affecting. I enjoyed the way Handler - uh, Snicket - worked in apt literary references everywhere from the Bible to Robinson Crusoe to The Tempest.

Incidentally, I think Blogger's captcha word thingy has been a bit typographically rococo lately: is there any need to use a typeface crammed together so one can't tell the difference between a "c" and an "o"? The idea is to make sure the commenter is a human - not to catch them out in misidentifying letters. I think this one is (as Flasshe would say) "tfsulzn! tfsulzn!"

 

I also enjoyed The End very much. Snicket has an extended passage about 2/3rds through where he tries to convey the sense of dread and awe we often feel when confronting monumental issues. It's passages like this that elevated the entire series for me to a higher level than just kid-lit. I loved reading the whole series to my kids.

 

I had mixed feelings about THE END, also. The writing was lively and delightful, as always, and the allusions to Shakespeare and Robinson Crusoe were a treat. But the plot seemed to take a considerable amount of time to begin unfolding and left many questions unanswered. Perhaps that was Handler/Snicket's intention, but I also wondered if maybe the book was being written under deadline pressure and he didn't have the time he wanted to fully explore all the mini-mysteries he had set up throughout the series. And there is no reason to feel uneasy about having read every installment of the series: I did a presentation on Lemony Snicket at the library last year and was astonished to find out how many enthusiastic fans of all ages the series has attracted.