The Bad Beginning (1999)
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The Bad Beginning Book Review
The Bad Beginning is a 1999 dark comedy children’s novel by Lemony Snicket. It’s the first entry in A Series of Unfortunate Events and it’s a classic by all means.
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“I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this,
but first impressions are often entirely wrong“
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This series is one my of my childhood favorites so it was great witnessing it again and being reminded of its greatness. Yes, this series of books is very much wonderful even for adults despite its obviously kid-friendly language and writing style by the author which are somewhat distracting, but mostly very appealing and sweet, and even funny.
The first book is all about the beginning where the three protagonists suddenly become orphans after their parents die in a fire. They are left in the care of the villainous Count Olaf who is after their inheritance so he devises a devious plan to get their money by marrying Violet in a legal loophole.
Let’s first touch upon that legal aspect to it. It was a bit silly, yes. But there lies the strength of these novels as they rest on just the right amount of silly to make the stories more memorable and interesting. That whole plan involved many twists and turns and it was ultimately a lot of fun. I loved the manipulation of Olaf and how the kids set out to stop him.
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Let’s talk about these great characters. So Violet herself is the oldest of the siblings and she’s a scientific mind. It was wonderful by the author to include a tough young female character who should prove as a role a model to any young girl reading the book as she’s more interested in devices and machines which is usually a boy interest.
As for Klaus, he’s shortchanged in the first novel in favor of her sister, but his reading interest is well put to use nonetheless, and I really like how the two are highly smart, but to a degree as they don’t know every single thing emphasized here. Sunny is just a baby obsessed with chewing things, but she’s a big element of the final chapters in a great way.
Mr. Poe is such a stupid middle-aged man who reminded me of Mr. Banks from ‘Mary Poppins’, but this one doesn’t have the nuance of that classic character as he’s too stupid to see through anything. The judge is an overly nice woman, but she worked in the context of the story.
As for Count Olaf, what is there to say more than to state the obvious – he’s the main reason why this series of books is so great. He’s the standout character, the most memorable one and the most entertaining creation for sure. I loved his look, and that eye emphasis is intriguing for now. He’s a hilariously cartoony villain who really works and I loved every single plot point involving him.
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The Bad Beginning has its structural pacing issues as some of the middle parts felt very rushed in nature as the novel is only around a hundred pages long which is unfortunate as it’s so fun that I wanted much more of it. Some of the plot points and dialogue were too on-the-nose, but overall I liked that cartoony nature to the book as it was fun, exciting and beautifully childlike. The author’s descriptions of the places are also great and his narration, though grating at times, is mostly very amusing as the black humor at display here is so strong and consistent.
The Bad Beginning definitely has its minor issues, but overall it’s a great example of classic children’s literature that is timeless in quality and simply great across the board. The characters are instantly memorable, especially the villain, the plot is terrific and the black humor is fabulously utilized.
