See the full list of books in Lemony Snicket's
Series of Unfortunate
Events.
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Amazon
Make no mistake. The Bad Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse. Their misfortunes begin one gray day on Briny Beach when Mr. Poe tells them that their parents perished in a fire that destroyed their whole house. "It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed," laments the personable (occasionally pedantic) narrator, who tells the story as if his readers are gathered around an armchair on pillows. But of course what follows is dreadful. The children thought it was bad when the well-meaning Poes bought them grotesque-colored clothing that itched. But when they are ushered to the dilapidated doorstep of the miserable, thin, unshaven, shiny-eyed, money-grubbing Count Olaf, they know that they--and their family fortune--are in real trouble. Still, they could never have anticipated how much trouble. While it's true that the events that unfold in Lemony Snicket's novels are bleak, and things never turn out as you'd hope, these delightful, funny, linguistically playful books are reminiscent of Roald Dahl (remember James and the Giant Peach and his horrid spinster aunts), Charles Dickens (the orphaned Pip in Great Expectations without the mysterious benefactor), and Edward Gorey (The Gashlycrumb Tinies). There is no question that young readers will want to read the continuing unlucky adventures of the Baudelaire children in The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson
From Publishers Weekly
"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." So cautions Snicket, the exceedingly well-mannered narrator of these two witty mock-gothic novels featuring the misadventures of 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and infant Sunny Baudelaire. From the first, things look unfortunate indeed for the trio: a fire destroys their home, killing their parents along with it; the executor of their parents' estate, the obtuse Mr. Poe (with a son, Edgar), ignores whatever the children have to say; and their new guardian, Count Olaf, is determined to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. But by using their individual gifts (Violet's for inventing, Klaus's for reading and researching and baby Sunny's for biting) the three enterprising children thwart the Count's planAfor now. The author uses formal, Latinate language and intrusive commentary to hilarious effect, even for readers unfamiliar with the literary conventions he parodies. The peril in which he places the Baudelaires may be frightening (Count Olaf actually follows through on his threats of violence on several occasions), but the author paints the satire with such broad strokes that most readers will view it from a safe distance. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over; readers eager for more misfortune can turn to The Reptile Room, for an even more suspenseful tale. Exquisitely detailed drawings of Gothic gargoyles and mischievous eyes echo the contents of this elegantly designed hardcover. Age 9-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bad Beginning,
This review is from: Series Of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning (Hardcover)
In the Series of Unfortunate Events there are three regular children:Violet, who loves to invent Klaus, who loves to read and Sunny who loves to bite Violet is the oldest, Claus the middle child, Sunny is the youngest. The story begins when the Baudelaire children are informed by Mr. Poe, a banking accountant, that their parents have just been killed by a mysterious fire, and thus begins a series of search for a suitable guardian and a safe place to live. The siblings closest member to their parents is supposedly Count Olaf, only he's not nice. He's exactly the opposite and he plans to steal the immense fortune left by the Baudelaire parents. And to learn what happens next, you'll have to read the book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not you Winnie-the-Pooh!,
By Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Series Of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning (Hardcover)
Quoting from the opening of Chapter 7: "There are many, many types of books in the world, which makes good sense, because there are many, many types of people, and everybody wants to read something different. For instance, people who hate stories in which terrible things happen to small children should put this book down immediately." And they certainly do. The Baudelaire children -- fourteen-year-old Violet, twelve-year-old Klaus, and their infant sister, Sunny -- are off at the beach one day when Mr. Poe the banker comes to tell them that their loving parents have perished tragically in a fire and that their mansion has been utterly destroyed. They will have to go and live with Count Olaf, their (geographically) nearest relative, until Violet is old enough to inherit. He's a horrid, dirty, smelly, scheming, dangerous man, and an actor to boot. Their life there is terrible, even with the kind Justice Strauss and her lovely library next door. And then Count Olaf begins making plans to get his hands on their fortune. The author (whose real name is Daniel Handler) is obviously perverse and possibly deranged, and I love his work; it's hard to tell, sometimes, whether he's really writing for kids or for weird adults. This is the first of a projected thirteen volumes, and all of them are going on my Edward Gorey shelf.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bad Beginning,
By Asha Ogbu (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Bad Beginning (Library Binding)
The Bad Beginning was the first book in the Baudelaire series. The Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, who were skipping rocks at Briny Beach, receive terrible news that their parents died in a terrible fire. Ever since then, the Baudelaires lves have been filled with misery and woe, starting with when they have been sent away to live with their terrible, greedy, and evil uncle, Count Olaf. The children have to do chores every day and cook food for Count Olaf's rude theater troupe, but things only get worse when the Baudelaires realize that Count Olaf is only after the enormous fortune the Baudelaire parents left behind. Klaus, then middle Baudelaire, is the one who figures out that Count Olaf wants to marry Klaus's older sister Violet literally in a play called The Marvelous Marriage in order to gain control of the Baudelaires fortune, and things get even worse when sunnt is hung from the top of a tower in a cage until Violet agrees to marry Count Olaf. You'll have to buy and read the book for yourself to see how the Baudelaires escaped from their miserable situation.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Children's Books > Literature > Action & Adventure
- Books > Children's Books > Literature > Humourous
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Orphans & Foster Homes
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Siblings
- Books > Kids & Family Store > Ages 9-12
- Books > Kids & Family Store > Teens
- Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Adventure & Thrillers
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
