The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket

Advantages: Clear, precise writing, lots of educational and amusing asides.
Disadvantages: Horrendously mercenary, hopelessly derivative.

...also lost all their possessions. The only things left to them are the clothes they stand up in. Mr Poe, the asthmatic, bronchial executor of their parents' will tracks down a relative with whom they must live. Count Olaf is not a nice man. Tall, thin, gaunt and distinctly suspicious, he does not treat the Baudelaire orphans well. They share a room with one bed, their clothes are dumped in a cardboard box and they must spend half the day doing chore ...
...hands on their fortune. With the aid of the kindly Justice Strauss, Violet the boffin with a talent for inventing gadgets and Klaus the clever bookworm must find and foil the Count's evil plan… Ack. I very much wanted to love The Bad Beginning, but I did not. It is the first in a series of gothic adventure books for children written by a shadowy figure known as Lemony Snicket. Lemony Snicket has spent years researching the fortunes of the Baudelaire ... Read review

Advantages: Good plot and twists, easy to read
Disadvantages: It's not a happy book

...(pseudonym of Daniel Handler) writes the dark comic children's books A Series of Unfortunate Events. After reading the back of the first book in this series I was intrigued and wanted to find out more. The back of the book is written as a letter to the reader. It tries to persuade the reader to put the book down and walk away. "I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three ...
...Lemony Snicket" I thought the it was very unusual that the back of the book was trying to get you to put it down, as usually this is the selling point. I usually do prefer happy books but I still found that I enjoyed this book even though it is not at all happy. Three wealthy siblings, who have wonderful lives, they live in a huge mansion with their loveable parents, are clever, and have tonnes of money and plenty of friends. It sounds a lovely ... Read review

Advantages: Beautifully written, original, intelligent
Disadvantages: Sorry, but just not an instant classic for me

...that I don't join in the five star brigade. Don't get me wrong, the last thing I wanted for my return to ciao was to annoy everyone! And (as you can see by my extremely high four star rating!) I feel there is much to commend and recommend Mr. Snicket and his unfortunate events. But I'll admit it from the start: I liked them, I really liked them. I just didn't love them, and that had to be reflected in my rating. Just for the record, although I'll ...
...writing about it in the context of the series. A Series Of Unfortunate Events is a brilliant premise. The Bad Beginning introduces us to the three incredibly likeable, supernaturally decent and intelligent Baudelaire children- Violet (14), Klaus (12) and Sunny (infant). (Von Bulows,- no, I can't spell it- anyone?). Each has a talent, respectively inventions, reading and biting, and all are law-abiding, obedient and loving. When their parents die ... Read review

Advantages: a good book for children
Disadvantages: a little repetitive

...have just finished reading for the second time. Who is the author? º°º°"˜º°º°"˜º°º°"˜º°º°"˜º The author is Lemony Snicket. It is an author very mysterious, difficult to know who it is really! It was born in a small city from the United States, and now lives in a large city, with by that one do not know anything him. The bad Beginning º°º°"˜º°º°"˜º°º°"˜º°º°"˜º "The bad Beginning" is the first book of a "Series Of Unfortunate Events". There is ...
...children. The story : - - - - - - - - The Baudelaire children are three: Violet, 14 years ; Klaus, 12 years and their small sister Sunny, a baby. At the beginning of the book, they will become orphan because their parents died in a terrible fire. The Baudelaire children are then entrusted to the horrible Olaf tale. That is thinks of only one thing : to seize the heritage of the children. It for that will do everything to arrive there, it is very ... Read review

Advantages: very Funny, hard to put down, and generally well written.
Disadvantages: Not good for people who like a happy ending.

The story sounds a bit depressing. Three orphaned children, with nowhere to go except to stay with a cruel uncle, who lives in a dirty house, has a strange obsession with eyes, and is plotting a plan to get his hands on the Baldaire Orphan's fortune. Sad, isn't it? Not in the slightest! No, don't think of me as a morbid and evil being, but the way in which the novel is written is actually very funny! For example, instead of toys to play with, the ...
...Things only get worse for the Baldair orphans, when we find out that the evil Uncle (Count Olaf) and his theatre group are plotting to steel the Baldaire fortune. From here, the story uncoils in twists and turns. The story goes from a fuss about Roast Beef to poisoned raspberries to a baby suspended 30 ft high in a cage. Read it and find out! But just when you think the Baldaire orphans are going to live happily ever after with the kind neighbour ... Read review