Dear Reader, I am sorry to say the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant... (The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket)

Member Name: zusy

Product:	The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
Date:	31/08/00 (139 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Adorably woeful, gothic tale of angst and horror, humour and sarcasm

Disadvantages: Oh don't be so silly

Mr Lemony Snicket deserves several awards. Firstly, and most obviously, The Award for the Most Unusual and Very Possibly Made Up Name in Literature. Secondly; The Award for the Most Sarcastic, Dry Wit in Children's Literature. And thirdly; The Award for the Ability to Tell a Riveting Adventure Story.

Mr Snicket, or Lemony as I shall more familiarly call him in this review, is very honest, some might say painfully honest with his reader. The title for this review is a quote from the back cover of the first book in the 'Series of Unfortunate Events' collection of stories. He informs the reader that there will be no happy ending, and that you may like to choose another book from the shelf if happy endings are your thing.

In this first book we are introduced to the Baudelaire children. Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Lemony explains that...

" Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune."

As we read of the terrible woes that befall the poor children, we have to agree with his assertion! But oh this is a fantastic tale of woe, if ever there was one... Lemony's dry humour pervades every page, making this a subversive delight for children and adults alike.

The edition I got is an American one, and beautifully put together. It's hardback, with gorgeous little gothic-style pencil illustrations by Brett Helquist (who goes on to illustrate the rest of the series) scattered throughout the book. They really add to the atmosphere of the tale.

There are loads of 'in' jokes in the books, including a recurring reference (in the dedication of the book and so on) to a mysterious woman connected with author, named Beatrice...


This book, and the entire series (which I am currently working my way through. Book two is 'The Reptile Room'...) is a worth addition for anyone's bookshelf. Do not heed Lemony's advice and pick a soppy sappy happy ending book instead...you'd be missing out on an absolute classic.

If your children (or yourself) loved Harry Potter, they will undoubtedly love these books to. I'm not sure how easy they are to find in high street bookshops, but I got mine from www.amazon.co.uk at a reduced price.

If you want to find out more about this hilariously over-the-top author, visit his website:

www.lemonysnicket.com

You are greeted by the warning...

"ATTENTION: PLEASE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.
You have undoubtedly reached this website by mistake.
If I were you, I would immediately turn your computer off rather than view any of the dreadful images, read any of the wretched information, play any of the unnerving games or examine the unpleasant books presented within this website. "

Which, obviously, you should aslo ignore :-)

There's a great interview with Lemony (who I do believe I am falling in love with!) at the following site:

http://www.nancymatson.com/snicket.htm

With all due respect (as Lemony all signs off),

Suzy (aka zusy)

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