Books that start out with, or say somewhere on page 1, the literary equivalent of 'and that was the beginning of my miseray' make me very uneasy. (Textual note: Jansch very clearly sings 'master and dame'. The number of webpages that follow the misreading 'my master Amberdine' is astonishing.)

I don't want to read a chronicle of unfortunate events; or if I did, I'd read the real thing. (Which I have no intention of doing, but some day I will google and find out what the fuss with the last volume was. I observe The Little Girls have every volume *but* that one, which suggests judicious parental intervention.) Latest example is An Instance Of The Fingerpost which I bought me for my birthday. I assume it will all end badly, but will it be fun getting there?