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stephhamp's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I revisited this book to get out of a reading slump and I'm so glad! It feels so small in my hands. When I was little I thought it was such mature literature and so advanced. And it very much was for a kid. I love how Lemony Snicket treats kids as little people. With thoughts, minds, emotions, and respect. He introduced us to morally grey characters and was honest in the hardships of the world when many weren't.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
lilshelly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The nostalgia at visiting one of my favorite childhood series again. I remember all the plot beats so well but am still so excited to experience them again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Child abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury
anonymousbiblioholic39's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
** SPOILERS AHEAD **
Enjoyment: 5/5
* The Bad Beginning was a very fast-paced and enjoyable read. I finished it in less than a day, and I think it would be perfect for anyone who wants a quick read to fly through.
Writing: 3/5
* I really enjoyed all of the creative interjections to the story that the author added in where he addressed the reader. Idk, I just thought that was a cool way of narrating a story. Outside of that, the writing wasn't anything remarkable or lousy, just what you'd expect for the genre.
Characters: 1/5
* There wasn't much character development. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny did have their own separate interests and personalities, but they didn't feel all that real. We never got to see why Count Olaf wanted the Baudelaire estate outside of just simple greed, either. Pretty much all of the side characters were shallow and some even useless, should I say so myself. Justice Strauss was flat as a character, and the descriptions of Count Olaf's theatre troupe were unnecessary filler.
Plot: 4/5
* The book was well plotted, but the marriage shenanigans were creepy, so minus 1 star for that
Overall rating: 13/20, 65%
Enjoyment: 5/5
* The Bad Beginning was a very fast-paced and enjoyable read. I finished it in less than a day, and I think it would be perfect for anyone who wants a quick read to fly through.
Writing: 3/5
* I really enjoyed all of the creative interjections to the story that the author added in where he addressed the reader. Idk, I just thought that was a cool way of narrating a story. Outside of that, the writing wasn't anything remarkable or lousy, just what you'd expect for the genre.
Characters: 1/5
* There wasn't much character development. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny did have their own separate interests and personalities, but they didn't feel all that real. We never got to see why Count Olaf wanted the Baudelaire estate outside of just simple greed, either. Pretty much all of the side characters were shallow and some even useless, should I say so myself. Justice Strauss was flat as a character, and the descriptions of Count Olaf's theatre troupe were unnecessary filler.
Plot: 4/5
* The book was well plotted, but the marriage shenanigans were creepy, so minus 1 star for that
Overall rating: 13/20, 65%
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Alcohol
Minor: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
marnash's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I saw books 1 through 8 in a second hand store for 100 shekels total and HAD to get them all. I am so curious how I'll feel about them, seeing as it's been atleast, say, 13 years since I read them, maybe even 15+. I was surprised by how insanely dark, gloomy and downright horrific the first book was - definitely not for kids. It's interesting reading such dark and horrific content that is somehow written in childlike and simplified way. I really look forward to reading the rest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Child abuse
justinareads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
ophycore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Fatphobia, Violence, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Transphobia and Alcohol
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
ablaine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’d like to argue that the villain in this story is an example of what happens when society fails to fund the arts.
Count Olaf is a struggling actor, who is so desperate for money, that he sees exploiting rich orphans for their family fortune as the only means to bankroll his lifestyle. In his troupe of “terrible” actor friends is a gender non-conforming person, a disabled man with a prosthetic, and various people without “pretty privilege.” Meanwhile, the Baudelaire children are said to have very pleasing faces.
Now, to be clear, Count Olaf is a terrible man who utilizes various forms of abuse and subterfuge to intimidate and manipulate these children. I am not condoning this at all. In fact, I almost took narrator Lemony Snicker’s advice to stop reading such an upsetting story at various points within the book.
I do, however, wonder how Count Olaf would have faired in a society with say, universal basic income for artists.
I listened to the audiobook, and while Tim Curry’s voice as Lemony Snicket is velvety and enthralling, I found the layering of background noises excessive and distracting. I don’t need to hear baby Sunny crying, Violet grunting, or Klaus hyperventilating incessantly as I’m struggling to make out the dialogue.
Overall, I rather enjoyed revisiting this very unfortunate series of events.
Count Olaf is a struggling actor, who is so desperate for money, that he sees exploiting rich orphans for their family fortune as the only means to bankroll his lifestyle. In his troupe of “terrible” actor friends is a gender non-conforming person, a disabled man with a prosthetic, and various people without “pretty privilege.” Meanwhile, the Baudelaire children are said to have very pleasing faces.
Now, to be clear, Count Olaf is a terrible man who utilizes various forms of abuse and subterfuge to intimidate and manipulate these children. I am not condoning this at all. In fact, I almost took narrator Lemony Snicker’s advice to stop reading such an upsetting story at various points within the book.
I do, however, wonder how Count Olaf would have faired in a society with say, universal basic income for artists.
I listened to the audiobook, and while Tim Curry’s voice as Lemony Snicket is velvety and enthralling, I found the layering of background noises excessive and distracting. I don’t need to hear baby Sunny crying, Violet grunting, or Klaus hyperventilating incessantly as I’m struggling to make out the dialogue.
Overall, I rather enjoyed revisiting this very unfortunate series of events.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
weepingstones's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Child abuse
booksjessreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this for my StoryGraph genre challenge, since I had wanted to read this as a child and never got round to it. I feel weird reviewing this when I am not part of the target audience, but here we are.
I thought this was quite enjoyable, and certainly super weird. It isn't something I would have picked up as a child but it was interesting. Lemony Snicket was very clear in that there isn't a lot of happiness in this book, and he wasn't wrong, but some part of me felt like perhaps it was too much for a children's book. But, children might like this... idk?
I felt like there should have been some sort of trigger warning for the child abuse Klaus getting slapped and adults literally laughing at him would certainly not be comfortable for some children to read here. However, I thought it was written well and it was comical in places. I also liked how Snicket was both the narrator and a character in the book. This just added a great dimension to the story.
Some people have mentioned how they didn't like the definitions of words being brought up constantly within the text. I didn't mind them so much and I knew why they were there. They did break up the writing, but I am not who the book was aimed for, so I skimmed past the definitions and just kept reading.
Overall, a good read and I have decided to continue reading the series.
I thought this was quite enjoyable, and certainly super weird. It isn't something I would have picked up as a child but it was interesting. Lemony Snicket was very clear in that there isn't a lot of happiness in this book, and he wasn't wrong, but some part of me felt like perhaps it was too much for a children's book. But, children might like this... idk?
I felt like there should have been some sort of trigger warning for the child abuse
Some people have mentioned how they didn't like the definitions of words being brought up constantly within the text. I didn't mind them so much and I knew why they were there. They did break up the writing, but I am not who the book was aimed for, so I skimmed past the definitions and just kept reading.
Overall, a good read and I have decided to continue reading the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
i feel weird critiquing when i know i'm no longer the target audience (🥲) but there are literally five plot points it’s so short. i don't think i fully realized, as a fourth grader, the gravity and emotional trauma of the Baudelaire's situation… like the slap to the face and all the other adults laugh ?!? pit in my stomach. also, this is not an attempt to "cancel" the book, but what must it be like to read this as a child going through abuse only to have Mr. Snicket tell you twenty times "it doesn't get better for these kids". i guess that’s its form of a trigger warning?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Grief, and Death
Minor: Incest, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Pedophilia