A Series of Unfortunate Events Collection #1-3 with Bonus Material: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1-3

by Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

Lemony Snicket’s unhappy tale of the unlucky Baudelaire siblings begins with The Bad Beginning. In this short bothersome book alone, the three orphans encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

Should you not mind deadly serpents, slippery salamanders, lumpy beds, large brass reading lamps, long knives, and terrible odors, then proceed with caution to the second book in the miserable series, The Reptile Room.

Readers unbothered by inclement weather, hungry leeches, and cold cucumber soup will want to continue with the third installment, The Wide Window. Others will not.

If you’ve got the stomach to wade through the first three tragic tales in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, then this troubling collection might be the one for you. Several loathsome extras, including a compilation of unsettling quotations and a very disturbing portrait, await those who successfully complete the wretched journey. You’ve been warned!

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Young Adult, Mystery, Middle Grade, Adventure

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Lemony Snicket had an unusual education and a perplexing youth and now endures a despondent adulthood. His previous published works include the thirteen volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Composer is Dead, and 13 Words. His new series is All The Wrong Questions.

For A Series of Unfortunate Events:
www.lemonysnicket.com

For All The Wrong Questions:
www.lemonysnicketlibrary.com

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books cracked me up. I love Lemony Snicket. I love the humour in the books, and how everyone was just so stupid, except for the Baudelaire children. I love the narrator's dire warnings about how you should not read these stories, how repulsive and unpleasant they are. There is much irony in the stories (the doll's name is Pretty Penny--in a story about depressing, terrible things...) and I think Lemony Snicket is brilliant. Plus, I think, reading them as a child, you would learn a whole new set of words, as the words are introduced and explained, all without having to go to a dictionary and look them up. I found out my friend was reading them at the same time as I did, and we both were very excited about the whole thing.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5 stars based on average of each individual book

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright so three novels in one jampacked in this huge book—I wanted to read this as it’s a classic and our library has at least two copies of Book One, plus I had an afterschool movie day one half-day where kids were really into this Netflix series..I realized I had never read the whole book and couldn’t recommend or confirm the differences in the book and series so I took this one home and decided to read it-always a good reference point on books to recommend to kids. I HAVE to stay well-read as I only put books in kids hands that I have read myself and hopefully spark some book love along the way…here we go into this classic…

Book One: The Beginning

Alright so this book is famous for its asides, definitions and inside talks to the reader on the misfortune of the situations at hand and the despair that the story is describing..Snicket talks to you like you are not only the reader but a friend he is relaying some gossip to and in this case sad and unfortunate news..You meet three intelligent sweet and very rich children mysteriously orphaned when their parents die in a house fire that consumes their impressive mansion. With no where to go and no home they are taken in by a bank manager and eventually permanently placed with a distant relative they had never met—the mysterious evil Count Olaf the actor. Shut away in a tiny dirty room and forced to do chores and whatever the Count demands the kids have a terrible existence with their only bright spot being visits from their neighbor Justice Strauss..It is a dreary read with light humor as Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire go through a series of bad luck and bad events..It begins with their first task where they have to prepare dinner for Olaf and his friends and despite not having any direction or proper money they don’t prepare roast beef but instead puttanesca sauce and spaghetti..Count Olaf is displeased and after they clean up he sends them to their beds—when Klaus points out that they only are allotted a bed for the three of them he is slapped. I don’t remember this violence in the Netflix series so reading about their mistreatment and desire for revenge is interesting as it’s not really portrayed on screen..The children suffer in silence and misery bonding even more together especially after over hearing Olaf’s theatre friends making reference to him finding a way to get to the Baudelaire fortune…The big plan this book involves his theatre group putting on a play using their friend Justice Strauss and the laws of nuptials, guardianship and inheritance where a child is kidnapped and Klaus’s love for reading saves the day..Entertaining and quick to read so kids will want to know what else could happen…

Book Two: The Reptile Room

This second book follows the Baudelaire family as they are thankfully whisked away from Count Olaf and into the hands of a new distant relative Dr. Montgomery Montgomery or as he liked to be called Uncle Monty a world renowned snake scientist who lives alone and gives the children their own rooms..He seems eager to father the children and while things are looking up the children never forget the ominous threat of finding them wherever they are that Count Olaf delivered as they were being taken away…They fear he will show up and keep causing problems until he gets their fortune; the book starts with the kids getting a tour of the house and the reptiles that share the space of the Reptile Room when the narrator reveals that in some way Uncle Monty will die and put the kids back in an unfortunate situation—but how and when? The answers come as Uncle Monty is out and his new assistant arrives—however this new assistant no one has met named Stephano is none other than the terrible Count Olaf in disguise…but who will believe them? The trio of orphans again use their love for reading (oh yeah) and curiosity to convince their banker Mr. Poe that they are still in danger from the vile Count Olaf and his schemes to get their inheritance…This one was a little dark as there are like two murders and it does not end happily at all; but then again you are constantly warned by Lemony Snicket himself as you start these quick novels.

Book Three: The Wide Window

Third book and the same story format—the three children with nowhere to go being thrust upon a long lost relative..this time a recently widowed Aunt Josephine…Aunt Josephine is an older woman who is afraid of everything—electricity, heat, doorknobs, burglars—just a kind woman who is skittish about everything. While living there seems nice enough things for from okay to downright terrible when on a random grocery trip with Aunt Josephine they run into Captain Sham..a one-legged one-eyed sailor that on sight bears a resemblance to the man of their nightmares-Count Olaf! Yes- the formula stays the same I see with the big twists in who the children will stay with and how the silly Count Olaf will come back into their lives to capture them and their fortune. No spoilers on Aunt Josephine and how the Baudelaire orphans and Captain Sham/Count Olaf get out of this new scenario but there are like seven other books LOL…I am sad I didn’t get to read this series when I was younger and that children may not read it because it’s acted out in a Netflix series and so why would they its fun to see the characters continue on in these books—though shockingly they read as older novels they were only just published in 1999..anyways these are entertaining combined with lots of learning and vocabulary lessons..recommended for all ages I liked these unfortunate tales--those poor orphans !

[Erin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realize I'm about 15 years behind the times in reading these books, but for whatever reason I didn't read them when I was in middle school so I'm catching up now. And you know what? I'm glad, because these books are hilarious and I probably would have missed out on half the humor back then (The moral of WWI is not to assassinate Archduke Ferdinand - wise words.)

I also appreciate the author's vocabulary and the frequently interjected definitions. Some are real - and some are words I don't know - and some are playful, but they're all a great way to expand a young reader's vocabulary.

Anyway, binge-reading this series is a great start to the summer. I already knew the main plot lines for these three books because of the movie so I'm excited to be a little more surprised with the rest of the series.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bad Beginning - 4/5

I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting to. It's surprisingly dark and gritty yet filled with witty prose and morbid humor to go along with it. Seeing a group of young, ordinary orphans with no powers of any kind working together to humiliate and bring down an evil man willing to abuse them and manipulate them to gain access to their family fortune was highly satisfying. Count Olaf really reminds me of the classic gothic-horror villains such as Dracula, Carmilla and Mr. Brocklehurst. A fun book for a young audience that isn't afraid to be dark and depressing.

***
The Reptile Room - 3/5

Not quite as good as the first book, but still an enjoyable little adventure nonetheless. This tale starts with a much brighter opening, the Baudelaire trio are adopted by their zany and caring uncle Monty after spending a long time in the hellish domain of Count Olaf. Uncle Monty is a brilliant herpetologist and he shares his passion of snakes with his three adopted children. The fun doesn't last long as Count Olaf makes a dastardly return in the form of Stefano, Olaf wearing a not-so-convincing disguise yet somehow manages to trick all of the adults.

This is where the book started to frustrate me a bit. The fact that everyone is so condescending to the Baudelaire orphans, especially considering how awful an experience it was for them trying to escape from the clutches of Olaf. 90% of the of the issues in this book could've been avoided if the adults would just let the ophands finish a damn sentence and listen to what they have to say. Why is everyone so reluctant to believe them after what was revealed about Olaf in the first book? Mr. Poe got on my nerves most of all, he should've believed the children right away but he kept up his denial until the very end despite knowing what the orphans have been through in the recent past.

It was frustrating to see the adults act like blithering idiots throughout the book, but it was still fun to watch the Baudelaire children work together to overcome a deadly situation that could've very easily ended with their gruesome murder. Three heads are better than one, and it's nice to see the clever and tragic trio of orphans triumph over some nasty adversaries.

***
The Wide Window - 3/5

It had its fun moments but overall it felt like an identical repeat of The Reptile Room. The Baudelaire trio moves in with a new caretaker, Mr. Poe acts like a clueless idiot, Count Olaf shows up in a new disguise and gets somebody killed while getting away to scheme another day. The story and setup was a bit weak but I actually found the finale to be enjoyable, the escape scene on the ocean when the Baudelaire's were being pursued by killer leeches and the kids finding comfort in each other's company despite their tragic circumstances. Not bad, but I hope the series tries to change things up in future installments.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

the whole series is ridiculously brilliant. kids don't even realize that they're learning big words and historical fatcs, because the stories are amazing and exciting. i simply do not understand why some children persist in merely reasing harry potter over and over and over when there are books like this. i don't like harry potter. there. i've said it. and although it was only for a moment, i did at one point briefly contemplate getting a tattoo of an eye on my ankle, just like count olaf...maybe i should just settle for something less permanent, perhaps a ribbon like violet's for tying my hair back when i want to think.

[kaleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok well I usually read books that have happy endings or sad then happy endings. But never have I read a book that had endings like these books did. And the way that Lemony Snicket wrote these books left me clamoring for more. Though I did find it funny how Count Olaf was always trying to get their fortune. Ah it left me laughing and boy I NEED more. I was overall very pleased with Lemony Snicket’s series and all I can say is that I highly recommend this books to anyone who is looking for a good laugh and is willing to risk an unhappy ending. (Don’t worry the endings are still good)

[Gaayatri Trehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book quite sad but it had a lot of thought and meaning behind it. I felt that every time I had hope that good and happiness was coming into the sibling's lives, some other challenge would hit them. It also teaches us a lot of life skill and you go through a series of mixed emotions while reading this book. I highly recommend it if you like a book with adventure, sadness, excitement, and anxiety. This was one of my favorite books.

[Carolynn (Molly.Groot) Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first several- maybe up to 6-7 even, but they kind of started to drag after a point. The novelty of the general tone carried me through all 13 though... I'm a softy for kid books along these lines.

[H L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am in love with the author's persona, but after the first novel, the plots were not only the same, but I grew toooooo weary of every single adult being completely useless or evil.

[Eleidhunita · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Fue el primer "libro gordo" que leí! ¡Y eso que estaba en mi etapa no lectora! Me apetece releerlo, pero le tengo pánico a volver a leerlo y que no me guste :(

[Lucía Azpiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I've been giving a lot of 5 ⭐ and I would like to clarify, that I usually don't. Yet, "A series of unfortunate events" absolutely deserves it.
The "Omnious omnibus" is a compilation of the first three books. And they are all good but in my opinion the third one, "The wide window" is not that good. Yet, it surprised me how they changed the character of Aunt Josephine in the series and I prefer these version.
Also, the Count Olaf is not that funny in the books, and he is way more creepy. Which is good I guess since he is the villain but I miss his humour. Fortunately, Lemony Snicket replaces that! His jokes were the best ones and every time he would say something that technically spoils the ending, instead of feeling disappointed, I just wanted to read more and also felt extremely surprised even if I watched the series and know what happeneds next.
To summ up I do recommend it. It's very good and strangely enjoyable to read even if it's absolutely depressing, Snicket doesn't lie.

[maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

these books are so short it feels like cheating so imma count the first 3 as 1 book - anyway they’re so nostalgic to me, might read the other 10 later lol we will see

[Sakura87 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sono desolato di dovervi annunciare che il libro che avete fra le mani è estremamente sgradevole. Racconta infatti la triste storia di tre ragazzi molto sfortunati.

Una serie di sfortunati eventi è un ciclo in tredici romanzi per ragazzi attribuito a Lemony Snicket, narratore della storia e marginale personaggio della saga, nonché eteronimo dell'autore Daniel Handler. L'edizione da me letta è quella inglese, e contiene i primi tre volumi della saga, che rimaneggiati costituiscono anche la trama del grazioso film Lemony Snicket - Una serie di sfortunati eventi diretto da Brad Silberling e con Jim Carrey nei panni del Conte Olaf.

The Bad Beginning (in italiano Un infausto inizio) permette al lettore di fare la conoscenza dei giovani Baudelaire, tre bambini recentemente divenuti orfani a causa di un incendio che ha distrutto la loro casa e le loro precedenti vite. Violet, la maggiore, ha quattordici anni ed è una straordinaria inventrice: quando si lega i capelli, potete star certi che il suo vispo cervello è concentrato su corde e ingranaggi. Klaus, il figlio di mezzo, ha dodici anni ed è un divoratore di libri, in grado di trovare tra le pagine la soluzione più appropriata a qualsiasi problema. Sunny, la minore, è un'infante dotata di quattro robusti dentini con cui riesce a spaccare quasi qualunque cosa, e si esprime con buffi versi gorgoglianti e neologismi.
Le disposizioni testamentarie dei coniugi Baudelaire prescrivono che i bambini (e la loro cospicua fortuna, che Violet potrà ereditare non appena compiuti diciotto anni) siano affidati a un parente, per cui Mr. Poe, l'ottuso banchiere esecutore dei Baudelaire, li affida al Conte Olaf, violento e perverso figuro con un occhio tatuato sulla caviglia. Scopo di Olaf, naturalmente, è impossessarsi degli averi dei Baudelaire con qualsiasi scappatoia possibile, approfittando della stupidità di Mr. Poe, delle falle nel farraginoso sistema burocratico, e del fatto che i tre Baudelaire sono pur sempre bambini, perennemente sottovalutati dagli adulti che li circondano e raramente ascoltati e creduti.
Lo schema dei romanzi del ciclo è sempre lo stesso: i bambini vengono affidati a un nuovo tutore (dal nome sempre letterario), il Conte Olaf – coadiuvato dai suoi infernali assistenti - si presenta celato da un nuovo travestimento e con un piano per uccidere l'affidatario dei Baudelaire o in ogni caso ottenere la loro custodia; i bambini tentano di avvertire il nuovo tutore e Mr. Poe delle macchinazioni di Olaf, ma non vengono creduti e il conte riesce sempre quasi a portare a compimento i suoi disegni; i bambini, grazie al loro ingegno (Violet inventa qualcosa, Klaus fa ricerche in una biblioteca, Sunny rompe qualcosa con i denti), scampano per un soffio al pericolo, e vengono affidati a un nuovo, lontano parente. Nel secondo volume, The Reptile Room (in italiano La stanza delle serpi), la custodia tocca al simpaticissimo zio Montgomery Montgomery, erpetologo in partenza per il Perù (con grande gioia dei bambini) con l'unico difetto di aver assunto un nuovo assistente. Nel terzo volume, The Wide Window (in italiano La funesta finestra), i bambini vengono affidati alla zia Josephine, fanatica di grammatica e concentrato di tutte le fobie esistenti, e che abita in una scalcinata casa sul lago.
Il mondo creato da Snicket (o Handler, se vogliamo) è molteplice e colorato, impossibile da situare nel tempo. Si tratta, com'è ovvio, di una serie di libri per bambini, con protagonisti piuttosto 'ingessati' anche se simpatici, e uno schema standard che – con qualche variazione – si ripete per ogni libro. La forza della saga sta tutta nelle macchinazioni dell'astuto villain e nel modo in cui i bambini, sempre pieni di risorse, riescono a sfuggirgli; inoltre, anche se naturalmente tendenti al didascalismo dal momento che si rivolgono anche a un pubblico molto giovane – sono storie che possono essere lette anche a bambini di cinque o sei anni -, i libri non chiudono mai gli occhi davanti alla morte, mostrandola ai giovani protagonisti e ai giovani lettori, e non disegnano una netta linea separatoria tra bene e male.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Children's books often deal with the adult world in a dark way, with our heroes at the mercy of bad guardians. Usually we have the comfort of knowing that authors don't allow children to suffer indefinitely, and there will be a happy ending. This is usually within the book itself, or possibly at the end of a book cycle. (You didn't really believe those rumours that J K Rowling was going to kill off Harry Potter, did you?)

The Lemony Snicket books offer two unusual twists on this established plot device. Firstly, they constantly promise us no happy ending - just more suffering for our poor orphans. Secondly, the sufferings are entirely undeserved. The Baudelaire children are intelligent, brave, resourceful and loving, but utterly at the mercy of events beyond their control.

This certainly adds an interesting wrinkle, but then again there is a good reason why this convention is not usually subverted. Firstly, people don't on the whole want to see children suffer without cessation. We can cope with unhappy endings for adults, but it's a less easy trick to pull off with children.

Secondly, what miserablist writers forget is that their plots are often just as formulaic as those of the 'happy ending' writers. By the end of the third book, we pretty much know what we're going to get. The children will be put in the care of a guardian who will prove to be bad for them, or who will be killed. Count Olaf will launch a fiendish plot to get his hands on their money, but be thwarted. Mr Poe will be well-meaning, but will fail them and they will be forced to rely on their own initiative to survive.

This last aspect is one of the interesting parts of the book. The adult world is a constant threat to the Baudelaires. The children will be threatened by evil adults, and when they meet good adults, those adults will be weak, ineffectual and selfish, refusing to listen to the children until it is too late or nearly too late.

Overall, the books have some interesting little plot developments and a good variety of settings, even if I felt that the potential of these could be used more. Just what is the eye tattoo on Olaf's ankle. Is he in a secret organisation? Also, we have a room full of poisonous reptiles, and none of them escapes.

Of course, I only read 3 books and there are plenty more to come. I believe that Lemony Snicket seeks to break out of the established formula in some of the later books and there is a possible happy ending too.

All in all, the books are diverting enough, allowing for some repetitive stylistic flourishes, and easy to read, even if I didn't get overly enthusiastic about them.

[SallyStenger]

This book contains the first three of the Lemony Snicket series: The Bad Beginning, the Reptile Room, and the Wide Window.

The Bad Beginning: a pretty short book, just 168 pages. A quick read. I don't think it took me longer than an hour. I read it in one sitting. Reasonably interesting, but at this point not as interesting as Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. The author has a quirk of using long words and then defining them. At the end of the book he uses several of the words - like the exercise where you learn the definitions of words and then use them in a story.
The plot: Three Baudelaire children ages 14, 12, and 2, are at the beach when their parent's house burns down. They end up staying with a distant relative, Uncle Olaf. He wants to get their money and devises a plan to have Violet take part in a play where a marriage is performed, but where it will turn out to be a real marriage and that will give him control of their money. Some holes in the plot: she gets out of it by saying that the law says she must sign something with her "own" hand which means her right hand and actually she uses her left. Not clear why it can't mean her left hand. Also, I want to tell the author to take this chance to discuss the evils of child marriage and the fact that someone cannot be forced to get married against their will and that fraud invalidates a marriage. I feel the author missed a great chance. Another hole: even if he did get control of Violet's part of the fortune, only one-third of it would go to her, the other two children's fortune would be unaffected.
Nevertheless, it's not too bad for a beginning. I'll see what the other books bring.


-Book 2 the Reptile Room - I actually liked this one better because it's a little more cheerful. In this one, most of the things they recount are enjoyable, because the relative to whom they are taken is a "cool" guy. The sad part comes when he is murdered by the mysterious Count Olaf in disguise. As usual, Mr. Poe, their guardian, is clueless, but he finds out by the end of the book, so they will be moving on to another relative soon.
Book 3 - The Wide Window. Not quite as good as Book 2.
The Plot: Mr. Poe has now decided to have the children stay with Aunt Josephine, an aunt-by-marriage. She lives in a house overlooking Lake Lachrymose. Once more Count Olaf appears in disguise and attempts to take control of the children. The children escape, involving an adventure on the lake. The book ends with the demise of Aunt Josephine and excape of Count Olaf, so they are to be handed off to a new relative.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful is not a word that can be applied to this series. Appropriate words to describe these books would be depressing, discomfiting, distressing, and desperately important. These books are so good for young readers, because they are all about children being gaslit at every turn. Adults cannot be trusted to take care of the Baudelaire orphans, even when they are good hearted. A kind heart does not make a good listener or an active protector. Caring about someone does not empower an adult to act in that person's best interests. The world is not a simple place and adults will not always help, or even accept that there is a problem, not even when children really need them to.

The lessons of these novels are always on point. The moral of the Boy Who Cried Wolf ought to be don't live in places where wolves run about freely because sometimes lying is useful. It is rational to fear a monster under your bed because there might very well be a monster under your bed. While it is easy to say that trying your best is important, when you are really in danger the most important thing is actually getting to safety. And my very favorite, "But like most impolite things, it is excusable under certain circumstances. Stealing is not excusable if, for instance, you are in a museum and you decide that a certain painting would look better in your house, and you simply grab the painting and take it there. But if you were very, very hungry, and you had no way of obtaining money, it might be excusable to grab the painting, take it to your house, and eat it."

Obviously, I am also quite fond of the style and humor in these books. In particular I appreciate the vocabulary building that comes from using challenging words like Brobdingnagian-a word which here means gigantic- and then defining them immediately in the text so that low level readers can enjoy uninterrupted reading. Naturally, this trick might get tedious if overused, but it goes to the broader theme of Snicket, the storyteller as a character, and his personality. It's a very interesting technique.

I highly recommend this series for children in search of good chapter books. Regarding this particular e-book collection of the first three novels, I would recommend it more for adults looking to catch up than for the target audience. Though the fact that my kindle only does black and white was not an issue, as only one of the bonus materials is in color.

[Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to read A Series Of Unfortunate Events for ages, so when I was browsing through the children’s section at the library, I had to pick this up!

I didn’t like it as much as I thought, and if I stopped after reading the first book, I would have been fine. For those not familiar with the series, it’s about the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire orphans. In the first book (The Bad Beginning), we learn that their parents died, so the 3 children go to live with Count Olaf. He’s after their fortune, which they can’t touch until the oldest is an adult. He tries to marry Violet, but his attempt fails, so they go off to live with a different relative in The Reptile Room. Once again, Count Olaf tries to get a hold of their fortunate by murdering their Uncle Monty. And naturally, this attempt fails, so in The Wide Window, they get sent to live with their Aunt Josephine, who dies in the lake.

I got through the 1st one really fast but somewhere in the second one, it really started to get boring. I get the whole point of the series is that all of these really bad things happen to the kids, but I started to get really annoyed with it. The adults in the series with the exception of one or two, were either evil or completely useless. The whole Sunny said X, which probably means Y bit got really tired, and while the definition of different words in the books are really great for the kids, I found it somewhat distracting.

There is a certain quirkiness to the adults, though, and there is something sort of steampunk about Violet inventing things, and looking at the different gears and stuff.

I think I would have liked it a lot better if I didn’t read the 3 books back-to-back. If I do decide to continue on with the series (it’s not going to be anytime soon), then I’ll definitely take some time in between each one.

Rating: 2 out of 5. I felt like I got a pretty good handle on the series just from reading the first book, and the following two were just a repetition of The Bad Beginning, with a few character changes, and a different disguise for Count Olaf.

[Yaciara Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

El mejor libro que he leído, este maravilloso libro me adentro en la lectura al 100%, amo su drama, lloro por la mala suerte de los hermanos Baudelarie, creo que este libro si te hace agradecer lo que tienes, agradeces por tu familia, por tener un techo y definitivamente de abre los ojos, si que tiene cosas raras pero eso no ara que yo baje de un altar este libro.
me daba una impotente rabia cuando hablo del conde Olaf, no puedo entender como alguien puede querer casarse, o asesinar a unos pobres niños, llamarlos huérfanos, tratarlo como unos imbéciles (aunque era todo lo contrario) ¿quien se merecería eso? Nadie y menos unos pobres niños sin padre y madre.
Odio que medio mundo creyera que aquellos niños eran unos malcriados, mimados y consentidos, por el simple echo de que vivieron en una familia de rico, bueno yo desde el primer momento vi lo agradable, respetuosos, inteligentes y en absolutos mimados, osea durmieron, en el suelo los tres en la casa del señor Poe, en la casa del conde Olaf dormían los tres en una cama horrible, cuando descubrían al conde Olaf no le faltaban el respeto al señor Poe por no creerles, no se quejaron por la vida de su ti, ni por los juguetes que les da o por la casa.
En la casa de los reptiles no tengo nada malo sobre que opinar, ademas de Olaf (estaba obsesionado enserio).
y la tía, me daba pena, no tenia marido, todo le daba miedo, tubo que fingir estar muerta, y otra vez ese maldito Olaf vuelve... ¿ustedes creen que es seguro que unos niños manejen en un barco, en una playa llena de sanguijuelas?.
al final te das cuenta porque la saga se llama "la saga infinita", obvio siempre volverá conde Olaf y yo creo que los tres terminaran muertos, y toda la fortuna sera perdida, aunque me gustaría saber el final de los tres hermanos Baudelarie, aunque se que no sea un final feliz

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the first three books in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Klaus is my favorite character, followed very closely by his older sister Violet. Like Klaus, I am an avid reader and a bit more knowledgeable than some of the people around me. Violet's intelligence is more technical and scientific. It is amazing how she can invent things with everyday things around her. As for Sunny, there isn't much to her except that she is a toddler who makes up her own words (and somehow people know what she is saying) and bites things really hard, despite only having four teeth. Despite how smart and resourceful the Beaudelaire children are, they are still flawed and aren't as clever as they think they are. They, especially Klaus, have a habit of bragging that they know Count Olaf is in disguise and what his plans are, yet they do so in his presence (usually when they are alone with him), and don't go about proving it until after he has already defeated them in some way. Violet needs to pay attention and be more supportive of Klaus' theories and observations, such as when he realized that Uncle Monty wasn't bitten by the Mamba du Mal snake or when Aunt Josephine's so-called suicide not was filled with grammatical and spelling errors, despite the fact that Josephine was a grammar nazi. The writing is very repetitive and formulaic in that Lemony Snicket gives the reader vocabulary lessons and each entry in the series has been roughly the same with different details. All the adults in the series are useless, evil, or dead. However, I do want to finish reading the series just to find out what happens to the characters, despite how unlucky the Baudelaire children are.

[Mags (Repin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are so fun to read! It does get repetitive after a while, but it is still a fun and enjoyable read.

[Neftalik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t you just like adventurous stories with a massive amount of suspense? Well if so then you’ve come to the right place! Lemony Snicket’s the Ominous Omnibus adventure packed story that’s just right for you. So go join Klaus, Violet, and Sunny Baudelaire on their series of unfortunate events!
Violet, Klaus, and sunny Baudelaire were peacefully enjoying a foggy day at the beach, tossing stones and observing the native creatures there. Then it happened. Their parent’s friend and local banker, Mr. Poe, had brought the dreadful news of the death of the Baudelaire children’s parents. Trying to deal with the grief of their parent’s death, the Baudelaire orphans try to search for a new home at the same time as avoiding death at the hands of Count Olaf and the theft of their family fortune. Count Olaf mysteriously “appeared” when the Baudelaire parents died in the terrible mansion fire. Mr. Poe had said that Olaf was a distant relative of the children’s parents. What with their high intellect the Baudelaire orphans had gotten suspicious.
The rest of the story is for me to know and for you to find out. But since this book is three stories long I was only able to review 1 part at a time to avoid an extended book review. Overall, the Bad Beginning was a very interesting lift off in the series. The setting and writing makes this book depressing yet not so sad, but exciting and adventurous. Count Olaf is probably the most ridiculous antagonist (villain) I’ve ever read in a book!

I give this book 4 ½ stars

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastically unique series for younger readers. Snicket actually becomes like a character himself, as he narrates the unhappy tale of Violet, Klaus and Sunny – possibly three of the most unstereotypical YA characters you will ever read – as though talking directly to the reader.

Violet is fourteen and an inventor, able to build useful contraptions and devices out of almost anything. Klaus, ‘a little older than twelve’ is very intelligent and reads a lot, while Sunny enjoys biting things (a very useful talent – as you will come to see). After the tragic death of their parents (their house very quickly and seemingly spontaneously, burns down), they are shipped of to an array of increasingly eccentric distant relatives, all the while pursued by the determined and slightly unhinged, Count Olaf, who wants their fortune for himself.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a real treat – filled with bizarre and delightfully random adventures and multiple character deaths, each one more strange than the next (one character, ditzy Aunt Josephine, is amusingly charmed by a (very badly) disguised Count Olaf before meeting a rather sticky end, death by leeches), all told with an Edward Gory-esque dark humour and dry wit.

A great read for both adults and children – this is a lovely little series – perfect for parents to read with their children, or even just alone.

[La Stamberga dei Lettori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una serie di sfortunati eventi è un ciclo in tredici romanzi per ragazzi attribuito a Lemony Snicket, narratore della storia e marginale personaggio della saga, nonché eteronimo dell'autore Daniel Handler. L'edizione da me letta è quella inglese, e contiene i primi tre volumi della saga, che rimaneggiati costituiscono anche la trama del grazioso film Lemony Snicket - Una serie di sfortunati eventi diretto da Brad Silberling e con Jim Carrey nei panni del Conte Olaf.

The Bad Beginning (in italiano Un infausto inizio) permette al lettore di fare la conoscenza dei giovani Baudelaire, tre bambini recentemente divenuti orfani a causa di un incendio che ha distrutto la loro casa e le loro precedenti vite. Violet, la maggiore, ha quattordici anni ed è una straordinaria inventrice: quando si lega i capelli, potete star certi che il suo vispo cervello è concentrato su corde e ingranaggi. Klaus, il figlio di mezzo, ha dodici anni ed è un divoratore di libri, in grado di trovare tra le pagine la soluzione più appropriata a qualsiasi problema. Sunny, la minore, è un'infante dotata di quattro robusti dentini con cui riesce a spaccare quasi qualunque cosa, e si esprime con buffi versi gorgoglianti e neologismi.

Continua su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...

[Dramapuppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of those children's books that aren't really "wonderful for all ages." Don't get wrong, I'm enjoying reading them now, but I can tell I would have LOVED them as a kid. So, my actual rating is three stars, but I'm giving it four because it's not the author's fault I'm reading something for which I'm not the target audience.

So far, this series is the right level of depressing. There are a lot of life or death situations and the world is pretty dark, but it's not terrifying enough that it's inappropriate for children. It doesn't condescend with the plot. No, it's not as dark as it would be as a YA series, but they aren't hiding details. They just chose to go a more child-friendly (yet still serious and intense) path.

The word definitions are slightly more condescending, but if that's what was necessary to include the vocabulary, it's better than cutting it entirely. It helps to build the mood without actually writing like a classic and including too much description or difficult syntax.

This books are just fun to read. The characters are kind of flat, but they're likable. I'm excited to continue with this series.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
The three Baudelaire children had their lives changed forever one morning while at the beach. A devasting fire destroyed their family house and their parents as well. Now Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are now orphans and put in the care of Mr. Poe a banker at Mulcatory Money Management. As per their parents Will Mr. Poe places them with their relation Count Olaf. A series of unfortunate events occur such as a marriage, poisonous snakes, an aunt so sarced of everything, and a lake full of leeches all including Count Olaf.
Characters:
Violet, Klaus, Sunny Baudelaire, three orphans that have to stop Count Olaf from trying to get his hands on their fortune.
Count Olaf, an evil, soulless man all he wants is the Baudelaire fortune.
Mr. Poe, a banker friends of the Baudelaire's parents
Final Thoughts:
The netflix's show got me hooked on this series. I thought I should read the books and I am glad I did, now I hooked to find out what happens to the Baudelaire orphans. The illustration by Brett Helquist are brillant and fit perfectly with the story.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three books are incredibly funny and made me laugh – out loud! Not great literature, even as children's books go, but with that sense of the macabre that parents are always trying to keep their kids away from and that most kids already have. Plus, it's sort of steampunk-lite (gears and inventions and a strange timelessness, despite the constant presence of things like walkie-talkies and credit cards and Jeeps), which I appreciate. I got tired of the narrator saying, "Sunny said, 'x,' which meant something like 'y.'" And I can see the pattern forming that might get old by the 13th book: Mr. Poe shuffles Baudelaires off to wacky new relative; Count Olaf finds them but in a disguise; no one believes the children; wacky relative dies hideous death; children's ingenuity saves them from Olaf at last possible instant. So I don’t really need to read the rest of the series.

[Adrián Quesada · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really say anything that hasn't been said about these books before. I cheated, though, since I came in with half a formed opinion because I loved the Netflix show so much.

It's of course a book for children so it actually has a surprising amount of complexity, but it still doesn't excuse how formulaic and repetitive it is. The main reason I liked the series so much was the secondary characters, like Mr. Poe and all the guardians, but they don't really get a chance to shine so much when on paper.

I know these books are supposed to get much better as the series progresses, but hadn't it been because the show revealed the hidden secondary plot so early and I've been told it gets exponentially better by several people, I'm not so sure I'd keep reading about the Baudelaires. For now though, I will.

[Knit Spirit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Violet, Klaus et Sunny sont orphelins, ils ont été placés chez le Comte Olaf suite au décès de leurs parents et les événements qui vont suivre ne s'annoncent pas à leur avantage. Si vous cherchez une histoire qui se termine bien, cette série n'est pas pour vous, c'est ce que vous annonce l'auteur dès les premières pages, vous serez donc prévenus !
Mon avis sur les 3 premiers tomes de cette série est assez mitigé. D'un côté, j'adore le ton du livre et les incursions régulières de l'auteur qui explique la signification de certains mots (c'est une série de livres pour enfants), donne son avis sur ce qui arrive aux héros... mais de l'autre, le côté répétitif des situations m'a un peu agacé. C'est toujours le même schéma pour chaque livre et c'est pesant à la force.
En bref : pas mal mais pas fou non plus !

[April Helms · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first three books in the popular series of stories about the unfortunate Baudelaire orphans. After their parents die in a house fire, Violet, Klaus and Sunny are forced to live with their distant cousin, Count Olaf. Olaf is a cruel, treacherous and cunning foe who is after the Baudelaire fortune, and it is up to the intelligent children to thwart him. It’s pretty easy to read, fast-paced and full (sometimes over-full) of sly asides and wink-and-nudge humor, such as Olaf’s “in loco parentis” plans (Loco, meaning here also a word for “crazy”) and the aside definitions of harder (and sometimes not harder) words. My criticism of the books, though, is sometimes the author gets too carried away with the witticisms.