Lemony Snicket

This is an unhappy tale of three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. In this book alone, the youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, and cold porridge for breakfast.

The Bad Beginning

High Fidelity

Unless you have been very, very lucky, you have undoubtedly experienced events in your life that have made you cry. So unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit.

Eimear O'Connor 

'If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.' Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are most unfortunate children. Orphaned after the sudden death of their parents in a house fire, they are left in the hands of their guardian, Count Olaf, who has diabolical plans for them . . . 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, has been translated into 41 languages and was adapted into a 2004 film starring Jim Carrey. 'Wicked good fun' - Kirkus Reviews

would like to thank my professor for being 30 mins late.. fell in love with reading again cause of him

máru

There is nothing to be found in the pages of A Series of Unfortunate Events but misery and despair. You still have time to choose another international best-seller to read. But if you must know what unpleasantries befall the charming and clever Baudelaire children read on . . . In The Bad Beginning the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune and cold porridge for breakfast. Then again, why trouble yourself with the unfortunate resolutions? With 5 million copies sold in the UK alone, one might consider Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events to make him one of the most successful children’s authors of the past decade. We, however, consider these miserable so-called adventure stories and the Hollywood film starring Jim Carrey that accompanied the books for children as nothing more than a dreadful mistake.

A Series of Unfortunate Events 01. The Bad Beginning

The audiobook I listened to had a whole cast and sound design - an awesome surprise!! Amazing experience for the start of this amazing series. 

(And Olaf seriously sounds like Neil Patrick Harris. It's crazy)

joana ashley

The audiobook I listened to had a whole cast and sound design - an awesome surprise!! Amazing experience for the start of this amazing series. 

(And Olaf seriously sounds like Neil Patrick Harris. It's crazy)

kelsey

5✰

but like so many unfortunate events in life, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't so.

this really took me 2 hours to read also i love the baudelaires so much uwu

Still just as good as the first time I read it in 5th grade!

Cameryn Wright

Monicap

I Know I read this in niddle school. AND I know I liked it.

But reading this as a college student, with the benefit of Hindsight bias and KNOWLEDGE... I can't imagine having read this as a middle schooled and not feeling as though my intelligence were being insulted.

Now I don't know, maybe this book was amazing to me as a middle schooler because I didn't don't know all those words (Because reading it as a college student there have been some words that I'm not familiar with) but most of the words are so common I'm pretty sure I knew them in middle school.

I'm talking, of course, about Mr Snicket will say something like the children were dejected--a word which here means "feeling very sad because Count Olaf is doing something evil".
It was an immensely fun way to define words, and would be EXCELLENT for an elementary schooler, but I'm not sure about middle school.

Speaking of that fun way to define words, this book is a PRIME example of the writing law SHOWING vs. TELLING. This was telling the reader everything and showing me almost nothing. It's a good example of what NOT to do as a writer.

Since this was TELLING not showing, the plot and characters seemed very bland as well as juvenile, but I remember that the books did get better as I went on, and gosh darnit, I AM GOING TO GET TO THAT 13TH BOOK if it is the LAST THING I DO.

ttyl

i listened to the audiobook while working and the man narrating coughed in such grotesque manner that i almost throw up 😭😭😭 but anyway, that’s beside the point. 

This was actually the first novel/sequel I ever read in english, I was in elementary school and i remember that I liked it but at the same time I found it dull and gloomy, it bothered me that everything went wrong for them and the worst part was that it continued to go wrong but i was more curious to know what was going to happen and now so many years later I still think the same.

I loved their relationship and how they complement each other, some scenes were funny but overall I think everything is kinda forgettable and that makes me sad somehow.

Daizo 

i listened to the audiobook while working and the man narrating coughed in such grotesque manner that i almost throw up 😭😭😭 but anyway, that’s beside the point. 

This was actually the first novel/sequel I ever read in english, I was in elementary school and i remember that I liked it but at the same time I found it dull and gloomy, it bothered me that everything went wrong for them and the worst part was that it continued to go wrong but i was more curious to know what was going to happen and now so many years later I still think the same.

I loved their relationship and how they complement each other, some scenes were funny but overall I think everything is kinda forgettable and that makes me sad somehow.

starting randomly, this is the 12th book of the series i read, leaving the reptile room the only one unread. despite my personal love for his writing style and dark humour, the kids, and the story, i hardly find the orphans' predicament that saddening. may be i am that heartless or there's something lost in the translation -i read 9 books in indonesian-, idk. the ersatz elevator, the grim grotto, and the end are depressingly haunting but the rest are, yeah, not that much. but this book makes the four of them. it is indeed a bad beginning. i read this book clutching my heart hard. may be i should read the book in order.

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odour. In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy. Ages 10+

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning

Ryan 

Technically, I've finished this book within 24 hours and I've enjoyed this book and watching the show was also great. I still need to continue watching th show. Review to come.

Annika Arguemore

it was great but I only finished one book of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

★★★★ // still as ingenious and amusing as i recall it to be. i’ve always loved and enjoyed Lemony Snicket's dry sense of humor, especially when it gets borderline morbid. heh.

i know this is a middle grade book, but i am eighteen and terrified of count olaf

Laura Mauler

When was this story supposed to take place? At one point it talks about horse and carriages and shows pictures of model-t type cars, yet at another point they talk about credit cards. I'm confused...

ICONIC start to an ICONIC series. Revisiting for the first time since childhood, this time on audiobook. The full cast production was phenomenal, loved Tim Curry as the narrator. I love everything about Lemony Snicket’s writing, especially his fun mechanisms of teaching vocabulary and literary terms to the reader. I also love how he treats the reader like a real person who’s engaging with the book, very self aware. 

cedar winslow

Briar's Reviews

** spoiler alert **
           Book Review:
Title: The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Author: Lemony Snicket
Date Read: October 4th - October 12th, 2016
Date Reviewed: October 12th, 2016

Introduction: I went to a local bookstore and saw that quite a few books in this series was on sale. Since I read these books a long time ago when I was younger, I figured rereading them now as an adult would be fun. I also figured since a new Netflix series is going to be coming around soon that I should go over this book series so I can watch the show!!!

Spoilers Ahead?: Yes.

Quick Summary: Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire face a horrible tragedy - their parents have passed away in a tragic fire and they must go live with the horrible, no good Count Olaf (who is not only a Count but an actor as well). When Count Olaf finds out that Violet has money from their parents in an account, he tries to marry her to acquire this money.

Evaluations: This book is an incredible children's read that adults can also find humorous. For children, this book is full of action and adventure, and the situations seem "realistic". They might have a horrible four times removed third cousin that could take them in!! Reading this book was quite nostalgic, but I find that it still stands. While it's quite foolish and silly, it makes for a great adventure. Overall, I really enjoyed re-reading this book. It's hard to imagine anyone but Jim Carrey as Count Olaf since the movie that was made was actually quite funny (and great in my opinion), but this book will make a great television series!

Plot: As an adult, the children seem boring. They have faced horrible circumstances and it seems like the children are to young to deal with it. For a child, this seems like a great adventure story. These kids have been put through terrible times, but they still fight back in child-like ways. If the reader goes into this book expecting it to be like Harry Potter (where it translates well for both adults and children) then the reader will not be impressed. This book was aimed at children, not adults, so most of the plot seems unrealistic and unimpressive. The kids are whiny, they're constantly wallowing in distress, and they complain how they want their parents back - but aren't mots kids like that? I work with kids, and when they have a bad day they act that way. Overall, the plot is not written to be a fantastic, adult novel. This is a children's novel, so adults beware.

Characters: Violet, Klaus and Sunny are interesting characters within the story. I do not relate to them as much as I did when I was a kid (I used to think I was just like Violet, and now looking at these characters I can't relate at all to any of them). Violet seems to be older and "wiser" in mature situations, Klaus seems to be more intelligent but whinier, and Sunny bites and can't speak well. To a kid, this is essentially an Avengers roster of your average every day kids. To adults, it's three archetype children. As an adult, I also noticed that after their parents die the children are almost perfectly fine. How I understood this concept, is that a child cannot grasp that death is forever, but an adult can. An adult understands these intense feelings, but a child cannot grasp it until it happens. So while many of the situations that occur may seem out of place for an adult, you still need to realize it's aimed towards children. This is simply an adventurous novel for kids to read.

Count Olaf is strange, but I love him. He's a wacky character and keeps the novel interesting. He brings a lot of the twists and turns about that keeps the reader interested. Yes, he's inappropriate when you look at it from an adult point of view (why would he want to marry a pre-teen?..) but in a child's point of view he's a great, wacky villain. I like to compare him as the child's Joker (from Batman). Wacky and strange, but they keep it interesting (of course the Joker is more intense and R-rated, but hopefully you get the point). 

Themes/Creativity: This book is definitely creative! It brings a crazy and wacky plot together with some relatable child characters and then finishes it off with some silly villains. The only theme I might find in this book is family sticking together, but I'm sure there's more hanging around for those theme heavy readers.

Uniqueness: Is this book unique? Absolutely! A book with thirteen novels in the series that kept changing it up is definitely unique. It fits in it's own little category alongside novels like Harry Potter, Eragon and The Wizard of Oz for must reads! I would definitely recommend parents try to get their kids into reading with this series!

Strengths: This novel is definitely aimed at children! It does a great job mixing in child problems, silly villains and adventures for your child reader.

Weaknesses: This book might be considered unrealistic for adults. It definitely doesn't transcend into the older age groups for a good, relatable read. 

Score: Three out of Five.

I find that the relatable-ness factor brings this book down in score, and that the children are sometimes incredibly annoying for an adult audience.

Mythos

4/5 stars 

This is one of my favorite series and it never bores me no matter how many times I read it. I remember how amazed I was as I read, as I had never encountered this type of writing style. I loved how Lemony Snicket warned the readers on each book's cover that the Baudelaire's lives are unpleasant-there is no happy beginning, no happy end, and very few happy things occur throughout the series. I already knew what to expect, but the ways the characters are set up and the events that unfold in each book never failed to captivate me.


  Spoilers:

In terms of the first book, we start on a beach where the three siblings are playing. We get a very good description of what to expect from each sibling. From how inventive Violet was to how aggressive Sunny could be, the book goes on to prove this throughout the book with the actions they take in certain situations. After this, we get to meet the series' main villain, Count Olaf. He immediately had them do difficult chores. Even though they tell Poe, he proves himself useless and fails to admit that Count Olaf is evil. I remember resonating with these scenes because they proved how adults tend to ignore them.

As we continue to read, we realize that he is carrying out a plan in which he will marry Violet and threaten her with having Sunny captive to force her to sign. I loved how she managed to figure out a way to ruin his plan while not making it obvious. She used her non-dominant hand to sign, making it invalid. This caused Count Olaf and his associates to flee. Although Justice Strauss (one of the relatively better adults in this book) offers to take them in once again, Poe steps in (this man annoyed me throughout the series). The story ends with them saying goodbye and being taken to another guardian.

Lacy W

I have read most of these books but not in order, even though I think that should be done. But I like to live life on the edge. I have seen, reading the different reviews on this page that a lot of people have grown up with this series like I did with Harry Potter. I can see why this series is so popular and so very dearly treasured. 

The three Baudelaire children are all so great in their own way and I adore them all. I identify with Violet the most due to her being the oldest and her drive to protect her siblings. I adore that Klaus is a reader and it shows boys that it's okay to be well read and love books. Sunny is adorable, even if she does bite. For a middle grade novel, I am pleasantly surprised by how distinct their personalities are. They are on their way to having a fantastic character arc, which you all know I am here for. 

My favorite part of this book is how it's written. Snicket writes in such a cheeky way and I can't help but smile when I read it. He'll write what a word means, which I think is great for the younger readers that might not know what a word means. He also likes to add his two cents in here and there. It reminds me of The Princess Bride and how the author would also inject something into the book. The story may be simplistic in terms of plot but damn, it's a fun and entertaining ride. 

Overall, this series is one I know I'm going to like and treasure for sure. I mean my dear friend, Emma, adores it so it has to be good! It's dark but not too dark, as it is middle grade. The writing is adorable and quirky. The Baudelaire siblings are going to be added in my huge list of fictional siblings along with my real babies. (If you are reading this, hello my siblings!) 

Now I need to go watch the Netflix show.

Michael Burkhardt

Despite every single warning from the author, I find myself rooting for them. 

It is smart and quirky yet so plain that I just turned the pages over for more.

I feel like I am taken over by Snicket's writing, it is as if he is screaming from every page with constant suffering but I can't hear it over the words of unfortunate events.

Despite every single warning from the author, I find myself rooting for them. 

It is smart and quirky yet so plain that I just turned the pages over for more.

I feel like I am taken over by Snicket's writing, it is as if he is screaming from every page with constant suffering but I can't hear it over the words of unfortunate events.

Ryan LaFerney

The Bad Beginning (book 1 in A Series of Unfortunate Events) kicks off the 10 book series about the newly orphaned Baudelaire siblings and how they came under the care of their new guardian, Count Olaf, an alleged distant cousin, who is determined to get his hands on their family fortune, after the death of their parents. For those who've seen The Netflix series, you know how this one ends. The bleak, gothic atmosphere of The Bad Beginning keeps readers holding their breath, as will the damsel-on-train-tracks adventure. Periodic gusts of wicked humor from narrator Snicket, allow readers to start breathing again after menace strikes. 

What is delightful about this book is the way Snicket (AKA Daniel Handler) writes the Baudlaire siblings. They are unique, enduring, and inspirational. By using their individual gifts (Violet's for inventing, Klaus's for reading and researching and baby Sunny's for biting) the three enterprising children thwart the Count Olaf's evil plans to get his hands on their fortune. The love of learning, creativity, and familiar bonds and duty comes across the page. And Snicket seems to suggest that creativity, ingenuity, intelligence, and love does win the day. However, readers beware: this happy ending isn't your typical fairy tale ending.

Reread: 2020. I still love this series. I love its black humor. Its heart. Its darkness. And more importantly, I love Klaus, Violet, and Sunny. My only question is: WHY ARE ALL THE ADULTS IDIOTS? Seriously, someone help these poor children.

forgot how fast paced and engaging this series is , the narrator / writing style (??) is so charming :)) but i want to give the baudelaire children a warm hug 

Gisela Ayala 

I'm probably biased and I'm probably going to end up just gushing about how good this series, but I don't care. I LOVE IT THAT MUCH. I wanted to relive my childhood and I got it. I almost forgot how much I loved this book. 

I enjoy Lemony Snicket's language use and sarcastic remarks and how he is completely involved in the story. This book is also great if you need a vocabulary lesson.

Even though we have warnings throughout the whole to stop reading such a depressing and sad story, I couldn't stop reading and I loved every second. I can't wait to pick up the second book.

Alyssa Huffman

way more bizarre than i remember it being but loved it all the same <3

The Bad Beginning

Reviews

Highlights