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The Bad Beginning

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1

By Lemony Snicket

(186)

| Hardcover | 9780064407663

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Book Description

Dear Reader,

I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this Continue

Critics

The Best Reviews: Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning

Click review title to read full review "Three children, many unfortunate events" Reviewed by Guest Reviewer Posted June 16, 2004 The Bad Beginning is the first book in Lemony Snicket's, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The story starts out with three ... (read full critics)

thebestreviews published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

A Series of Unfortunate Events #01: The Bad Beginning

Review-a-Day Monday, November 19th, 2001 A Series of Unfortunate Events #01: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket A review by Georgie Lewis A terribly well-read editor friend who works for a well respected publisher of young adult fiction confessed to ... (read full critics)

powells published on Mon, 6 Sep 2010

11 Reviews

2 people find this helpful

Through a weird set of circumstances, I came to read The Reptile Room with a group of students. This, as many know, is the second book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. This is a series I have wanted to read, but frankly, with such a lengthy list of unread books, I have not ta ... (continue)

Through a weird set of circumstances, I came to read The Reptile Room with a group of students. This, as many know, is the second book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. This is a series I have wanted to read, but frankly, with such a lengthy list of unread books, I have not tackled. As I read The Reptile Room, my OCD kicked in. I just had to read the first book in the series.
For the past week I had been wanting to stop off at the used bookstore in town to pick up a copy. It didn’t happen. But yesterday Beetle remained home with her mother, which freed my trip home from work. I stopped in and found two copies of the first book (The Bad Beginning): one hardcover and one paperback, both priced the same. :( I selected the hardcover.
Upon opening the book, the nameplate was signed with a familiar name; the boy who lives across the street had owned this book. I took this as a good omen. :)
The Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) do indeed have a series of unfortunate events. First their parents die in a house fire. Then they are shepherded off to Count Olaf, their closest (in distance) relative. The Count, a drunkard, actor, and otherwise miserable brute devises a plan to take control of the vast Baudelaire fortune.
Ah yes, dear reader, upon Violet turning of age (she is 14 now) she will inherit a great fortune. Until then, Violet and her siblings are bounced about among the seedy.
While the fortunate remains safe for the time being, there is no happy ending, as Lemony Snicket is fond of highlighting. Life is miserable for the Baudelaires.
Lemony Snicket’s writing is a breath of fresh air. The author frequently takes time out to explain terms and events to the reader. These read much like movies/television shows where the actors break out of character and address the camera. What great fun! The Bad Beginning is classic English humor that, much in the spirit of the late Roald Dahl, captures the reader immediately.
Follett states the reading level of this book sixth grade (ages 11-12). Much like Rowling’s Harry Potter series, A Series of Unfortunate Events has captured young readers. Many of my fourth graders are reading the series and an even larger group of fifth graders are too. Interesting, well-written prose will always find an audience and this book is just that.
It looks like I will be visiting the bookstore again real soon . . .

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Batona said on Jun 5, 2007 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

A great beginning indeed

If you think you are going to read an interesting review revealing the truth about the story of the three Baudelaire orphans, you are totally wrong.
First of all, there is no truth in this story but one: adults are the dullest people ever (Mr Poe! The Crowd! In her kindness, Justice Strauss herself! ... (continue)

If you think you are going to read an interesting review revealing the truth about the story of the three Baudelaire orphans, you are totally wrong.
First of all, there is no truth in this story but one: adults are the dullest people ever (Mr Poe! The Crowd! In her kindness, Justice Strauss herself!)
Second of all, there is nothing the Baudelaire siblings can do but depend on each other. That's the strength of the three and of the story itself (is that a moral?).
And this is just the (bad, bad) beginning.

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Valeria said on Jan 27, 2012 about the Audio Cassette edition | Add your feedback

So funny! I love how the narrator explains the vocabulary and Sunny's words and thoughts. I just listened to the audiobook - I'd read the series years ago - and although at first the sound effects throughout were extremely distracting, I really enjoyed it once I got used to it.

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jeanette said on Jul 8, 2011 about the Audio Cassette edition | Add your feedback

It's a good story and it's easy to read for the non-english people, like me :)

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Rocy said on Jul 23, 2010 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

I picked up book 1 to read to my son hoping it would spark an interest in reading for him and I'm so glad I did. We take turns reading and trying to figure out what happens next. This is such an enjoyable book and I look forward to the series to come.

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Leahrussell76 said on Feb 25, 2010 | Add your feedback

A bit of a let-down, this book, I thought it would be funnier. Count Olaf is a truly nasty character and the book is quite one dimensional.
Also, it is really a `children´s book`, lots of explaining of difficult words and such.
But it should be quite entertaining for a child who likes `da ... (continue)

A bit of a let-down, this book, I thought it would be funnier. Count Olaf is a truly nasty character and the book is quite one dimensional.
Also, it is really a `children´s book`, lots of explaining of difficult words and such.
But it should be quite entertaining for a child who likes `dark` stories.

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Linda Wilke said on Jun 30, 2008 | Add your feedback

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Book Details

Rating:
(186)
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English Books
Hardcover 176 Pages
Edition: 1
ISBN-10: 0064407667
ISBN-13: 9780064407663
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Pub date: Sep 30, 1999
Dimensions: 1161 mm x 839 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Library Binding, School & Library Binding and Others
In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani