The Basic Eight

Rating:
Summary: Well, it won't be an Oprah Book!
Review: . . . but anyone who loves black comedy should read it -- twice. At first, this book seems like it's just going to be a wild romp through high school -- complete with kids who throw lavish dinner parties in sculpture gardens and drink cappuccino at coffee bars with names like Bean and Nothingness or Death Before Decaf. Only hitch is, we already know that the seemingly sweet ("fat", dowdy, lovesick) anti-heroine, Flannery Culp, has been convicted of the Satanic murder of her crush, Adam State in one of the media events of the century. How could this happen? The rest of the book is a puzzle, and we get it in pieces. From Dr. Eleonor Tert (a formerly drug-addicted flight attendant turned guru), Winnie Moprah (no relation, I'm sure), and even Guiness Book-reciting Flora Habstadt (who, Flannery assures us, was never one of the Basic Eight). And especially, from Flannery, who interrupts her perpetual prison solitaire game to explain how her love notes to Adam, experimentation with absinthe (Poe's drug of choice), her calculus teacher's command to "do something" (surely he didn't mean murder), and particularly, her coffee dates with the glamorous Natasha lead to . . . well, read it and find out.

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Summary: this is an awesome book.
Review: damn this is a great book for people at least over 15only because of its exremely dark humor and the slightly graphic scenes contained in this book. i read it in two days for a book project and when my teacher checked the title she got intrested and started reading the summary on the book flap. she wanted this to be read in class eve though she had no idea how bad (talking about the uh way she describes certain things) some parts were. so i think you should definetly read this book and if you dont you will deffinetly miss in on some of his clues to the series of unfortunate events books. I finally know why they are considered children books...

Rating:
Summary: Black Humor at it's Best
Review: Daniel Handler is just as hilarious as himself as he is as Lemony Snicket. The Basic Eight takes a morbid theme--high school student bruatally murdered by heart broken peer--and turns it into one of the funniest black comidies I've ever read.

Flannery speaks to us through her journals and the little inserts she adds as she's editing them, and tells us how it really happened. Things that have no buisness being funny had me rolling on the floor. The dark humor that he uses in his children's books was out in full force in this, his first novel. If black comedy offends you, well, you'll be offended so stay away, otherwise, read it and find yourself laughing even though you're not really sure why.

I'm going to have to read it again, as it had a bit of a "shocker" in it towards the end. Besides, I couldn't put it down, read for three hours straight Friday evening until I finished it, so I know I missed a lot by speed reading. But, I just couldn't stop!

Rating:
Summary: Humorous and Horrifyingly Disturbing
Review: From the very beginning of the book we know the narrator is in prison for murdering a high school love interest. So this sets us at ease, believing that whatever comes, we cannot really be surprised because we've already had a glimpse into the climax of the story. And it is an entertaining story, humorous, and fairly representative of what it is like to be a teenager. It is also clever, as so many have said, but not in the cutesy way that the word implies. Handler is a true wordsmith, which readers will appreciate. And I was shocked by what finally happens in the book, even though I thought I already knew. I had picked up on all the naive things that Flannery had missed but eventually stumbled onto and noted in her journal, but then there were the naive things that I as a reader missed, and that left me tormented most of all. You feel that with her friends, the Basic Eight, no matter what happens to Flannery she won't be alone, but it goes to show that sometimes it's the people in a crowd who are most alone.

Rating:
Summary: Sloppy and annoying
Review: I thought Daniels' language was witty and enjoyable - he dubbed many well know places and people with names that were just a bit of a twist. I liked how the main character evolved in the pages from an average looking, somewhat dumpy girl into . . . He hit the mark in describing the highschool relationships and how easy it is to flit from one "steady" to another. The surprise at the end meant that the reader could think about all the characters and relationships in a different light and basically get a different feel from the same text. It was entertaining on so many levels - and levels this book had.

Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read
Review: I'm 17 and have read many books. NO book I have read can match The Basic Eight, by Daniel Handler as the most gripping, intense and moving account of a misunderstood teenager in american society. The narrative structure is clever, the characters expertly drawn, but above all the greatness of this book comes from the narration through the eyes of the witty, sarcastic, unhinged, but above all teenaged Flannery. It just completely appealed to myself as a teenager, though this wont stop older or slightly younger (not too young - you wont get important parts of the book) enjoying it.
I had to read it almost all in one sitting as it gripped me and after reading I thought about it so much that I had to pick up some rubbish book to take my mind off The Basic Eight. The end, following the dramatic and emotional events of 'October 31st' ends on a sad and poetic note, the poetic descriptive qualities of which are present through Handler's amazing authorship.
Enough babbling, just get this book, and I guarantee you will love it!

Rating:
Summary: Get a Grip on Handler
Review: I'm a long time fan of Lemony Snicket and his children series so naturally I picked up Handler's The Basic Eight. I was expecting to see the same mock overtones that you notice in the darkly funny children's series. While we do get the dark humor his style is extemely different. Unlike most readers who expected to see some rendition of: "A word which here means...", I was delightfully surprised to find a great new writing style. Handler brillaintly captures the teen angst and misguided love that all of us have expeirenced. The book (in case you were wondering) is about Flannery Culp, a young misguided teenager who is in prison for killing a certain Adam State. Flannery is the leader of the infamous, 'Basic Eight,' who took part in Flannery's murder. The book is written in a sort of fragmented diary entry as she recounts the events that led up to and after the brutal murder of Adam State. Written with great wit and humor Handler composes a satire that's a must read.

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Summary: From the perspective of a "Roewer" student
Review: this book has special meaning if you actually went to "roewer," (or should i say lowell?). even now, 17 years after daniel handler graduated, certain aspects of lowell remain the same and will seem eerily familiar to those acquainted with mr carmack (carr), who is, unsurprisingly, still a perverted molester, and mrs keyak (kayak), who still wears enormous sunglasses inside the building. i can't really imagine enjoying the basic eight if you're not a current or former lowellite, as the writing gets almost cutesy in its sarcasm. still, worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Creeeeeepy!
Review: This book is so dark, I love it. It is definently one of my favorite books that I've ever read. The ending leaves you wondering, and you have to go through every single senario in your head to make sure it fits. Amazing book, spectacular! I love how it takes teen life into something totally new. And although, as you read, it may seem that Handler blows the ending for you, once you get to the ending, you'll be shocked. Enjoy this book, damnit!
I recommened it to everyone.