Unsuspecting orphans, the three young Baudelaires; Violet, Klaus and tiny Sunny, find themselves dumped into the care of their mysterious distant relative, Count Olaf. Trepidation ensues upon sight of their future home, of course, the most dilapidated and frightening house on the block. Count Olaf's intentions are at once revealed, he's laying in wait for their inheritance and he's not being coy about it. But as fortune would have it, the Baudelaire inheritance is completely inaccessible until Violet is of age, a logical obstacle for his insidious plans. So, the struggle begins as the children attempt to outwit their atrocious distant relative.

Here is an impending train wreck that you can't help but shamelessly watch, don't even try to pretend you covered your eyes. Misfortune is a liquid asset that Lemony Snicket unabashedly exploits to the thorough enjoyment of all. Though, elementary enough to be finished in one sitting, don't let the guise of children's fiction fool you. "The Bad Beginning" is wry blend of education and adult humor that one must smile at, even more so because one shouldn't.

† "There are many, many types of books in the world, which makes good sense, because there are many types of people, and everybody wants to read something different. For instance, people who hate stories in which terrible things happen to small children should put this book down immediately. But one type of book that practically no one likes to read is a book about the law. Books about the law are notorious for being very long, very dull, and very difficult to read. This is one reason why many lawyers make heaps of money. The money is an incentive-- the word "incentive" here means "an offered reward to persuade you to do something you don't want to do" --to read long , dull, and difficult books."

This could be classified as a naughty pleasure, considering the Baudelaires are in a destitute and orphaned state and being maliciously tormented by a distant relative does not improve the image, this fact alone should be sobering, yes? Nah.

Caution! Spoiler Quote

† "...Unless you are a lawyer, it will probably strike you as very odd that Count Olaf's plan was defeated by Violet signing with her left hand instead of her right. But the law is an odd thing. For instance, one country in Europe has a law that requires all its bakers to sell bread at the exact same price. A certain island has a law that forbids anyone from removing its fruit. And a town not too far from where you live has a law that bars me from coming within five miles of its borders. Had Violet signed the marriage contract with her right hand the law would have made her a miserable contessa, but because she signed with her left, she remained, to her relief, a miserable orphan."

So, here it is. Though it's reverse psychology and we know it, the author said it best, "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." But it seems everyone is willing to sacrifice a little happiness to satiate their morbid curiosity. I did and will gladly do it again when I read "The Reptile Room" book the second.

† "The Bad Beginning" © 1999 by Lemony Snicket
Review by Chloe O'Farrell © 2004