A review by morningtide
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

4.5

I read most of these books as a kid and then the first 3 or 4 again as an adult a little before the Netflix series was released. I don't think I finished the series either time (it wasn't complete until I was 16 and had lost interest) - my viewing history said I finished the Netflix show and I recall bits and pieces of the End but not much of the overall story, and I've been in a bit of a listening/reading lull and middle grade books always are a delight at these points for me.

I know that this is literally A Series of Unfortunate Events - and maybe it was because this time I was listening to the full cast audiobook, where the voice actors remind me I'm hearing a story about such young children, and maybe I was just extra emotional, but this time around it just felt like a truly tragic story to me, and had me in tears at some moments.

The Bad Beginning seems so wretched through adult eyes. It makes me think of how often I see adults trying to keep their kids "safe" by not exposing them to concepts they think they can't handle. But as a kid reading these books, they were just stories. And I think they were also stories that introduced me to some less savory aspects of society, before experiencing/witnessing them in real life. Like, I am pretty sure this book was the first time I learned a legal guardian could marry a 14 year old by giving themself permission to. Barf. But that happens in real life!!! And it's gross!!! And the cruelty of having someone who want's to love and care for the Baudelaires, but the legal documents state otherwise, and there's no happy fix. And while it can feel very hyperbolic in certain parts of the series: sometimes adults will lie to you, or dismiss you, in a way that can effect your own safety. Sometimes your hunches are right, even if you're just a kid. It's upsetting but it's real life, and I'm glad A Series of Unfortunate Events was around for me to read as a preteen to introduce it to me with the cushy landing of fiction rather than the complete shock of the real world.

And while I couldn't relate to it as a kid, having experienced loss as an adult - I love the way grief and loss is handled here. I am writing this review as I'm already up to Book Five, whoops, so it may be more touched upon throughout the whole series more than just in The Bad Beginning. There are times where the Baudelaires sob all night long, there are times when they feel joy (touched with guilt of feeling that joy.) There are times when they feel miserable even when things are at a high point, and they tell themselves they should feel lucky - but they still just wish they were in their own home with their parents and won't apologize for feeling that way. I can't think of another book I read around that age that dealt with the nuances of long term grief, and it feels cathartic even as an adult.

“‘Perished,’” Mr. Poe said, “means ‘killed.’”

“We know what the word ‘perished’ means,” Klaus said, crossly. He did know what the word “perished” meant, but he was still having trouble understanding exactly what it was that Mr. Poe had said. It seemed to him that Mr. Poe must somehow have misspoken.