"Three children, many unfortunate events"

The Bad Beginning is the first book in Lemony Snicket's, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The story starts out with three children named Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on the beach, when Mr. Poe, a bank manager came and told the Baudelaire's that their parent's died in a fire. Hence leaving them orphans.

The children are put in the care of Count Olaf, a relative of the late Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire. Count Olaf is really a mean, obnoxious man who really doesn't care about the children, but only their fortune. But when Mr. Poe visits, Count Olaf is a very nice man, pretending to love the children and fooling Mr. Poe.

Throughout the book the children are subjected to Count Olaf's evil ways and find themselves in bleak situations constantly. Their unlucky adventures don't stop there, the Baudelaire children find themselves in more unfortunate events as the series continues in THE REPTILE ROOM.

If you are looking for a happy story, then this is not a book for you. The story is sad, but gives children a dose of reality and a glimpse into lives of those who have encountered unfortunate events. Even though the book is a sad one, I found them extremely enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, THE REPTILE ROOM.

Courtesy of Bea Sigman's son

Reviewed by Guest Reviewer
Posted June 16, 2004

Summary

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 book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune. In this short book alone, 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. It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing. With all due respect, Lemony Snicket