The Bad Beginning

I don't particularly like books with no happy endings, and I don't really know what hit me and made me read this book.
I just the kids were just struck by bad luck and fate was being cruel and playing with them. From rich to poor, that's how their life went. Their parents' death is a mystery to me because there was really no clarification on how the fire started. The kids never cried when they heard that their parents died. I mean, if it was me, I'd cry a river, but I guess they're just tough. I find Mr. Poe as a generous man for taking the kids with him in his house.
When they went to see Count Olaf and mistaken the Judge Strauss' house as his, I thought, they must not be really that unfortunate. But when they saw Count Olaf, I gave up hoping that things would be better for them. The description of Count Olaf was really disturbing, what an unusual person to have only one eyebrow! I can't even live in his filthy house, I'd much rather risk my life on the streets,
I knew from the start that Count Olaf just agreed on taking the kids for money. That's what makes this world go round anyway, money, money and money. It was really clever of Count Olaf to plan and arrange his so-called wedding with Violet to gain their inheritance. And I was really impressed when Violet used her left arm to sign and made the document illegal.
The kids may be really unfortunate, but somehow things turned out well for them in the end. At the end of the day, they're still lucky because they're all together and they have an inheritance waiting for them in 4 years' time.

As a child, I would not have enjoyed this book. The story is bizarre. So is the writing style. The author narrates the story like a parent reads to a child.

I've read hundreds of books in my life. I know the general writing formula. Honestly, it's great to find a story that breaks the rules. This book wasn't happy. It was depressing, but it was different. I also really enjoyed the little definitions the author added in. Bravo.

After starting the show on Netflix, we were enticed to start the series. My oldest (9) is reading the books either through the library or Libby and we are all listening to the audiobook on our adventures here and there. While I doubt I would enjoy the series for myself, sharing it with the children has been entertaining. We are about to now start The Miserable Mill after finishing up The Wide Window.

Library audiobook. Library book. Libby to Kindle.

I honestly don't get the love for this series. It's super repetitive and the only character with any actual personality is the narrator. The Baudelaire children's dialogue is exclusively exposition. We're told everything about them. It's just boring. And the vocabulary lessons! The constant inclusion of definitions is grating. Given the mature themes of the story, this is a serious disconnect. The author seems to both think that children don't know much and need to be spoon fed and that they can handle death, abuse, and neglect. Maybe I give kids more credit than most adults, but I believe most kids don't need the definitions. I understand it's kind of a joke, but if that's the main purpose of the definitions then it's far too repetitive. However, definitions done like the one on page 74 are great. And finally, the poor communication trope is frustrating. I understand the charm in this series, and I plan to finish it out, but it really does it's best to irritate me.

So I wanted to know what this series is about, so I listened to the first book. Thank goodness Tim Curry was the narrator. He at least brought some enjoyment to the book. I get that the trope of orphans living with bad relatives is being stretched and made fun of. I get that adults are particularly stupid in this trope. But it was too much for me. I can't imagine kids reading this book or series and enjoying it let alone ‘getting' it.
I guess I know what it is about now.

This series was very popular when they came out. I read the first 3-5 books before I decided to stop. The story is obviously depressing but what's even worse is that it's essentially the same plot in EVERY SINGLE BOOK. The kids get put with some crappy “caregiver”, they try to get help, they try to escape, only to be put with an even worse person. Overall it's a depressing and boring series.

Lang lang geleden had ik de eerste paar boeken van A Series of Unfortunate Events gelezen. Zo lang geleden dat er nog maar een paar waren.

En dan heb ik de film gezien en die was niet alleen leutig maar vooral helemaal zoals ik het mij inbeeldde als ik de boeken las, en dan heb ik de tv-serie gezien en was het gewoon worden aan een nieuwe Uncle Olaf maar dat wende redelijk snel en toen was het ook helemaal zoals ik het mij inbeeldde als ik de boeken las.

Da's niet altijd goed wegens boeken en film/tv ander medium en zo, maar hey. Seizoen twee van de tv-reeks eindigt bij boek vier, ik had denk ik maar een tot en met drie gelezen, en ondertussen waren er nog tien boeken verschenen en — belangrijker — was de serie afgelopen met deel dertien, The End.

Wat doet een mens dan? Uiteraard, beslissen om alles nog eens te lezen en te herlezen.

Er zijn ongetwijfeld allerlei geleerde dingen te zeggen over intertekstualiteit en metavertellingen en watnog, maar het komt hierop neer: Lemony Snicket, de auteur, is niet echt maar eigenlijk een personage in het verhaal. De onderwerpen van de de serie onfortuinlijke gebeurtenissen zijn de Baudelaires, Violet, Klaus en Sunny.

Ze zitten aan het strand als ze de boodschap krijgen dat hun ouders overleden zijn in een brand waarbij hun huis en al hun bezittingen in de as zijn gelegd. Ze worden door de bank, bij monde van Mr. Poe, geplaatst bij hun oom Olaf. Waarvan ze niet wisten dat hij hun oom was, en die eigenlijk een slechterik is die het fortuin van de Baudelaires wil inpikken.

Klaus leest veel boeken en weet veel, Violet kan vanalles uitvinden, en Sunny, die in orakelachtige uitingen spreekt die alleen haar broer en zus begrijpen, heeft sterke tanden waarmee ze kan bijten.

Onfortuinlijke gebeurtenissen, Olaf die met Violet wil trouwen om zo het geld te krijgen, maar het loopt allemaal goed af. 't Is te zeggen, het loopt niet goed af. Dit plan mislukt, maar dat brengt hun ouders niet terug, en het geeft ze nog altijd geen controle over hun eigen lot.

Lemony narra la historia de tres hermanos que desde un indicio se quedan huérfanos tras la muerte de ambos padres a la misma vez en un accidente. La persona que cuida de su herencia los hospeda en su casa hasta que encuentran un tutor para que viva con ellos. El tutor, llamado Conde Olaf, se presenta como un personaje egoísta, insensato y de lo menos cariñoso con los niños Baudelaire; desde ese entonces ellos van a tratar de hacer lo posible para despegarse de ese rufián y vivir en lo posible juntos y felices.

Desde el comienzo el autor te indica que la historia no es alegre, y que si estas de humor para un libro con final feliz, que no sigas leyendo Una serie de eventos desafortunados porque no va a ser nada feliz. Este autor tiene una clase de misterio en todo lo que hace, es decir, a lo largo del libro en su escritura. La sinopsis y al final del libro, el escribe cartas que mantienen el espíritu misterioso y realista de estos cuentos, algo que me pareció interesante desde un principio.

La variedad de personajes que muestra durante la historia, y sus personalidades son extraordinarias. Me encontré esperando ser como los hermanos Baudelaire; con esa clase de talento que demuestran constantemente y también en la forma de pensar de estos niños.

Hay, casi en la mayoría de los capítulos, definiciones sobre palabras; sin embargo el Autor le da un tono irónico, sarcástico a cada una de ellas. Por ejemplo:

La palabras significa aquí .

Y muchos otros ejemplos más.



También el autor hace definiciones de las palabras de bebé que pronuncia Sunny Baudelaire; algo muy original en mi perspectiva.

En el libro, posiblemente por la editorial, las ilustraciones de los elementos de cada capítulo son esplendidas. Nunca quise poseer un libro con ilustraciones, pero estas son tan artísticas y extrañas que lo primero que hice al notarlo fue contemplarlo durante minutos, no se pueden comparar.

Retomando la historia, como dice el dicho “el que avisa no traiciona”, el cuento está lleno de desdichas, los pobres niños nunca descansan y sus esperanzas van de mal a peor. Lo bueno de esto es que son muy amados entre ellos, y se mantienen como una familia fuerte llena de fe en su felicidad.


Antes de leer el libro vi la película, y como me gusto mucho la película decidí leer, obviamente, los libros y como sucede en la totalidad de los casos, el libro es muy diferente a la película. El primer libro solo abarca una pequeña parte del libro, y eso me da la teoría de que la película fue hecha con partes de cada libro, las más importantes. Hay algunas características que dejaron en la película y otras que no, pero eso, lamentablemente, siempre sucede en las adaptaciones.



En conclusión, es un libro misterioso, inteligente, excelente escrito y con ilustraciones alucinantes. Lo puedes leer en una sola tarde como yo y mantenerte atrapada en la historia y la acción de esta. Definitivamente estoy esperando a leer el segundo libro con impaciencia.

This book has a unique writing style that the Netflix show captures quite well. So much do that I hear the narrator's voice in my head when reading. 

I enjoy the way the Baudelaire's figure the plot while the adults are so unaware because of their adult assumptions. Count Olaf is a great villain, in part because no one expects him to be as vile as he is. 

This is a re-read from childhood that I picked up again so that I can I have a record of reading it. I also picked it up because I never finished the series originally, and I would like to see the netflix adaption now it has finished.

This book was weirdly formal throughout, but well written. I still found it enjoyable as an adult, but it felt like a really insubstantial book. I think the course of the book really occurs over a week or so, and it shows. Additionally, the conflict and resolution of the book is carried out in the last two chapters very quickly so it didn't feel as satisfying as it did as a kid.

I'd recommend it if you're the market age range, if not I'd suggest you watch the tv show. I still want to complete the series to see if it gets better.

Original de: El Blog del Gato - El Extraño Gato del Cuento

RESEÑA DE TODA LA SERIE

Una cosa muy curiosa que me ha pasado tanto con los libros como con la película basada en los libros es que siempre, pero SIEMPRE, pasa algo que no dejaba terminar de leerlo o verlo. Pero esta vez, cual Lemony Snicket, cogí los libros y me encerré en un bunker bajo tierra para que nadie siquiera piense en interrumpirme. No Olaf, no VFD.

Los trece libros que conforman esta serie me los termine en un poquito más de una semana, quizá ocho días. Como dije, el primer libro ya lo había empezado antes, pero no pude continuarlo. Esta vez, empecé uno en la mañana, terminaba el siguiente en la tarde, empezaba el que le sigue en la madrugada y lo terminaba a penas despertar. Sep, casi tres libros por día. ¿Que tiene tanto de especial la serie? A pesar de que el escritor te dice una y otra vez que no leas los libros, para mi fue literalmente imposible parar.

If you're allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats

Just knowing that they could read made the Baudelaire orphans feel as if their wretched lives could be a little brighter

Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean that it's nonsense

THE WORLD IS QUIET HERE

“I don't have time to medically examine the Baudelaires, or shove my face into any best-known novels!”
“Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness”

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I've heard quite a lot about A Series of Unfortunate Events, and tried reading it at 11 years old. Back then I seemed to think that it was awfully sad and so I stopped reading it. But now that I finally read it all, I don't think it lived up to the hype around it, and that's slightly disappointing. I realize that the book is aimed at younger audiences, which is why I think I didn't fully enjoy it. I also don't think it was all that sad anymore, just... unfortunate.

This book is fun, dark and beautifully written. The writing is so clever and a joy to read. I enjoyed every second, and was reminded of why I love Middle Grade so much. I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series, even though I've watched the movies and the Netflix series, I know that reading the source material is going to be a wonderful experience. I strongly recommend you pick up this little book. 

4.0

This was such a quick read! It only took me like more or less an hour to finish this. Actually, I remember reading this book in my Elementary school's library before, and re-reading it made me realize how intriguing this book is. It's a good book to start off the ASoUE series and it doesn't disappoint at all. The Baudelaire siblings were introduced and you can't help but immediately sympathize with them. Count Olaf left a really convincing impression as a villain. The story/plot teaches a lot of valuable things from real life skills, to grammar & vocabulary. I am pretty much looking forward to reading the next 12 books of this series. In fact, I'm about to start the 2nd book of this series - which is “The Reptile Room”.

I have been in a reading slump lately so I decided to pick this up. After I started reading I realized this was a book I had read to my boys when they were little. I didn't remember much of the story so it was still interesting to read but it did bring back a lot of memories of my boys and their thoughts as I read the story. Mostly, I remember their thoughts on what they would have done to save the little girl. My younger son, being a super hero, would have flown up to the tower, smashed the bad guy down, and then saved the little girl. I remember those days of trying to get my youngest to understand that he did not really have super human strength and that he really did need to stay out of the road and avoid strangers.

I did think the book was a bit dark for kids but my oldest son did enjoy this series and is now a totally normal adult human that does not require therapy. If your child gets scared and has bad dreams I wouldn't give them this book. In this book both parents are killed in a house fire while the kids are out. The children are then orphans who cannot even retrieve any of their belongings because they are burnt to a crisp. They are left with a sizable fortune but it cannot be accessed until Violet, the oldest, is of age. According to their parent's will they must be placed with a relative so they are placed with the closest relative available. This person is a horrible man who lives in a dark, dirty house with a creepy tower where they are forbidden to go. This man is mean and makes them eat lumpy oatmeal for breakfast and then gives them very difficult chores to do while he is gone - like chopping wood or making dinner for his entire theatre group. They realize the man is only trying to get their fortune and doesn't care about them at all. The man will do anything to get what he wants, including locking the baby up in a cage in the top of the tower.