Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
    A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
    A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
    Ebook123 pages1 hour

    A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning

    By Lemony Snicket and Brett Helquist

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

    In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy. 

    Are you made fainthearted by death? Does fire unnerve you? Is a villain something that might crop up in future nightmares of yours? Are you thrilled by nefarious plots? Is cold porridge upsetting to you? Vicious threats? Hooks? Uncomfortable clothing?

    It is likely that your answers will reveal A Series of Unfortunate Events to be ill-suited for your personal use. A librarian, bookseller, or acquaintance should be able to suggest books more appropriate for your fragile temperament. But to the rarest of readers we say, "Proceed, but cautiously."

    Editor's Note

    Sensationally spellbinding...

    Begin at the beginning of this wonderfully weird, impressively imaginative, sprawling series by master wordsmith Snicket, whose spellbinding prose captivates readers of all ages.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061757099
    Author

    Lemony Snicket

    Lemony Snicket had an unusual education, which may or may not explain his ability to evade capture. He is the author of the 13 volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, several picture books including The Dark, and the books collectively titled All The Wrong Questions.

    Read more from Lemony Snicket

    Related to A Series of Unfortunate Events #1

    Titles in the series (4)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Children's Action & Adventure For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Silence of Witches

      Dec 10, 2019

      The Silence of Witches
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Quiet Boy

      Jan 28, 2019

      The Quiet Boy
      29 min read

    • Article

      Benjamin Nugent

      Jun 15, 2018

      Claire’s roommates threw her out on November third, for falling behind on rent and hogging the Xbox. During the next three weeks, she lived in other people’s houses. She missed the Xbox, but couch surfing was like a game. She had to not smell like co

      20 min read

    • Article

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”

      Oct 9, 2019

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”
      7 min read

    • Article

      An unexpected LESSON

      Mar 9, 2021

      An unexpected LESSON
      6 min read

    • Article

      Lockdown Stories

      Nov 13, 2020

      Lockdown Stories
      6 min read

    • Article

      Marked with SILVER

      Jan 17, 2024

      Marked with SILVER
      12 min read

    • Article

      Breathing And Interested

      Jul 1, 2019

      I want to tell you a story about my daughter Jane Bell. Not long ago, she was nearly five at the time, we were walking to get the mail. Our driveway is long—about two-fifths of a mile from the house to the mailbox—so it is a substantial hike for some

      15 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Aug 9, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Oct 18, 2021

      by Gigi Fenster Text Publishing — $38 Alarm bells may be set off by the first few lines of this novel: “The baby, Michael, grew healthy and strong. Strong enough to be difficult. Strong enough to have tantrums … And it wasn’t so bad for the baby’s mo

      7 min read

    • Article

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”

      Oct 6, 2019

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”
      7 min read

    • Article

      Alice And The Jabberwocky

      Apr 10, 2022

      ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe. Once again, Alice found herself in her bedroom, feeling rather mimsy indeed. Every day now, at two o’clock, she would sit at

      18 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Apr 1, 2020

      Linden, age 9 Green Bay, WI Ophidia, the medusa, tried desperately to sketch a self-portrait. Later she would add color. Her problem was every time she looked into the lake at her reflection, the snakes of her hair were in a very different place. Sh

      8 min read

    • Article

      Ghoulies and Ghosties

      Oct 1, 2022

      Ghoulies and Ghosties
      7 min read

    • Article

      Clam Down

      Apr 13, 2017

      Clam Down
      9 min read

    • Article

      Somehow

      Mar 15, 2018

      Somehow
      4 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson

      Jul 29, 2021

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson
      4 min read

    • Article

      Concerning The Future Of Souls

      Mar 19, 2024

      As a toddler she had caused a sensation in her family when she announced she wanted to live in a little hole like the ant. Not an ant, the ant. This might have been misheard. She was an easygoing child, not particularly thoughtful and stubbornly inar

      13 min read

    • Article

      Me & Davey Waters

      Jan 15, 2023

      Me & Davey Waters
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Series of Unfortunate Events #1

    4/5

    1,082 ratings265 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      There are three Baudelaire kids. The oldest Baudelaire child is Violet. She loves to constantly think of new possible inventions that she could make. The second oldes Baudelaire child is Klause. Klause loves to read, read, and read. He knows basically every word in the dictionary. The youngest Baudelaire is Sunny. Sunny loves, and loves to bite things. She has very sharp teeth and does not know how to speak very clearly but the Baudelaire children always know what Sunny is saying. The Baudelaire children were on a beach one day and suddenly saw a friend of the family's, Mr. Poe. He had dreadful news that he had told the the Baudelaire children . Mr. Poe told them that their parents had died recently in a terrible fire. This just gets worse as their life goes on. Mr. Poe sends them to a relative or more like a third cousin. These children end up with a dreadful horrible relative name Count Olaf. Count Olaf treats them terrible and is very bad to the Baudelaire children, he is trying to steal the fortune of the Baudelaire children, that their parents had, once they died. It all comes out that Count Olaf has a terrible plan. He wants to perform a play and marry Violet. He just says it is a play, but really he wants it to be real. He wants it to be real so he can get a hold of the Baudelaire children's money.My opinion about this book is AWESOME! This book is very fascinating and depressing at the same time. But the author gives out a really good point. There are these three children who's parents had just died in a dreadful fire and they get stuck with a terrible relative that tries to steal their money. This shows how hard these children work for just happiness and what they used to have, and love. This all comes about in The Bad Beginning.
    • 4/5
      Hilarious book about the miserable life of three orphans.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. We meet the Baudelaire children at the same time they find out they have become orphans. The children are sent to live with a 'cousin' Count Olaf who is a mean old man and wants the children for only one reason. The whole thing culminates in the Play that isn't a play "The Marvelous Marriage".This was a fun little book and is a fast read. Count Olaf is truly despicable, the Baudelaire children are very heroic and Mr. Poe is truly clueless. Great books for Middle school age and fun for others. An interesting introduction to show how life isn't always as fair as we'd like.
    • 4/5
      The Baudeliare siblings are suddenty made orphans after the death of their parents; they are sent to live with their distant relative, the horrible, Count Olaf. Count Olaf is determined to acquire the children's fortune and has planned unspeakable acts in order to get the money.This is a rather haunting story with a number of essential vocabulary lessons thrown in for good measure. Definitely one of a kind.
    • 3/5
      Basically, this book is about how kids are hella smart, and adults just don't give them enough cred. The Baudelaire children have just become the Baudelaire orphans, and everything bad that could ever befall them happen in this series. Each child has a skill: Violet is a brilliant inventor, Klaus is a bookwork with an incredible memory, and Sunny has razor-sharp teeth. Together, they are the ultimate machine.There is mystery, multiple attempts at murder, serious pun-action, and a gothic overshadow that makes the time-setting uncertain. Ultimately, this series is about three siblings who seriously care and look out for one another. They know their strength lies in being together.What I found amazing about this series is how everything seems to be in black and white at the beginning: you know who the good and bad guys are. But as the series progresses, the water muddies, and there is a lot more ambiguity. As the Baudelaire's (and our) knowledge grows, we are faced with difficult situations and thus cannot view the world in such extremes. Just like in life, there is no black and white. We can only do what we must in order to survive, and sometimes our actions and feelings are complicated.SOUE are children's books, but contain adult humor and themes. Originally, I thought that they were children's books written for adults. But I guess that's the point. We don't give kids enough credit.
    • 4/5
      This a book that begins a series of a very good story that i loved to read when i was a child. I recommend these book to children who are imaginative, and like adventures.
    • 3/5
      In this, the first installment of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” the reader is warned right from the beginning that if a happy ending is what they want, they’d better look elsewhere. But I still think most readers with a developed sense of humor will be charmed by this parody of Victorian-style children’s novels, in which children are routinely orphaned and placed at the mercy of scheming relatives, cold porridge and itchy clothes.One of my favorite devices was the author’s habit of defining any difficult word he happened to use in the course of telling the story, such as “fitfully” and “mystical”, as well as elaborating on such abstract concepts as the difference between literally and figuratively doing something. Intelligent children who aren’t bothered by stories in which horrible things happen to other intelligent children (who yet always seem to persevere through the strength of their own character and wits) will not only get a funny, fast-paced, engaging story but might also learn a thing or two along the way.
    • 3/5
      Not my cup of hemlock. 
    • 4/5
      I received a set of Lemony Snicket books this past Christmas (2006), much to my delight.This is not the typical children's fiction book that resolves in a happy ending.The book lives up to its claim of a series of unfortunate events.At first, I was a bit taken aback by the amount of gloom and doom in this book.But, after some thought, I realized that this book is quite relevant and of possible therapeutic value for children who must survive the constant upheavals of living in the foster care system. The protagonists show their heroism by recognizing when they are in trouble by using their intelligence and devotion to each other in order to escape their unbearable circumstances.This is not a book for every child, but certainly a book of great potential in the hands of a child living through difficult circumstances.
    • 4/5
      I read this while giving a final exam to my intermediate French students, and spent the hour it took to get through it stifling giggles (it's not nice to read something funny while your students are struggling with the subjunctive). Wonderful.
    • 4/5
      I'm i the only person who read this as an adult?i'm glad i finally read it though , and i'm sure i wouldn't have been able to appreciate it well enough as a child.It's a very well written story , i feel like i might be the only person who loved Lemony Snicket's style . i loved the explanations he gave and the meaning for some words , i understand why some might find it a bit patronizing but i enjoyed it .It made me feel as if i was sitting in a chair next to my grandpa who is in this case Lemony , while he read the book to me.[image][image]And it was very easy to get visual images of the scenes as the story went on , big point for that![image]The story is very fun and the characters are interesting enough , The Baudelaire children are my favorites , they are brave , and smart .Count Olaf made this much more interesting even though he is evil and tends to be very disgusting One thing i hated is the way the communication between the children and the adults happens , it was very annoying and too much like a cartoon , but i guess it is necessary to serve the purpose of the story.
    • 2/5
      So dark. I can totally see the appeal for children, but I had such a hard time with this short little read. Picturing these events happening to any children without adults stepping in was horrifying to me. But I guess for kids to read about other kids getting the best of this evil grown up might be entertaining.
    • 3/5
      I didn't really like this book the first time I read it. I picked up the audiobook, however, because Tim Curry narrated it. That did help my enjoyment a little. I tend to like anything that Tim Curry stars in so this was a given. He captured the characters and brought out the sarcasm in a way that my brain did not catch the first time I read it myself.
    • 3/5
      Well-written and suitably creepy. Almost too creepy.
    • 3/5

      Hilarious book. I love Sunny like mad. "Neepo!"
    • 5/5
      Written not just for kids, but enjoyable for any sort of age, this is a beginning of a different sort of children's literature. No goblins, no boogeyman, no ghost nor monster lurking under the bed. But mostly telling a story of a harsh reality base fiction about 3 suddenly orphaned Baudelaires children; namely Violet (Inventor), Klaus (Bookworm) & Sunny (Biter). It began with the horrible news regarding the demised of their parents in a weird fire that burnt down their house, leaving them with a fortune that's not spendable until Violet, the eldest, reach the age of 18. Mr Poe, is the one in charged of them until he found a guardian for the kids, which came the character Count Olaf. A count and an actor, who do whatever in his power to keep them as miserble as he could until he could touch their rightful inheritance. And when I say do whatever, I meant whatever! From serving them lumpy porridges, making them do all sort of chores, repairing the Count's manor and to wed the eldest child, Violet. Another feature of this series would be the introducing of advance vocabulary for the kids, alongside its meaning into the context. It would be a great learning tool for any parents who would like to introduce some major words for their kids, without pulling out a dictionary.
    • 4/5
      The bad beginning is the first book in an interesting series called, a series of unfortunate events. These stories are told very interestingly, in a third person point of view, and in past tense form. This is the story of the three Baudelaire orphans whose parents die in a fire. They are placed in the care of Mr. Poe, a stupid banker, who always seems to have a cold. Mr. Poe places them in the care of Count Olaf, an evil villain who is after the Baudelaire fortune which is not to be touched until Violet, the eldest Baudelaire, is of age. Count Olaf and his theater group assistants, force the orphans to clean, cook, and give the curse of his presence forever. The orphans notify Mr. Poe, who tells them that Count Olaf is acting in local parent-is, which means acting as a parent to the adopted children in ways other than their parents used to. Count Olaf has one symbol of his treachery, an eye, He has a tattoo of one on his left ankle. count Olaf tries to get control of the fortune by forcing Violet to marry him. He is found out, but promises never to leave the orphans alone.
    • 4/5
      Even as an adult, I found myself scared for the Baudelaire orphans and frightened by Count Olaf and his creepy friends. I can't wait to read the rest in the series! This would be a fantastic read-aloud spread out over several bedtimes among parents and children.
    • 4/5
      I first read this book 4 years ago when I was searching for a series for my 7 year old. At that time I didn't like the book. It seemed too dark for my precocious reader who loved Harry Potter. It is the almost never-ending tale of the woes of the orphaned Baudelaire children, the eldest, Violet, being 14 years old. The evil Count Olaf, determined to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune (which will become theirs when Violet reaches the appropriate age) plots to marry Violet through trickery and threats and almost succeeds. There is implied and threatened violence, scary situations (baby Sunny is tied up, put in a bird cage and hung out the window of a tower) and even a hint of pedophilia in Count Olaf's plans. All in all, not appropriate for the 7-10 year old set, but then the narrator intrudes quite often to explain words that would not tax a tweener's understanding, but would be necessary for the average 7-10 year old. Who, then, is this book written for? Well, now my 7 year old is almost 12. I asked her whether she wanted to read the series now, but after looking through a few of the books, she was not very interested. I decided to reread the first book before donating the set to the local library book store, and I was quite entertained. Reading it for myself, I found the narrator quite intriguing and sly. The little hints about the narrator found in the dedication and little snippets of his biography throughout the series reminds the reader that this is all fiction and a game and once you are in on the game, the fun begins. The situations are, of course, ludicrous, mostly because all the helpful adults are such dolts. But then, as we deal with everyday crises and keeping some semblance of order to our lives, don't we often make assumptions about what our kids understand? We often soft-pedal the harsh truths that children understand better than we give them credit for and ignore their real concerns as if they weren't important, or as important, as our concerns. So, yes. We do act like dolts sometimes (maybe more than sometimes) and don't listen to what is really going on. The children are ingenious at finding logical ways out of the predicaments they are put in, not through supernatural or chance means, but by reading and reasoning. So, who is this series written for? It's for children of all ages (adults too) who are into the 'game' of reading. If your child is sensitive to anxiety provoking situations, then this is not the book for them, but it could be a fun series for the right child.
    • 3/5
      I thought this book was cute. I do think it is a little under my 9 year old's reading level, however it is entertaining so that would make up for it. ;)I love how Lemony uses larger words, and then takes the time to work in the definition of the word for the younger readers. At first, was not fond of it, as I felt like he was talking to me like I was stupid. And then I realized by him doing that, he was making the book personal and I FELT LIKE he was talking to (writing) specifically to ME. It made me appreciate it. LOL.I only gave it 3 stars because it is a childs book, I am a grown up. What would people say if I gave it 4. haha.
    • 5/5
      Great Start to a wonderful series!
    • 5/5
      A sad, unfortunate story which i really enjoyed even more than the movie
    • 3/5
      After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune.
    • 4/5
      Fast, simple, cute, and displeasurably nonsensical at the climax, this is engaging and acceptable enough for the target audience. I'm not driven to race into the second of the series.
    • 4/5
      A good read for children not quite ready for something the length of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Harry Potter, but for those wanting more meat in their books than one typically finds in early reader chapter books.
    • 3/5
      First in a series of books for ages 10 and up. The Baudelaire children are orphaned when their parents' mansion burns down while they are down on the beach playing. Mr. Poe, the parents' lawyer and family friend, takes the children in for a short while until their nearest relative can be located. Things go from bad to worse when the children are placed with the bizarre and evil part time actor, Count Olaf. All three Baudelaire children are smart and resourceful, which is lucky, since all the well meaning adults in the story are totally clueless. The evil adults in the story are so unbelievable that most children won't be scared by them, and they will be buoyed by the clever children who can outsmart them. The book is well written, vocabulary is defined by the author in a way to explain to younger readers while entertaining the elders.
    • 2/5
      I did not like this book. The author was correct when he said it was depressing and did not get any better. It also creeped me out with its references to marriage for a young girl to that creepy old guy.
    • 5/5
      I am developing a theory that one is either a Harry Potter person or a Lemony Snicket person. I am most definitely a Lemony Snicket person.These are hands down, the very best kids'-books-full-of-asides-for-adults that I have ever read. LibraryThing needs a sixth star for this series. I can't wait until my 3-year old is old enough for us to read them aloud together.
    • 3/5
      Violet, Claus, and Sunny have just become orphans because their parents have just died in a fire. Now they are being found a place to stay and a guardian that will care for them. Now they are stuck with someone who is pretending to care for them. They have to do whatever he tells them to do.
    • 5/5
      This great book was written by Lemony Snicket, in my eyes a great writer. The story of Violet, Sunny and Klaus as orphans began when their parents died in a horrid fire. The orphans are to go to Count Olaf, a cousin either Times 4 3 times removed, or times 3 4 times removed. Will they live happily with Olaf???

    Book preview

    A Series of Unfortunate Events #1 - Lemony Snicket

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1