Who could resist a book written by Lemony Snicket? Lemony who? I figured I would do some research just to figure out who this Lemony guy is. Well it turns out he has lived quite a colorful life. His family has roots in a part of the country that is now underwater, and he grew up in Snicket Villa. He was involved in a scandal that would rival any of our time, and due to this he has been stripped of such awards as Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon, and First Runner Up. Snicket eventually found himself in exile. He has spent the last view eras researching the Baudelaire orphans.
First picking up the book, it looks like an heirloom passed down through the generations written on old parchment. The pages are uneven, yellow, and look worn in.
A children’s book about three orphans and an evil relative, hmm? I must admit before reading this I couldn’t help but see some similarities to another famous orphan, but the similarities stop there. The Bad Beginning contains no magic, well not at least the wizarding kind. What it lacks there it makes up for in the magic of three siblings sticking together in hard times.
The book is told by the all knowing narrator whom when he feels fit drops in to discuss the meaning and usage of a word. I guess for a child this may come in handy as it stops them from needing to go and grab a dictionary, but for an adult it is a distraction and pulls you away from the story.
While reading I said to myself many times, "this is a children’s book right?" It contains some scary themes including poisoning and child abuse.
Bad Beginning tells the story of the three Baudelaire siblings. Violet, 14, has a knack for inventing and building strange devices. Klaus. 12, is an intelligent bookworm, and Sunny, an infant, has a habit of biting people. They become orphans when their parents were killed in a fire that engulfed their mansion. They are sent to live with the evil Count Olaf, who quickly hatches a plot to steal the children’s money. They do everything to please him, even put up with his strange eye fetish.
Snicket’s story is quick witted and can be enjoyed by both children and adults. It is one of the most charming stories I have read in a long time. At only 162 pages of big print it is a quick and enjoyable read.
Look for the movie starring Jim Carey, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law in December 2004.
USA
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