Review: A Series Of Unfortunate Events (A Bad Beginning)

Emily brought home "A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning" as one of her library books for the week. She wanted me to read it and let her know if she should read it or not. I told her to start reading it and if she was not comfortable reading it then she could stop. But she did not like that idea. So I read it.

Though I have only read the first one this is very much like a "serial" installment for a pulp magazine.

The story is about the three Baudelaire children who one day had their world came crashing down around them and they go from one unfortunate event to the next. The story does not have a lot of unnecessary and uncalled for language like the Spiderwick series. But it is a tad scary due to Count Olaf a distant-distant cousin adopting them and then basically threating to hurt or kill the children so he can get his hands on their inheritance. It appears that the threat of Count Olaf hangs over the whole series.

The narrator tells the reader often that this book does not have a happy beginning let alone a happy ending. And that if you want a happy story or ending that you should put the book down now (at a happy-ish spot) and pretend they live happily ever after. :) So you are warned sufficiently enough.

Of course the children, who are basically honest and good, have to resort to lies and lies of omission to counter Count Olaf at times. But in this first book they basically are honest and up front with Olaf much to their regret.

Only one part caused me to pause. There is henchman for Olaf who finds the oldest (12 years) daughter to be pretty and sorta leaves things with innuendo. And Olaf strangely sorta does something similar. He is an evil man.

So far it appears the book is cleared for Emily to read if she wants to but with the scary parts who knows.

The story is engaging and appears to be a good read for Emily though we will take each one book at a time.