The Bad Beginning

This was my first time reading The Series of Unfortunate Events and I'll admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect in this first book of the popular 13 book series. 

I went in with only an inkling of the series' premise and found the story to be quite entertaining and uniquely told. It has an eerie, slightly quirky feel with a trio of intelligent siblings and a dastardly villain with an evil plan *cue evil laugh and moustache twirling*. Adults, generally speaking, are not portrayed as the sharpest knives in the drawer (a la Matilda), but the narration led by Tim Curry and a full ensemble cast, was quite impressive. Initially, I liked the inclusion of background effects (a door creaking, wind whooshing ...) which was a nice touch for younger readers but at times, these noises were overbearing, and I struggled to hear the voices. 

One aspect that stood out for me was how bigger 'adult' words are regularly included and then defined for younger readers. They don't impede the story's progress, and initially I liked this way of expanding kids' vocabulary, but they happen too often for my liking and sometimes used words just as big to define the original word which was plain odd and not helpful.

Overall, this is a playful read with a distinctive, fun writing style that runs a bit darker, particularly with Count Olaf who is a delightfully villainous, cynical, and nasty antagonist. This book fell a little short in my expectations but, based on the reviews of other readers, I expect later books in this series to be more entertaining. I appreciated how the author included important themes of family and perseverance and featured a trio of intelligent and resourceful children who take matters and their own fates, into their own hands.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Fiction

Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library

Series: #1 in the A Series of Unfortunate Events series

Narrator: Tim Curry, Full Cast

Run Time: 2 hours, 29 minutes

Publisher: HarperCollins

First Published: 1999

Opening Lines: If you are interested in stories with happy endings, 

you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, 

not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy 

beginning and very few happy things in the middle.

Book Description from GoodReads: 

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