The Bad Beginning by Daniel Handler - Book Review

The Bad Beginning is the first book in the thirteen-book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler, or as he likes to call himself: Lemony Snicket.

This makes for a very interesting element in the novel, as the events are narrated by a character named Lemony Snicket in the book.

While the books target a younger audience, many people thought it suitable for readers of all ages. In fact, because there are many references, words, and even poetical language that needs deep thinking, children, will have a hard time catching on to them.

This is why many parents read these books first before permitting their children to read them. Either way, The Bad Beginning made up for a perfect start to the series.

The story is narrated by Lemony Snicket, who has taken it upon himself to investigate the life of the Baudelaire orphans and narrate it as accurately as possible. It starts with Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who begin their journey on to a beach.

A man named Mr. Poe comes to deliver them the news of their parents’ death. Their house caught fire and they have no place to go to. That is why Mr. Poe is driving them to their new guardian Count Olaf. This man is an actor, and also the reason why their lives will become a living nightmare.

Count Olaf is the main antagonist in the series, as he repetitively formulates plans to take over the Baudelaire fortune. In this book, you discover that he tries to take over the fortune by marrying the older sibling Violet.

Because this outright screams pedophilia to anyone, Handler keeps the tone of the book as light and funny as possible and he succeeds in doing so. However, the way he keeps identifying words and using absurdist language is what keeps the story intriguing.

The combination of interesting characters, allegories, and world-building is definitely worth all the attention the book series is getting.