The Bad Beginning

By Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist

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Average Rating: (See all 9 reviews) Format: Hardcover, 176 pages Other Information: Illustrated Published In: United States, September 1999 Other Editions: Hardback, USA $19.99 $17.97 View Quantity Available: 881 Ships within 6-10 days After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. Illustrations. From The Publisher: 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+ Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 0064407667 EAN: 9780064407663 Dimensions: 18.69 x 13.16 x 1.88 centimeters (0.24 kg)

Despite the fact that this novel was made into a lamentable film starring Jim Carey, this first book in a series of thirteen is a treat to read from start to finish. Telling the wonderfully woeful tale of the three orphaned Baudelaires and their arch nemesis, the evil actor Count Olaf this blackly comic novel is so full of fun and subversive jokes, it can be enjoyed by children as well as adults. A perfect length to be read all in one sitting, this delightful book is the perfect pick-me-up on a rainy afternoon.

After reading the first page in this book I was hooked on the series for good. My little sister both read this book in a matter of hours. The way that Lemony Snicket writes is just so addictive it should have a warning label on it.
If you haven't read this book yet then please do. You won't be disappointed.

this book is so unbeleievably good! i read it from stat to finish in a really short space of time because it just drew my attention from the get go! lemony snickets books are phenomenal! and the movie is pretty good to! but not as good as the books as they cram alot until 3 hours--thats why you should read this book! a creepy but good book

This book is about three children who become orphans when both their parents die in a fire. The children are forced to live with their closest relative in the area, who is either their third cousin four times removed or their fourth cousin three times removed, a terrible man who goes by the name of Count Olaf. The children are forced to do chores while Count Olaf tries to steal their fortune.

This is the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

As much as I love the movie it is the details in this book which they misuse which annoys me. Violet not Klaus is the one to make the harrowing journey to save their younger sister. Regardless this book tells the whys and wherefores of why Count Olaf is following the children to the ends of the earth and starts the children on the mystery of the VFD.

A friend lent me the first book, and I just had to have the series. I love these books. Lemony Snicket is a fresh new author who puts a whole new perspective on storytelling. The three orphans Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are brave and daring and simply enchanting. These books will leave you laughing, and will perhaps tug at your heartstrings when you read of the unfortunate events that the three children are in the midst of.
The first book details the orphans arrival in the home of Count Olaf, supposedly their closest relative. What follows is indeed a string of incredibly unfortunate events. A great read.

A friend lent me the first book, and I just had to have the series. I love these books. Lemony Snicket is a fresh new author who puts a whole new perspective on storytelling. The three orphans Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are brave and daring and simply enchanting. These books will leave you laughing, and will perhaps tug at your heartstrings when you read of the unfortunate events that the three children are in the midst of.
In this first book, Lemony Snicket tells the sad tale of their parents' deaths in a fire that destroyed their entire home. They are sent to live with their closest relative, their "dear Count Olaf". But they are not in his house for five minutes when they discover that he is altogether an exremely unpleasant person. A great read.

author lemony snicket (although it turns out later in the series lemony snicket is actually a character in the series) gives a series of unfortunate events a darkly humourous charm, filled with biting sarcasm and accompanied by fantastic illustrations by the fantastic artist brett hilquist. a must buy, read it

the darkly humourous title actually does not at all apply to the contents of the bad begining, the first book in the popular series 'a series of unfortunate events'. the beginning of siblings violet klaus and sunny's tragic stories is a good one, and will grip all readers in its meloncholy yet interesting grip

I thought that this book was great! It was very well written. It made me want to keep reading further and further into the book. It was surprising to hear the story on such a bad thing happen. I thought that starting the book with their parents dieing was a bit surprising. But on the other hand I still thought this was a good book. It had a lot of parts which kept making me want to read more. This book was mysterious and some parts a bit scary (not much at all though). I plan on reading more of these books because they were so interesting. I would recommend this book to all ages of 8 and up. If you like mysterious book and bit scary books you should like this.