The Bad Beginning

Violet Baudelaire is fourteen years old and loves creating amazing inventions; Klaus Baudelaire is twelve and an obsessive reader; Sunny Baudelaire is a baby and has several surprisingly large and sharp buckteeth. While they were at Briny Beach, the children are told by a family friend, Mr. Poe, that their parents have died in a fire that destroyed their home. They are placed in the care of Count Olaf, said to be a distant relative although the children had never heard of him before. Olaf's ramshackle house is filthy and covered in disconcerting eye images; it has a tower which the Baudelaires are forbidden from entering. Count Olaf is unpleasant, easily angered, and forces the children to perform odious chores. It becomes clear that Count Olaf is scheming to collect the Baudelaire's fortune.

One day, the Baudelaires are set the task of making dinner for Olaf and his theater troupe. They make puttanesca, but when Olaf arrives, he demands roast beef. The children remind him that he never asked them to make roast beef, and Olaf becomes angry, lifting Sunny into the air and striking Klaus across the face after Klaus tells everyone Count Olaf has given them only one bed.

Olaf demands that the children perform in his new play in which Violet will marry Olaf. The children realize something is amiss and use the library of their friendly but credulous and inept neighbor, Justice Strauss, to research law. Klaus learns that the marriage in the play will be legally binding, meaning Olaf will gain control of their fortune. He confronts Olaf, who gets one of his associates to put Sunny in a birdcage, dangling from outside the window of his tower. He threatens to kill her if Klaus and Violet do not follow his plan. Violet constructs a makeshift grappling hook and uses it to climb the tower. She finds the hook-handed man (a member of Olaf's theater troupe) waiting to capture her. Klaus is brought up to the tower and they are locked together in the room until the play begins.

After Violet signs the marriage document, Olaf interrupts to tell the audience that their wedding was legally binding. Justice Strauss and Mr. Poe both object, but concede that the law requires them to hand over the Baudelaire fortune to Olaf. Violet interrupts to proclaim that the marriage was not legally binding, as she signed with her left hand despite being right-handed. Justice Strauss agrees that this invalidates the marriage. Before Olaf can be arrested for locking up Sunny, one of his associates turns the lights in the theater off and he is able to escape. Justice Strauss tells the Baudelaires that she is willing to adopt them; however, Mr. Poe says that this would go against their parents' will, as Justice Strauss is not their relative. He takes them back to his household until he can find another guardian for them.

In 2012, School Library Journal named The Bad Beginning the 48th best children's novel.[1] Kirkus Reviews noted the uncomfortably macabre tone of the novel, warning that because "the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters", the novel is "not for the squeamish".[2] Catherine Pelosi of Kids' Book Review responded positively to The Bad Beginning, describing it as "exciting, humorous and appropriately dark".[3]

Two audiobook versions of this novel were released. The first version was released in September 2003. It was read by Tim Curry and featured Daniel Handler, under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket, who read a portion, A Conversation Between the Author and Leonard S. Marcus, which won an "Earphones Award" on AudioFile, which described the audiobook as "fabulously funny" and complimented the conversation involving Handler.[6]

The second version was released in October 2004, after the release of the film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. This multi-voice cast audio book was narrated by Tim Curry and featured Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law. This version also included sound effects and a soundtrack. This edition of The Bad Beginning was an Audie Awards finalist for Children's Titles for Ages 8+ in 2005,[7] and a Grammy Award Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2005.[8] AudioFile gave the audiobook a positive review, although stated that "the cast of seven at first sound self-consciously formal until one realizes that the acting is supposed to be as mannered as the clever writing".[9]

• Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Loš početak (Algoritam, 2001: ISBN 953-6450-77-1);
• Brazilian Portuguese Mau Começo, translated by Carlos Sussekind (Companhia das Letras, 1999: ISBN 85-359-0094-2);
• Czech Zlý začátek, translated by Eva Brdičková (Egmont ČR, 2001: ISBN 80-7186-600-8);
• Dutch Het Bittere Begin, translated by Huberte Vriesendorp (Ploegsma, 2006: ISBN 978-90-216-1520-2);
• Finnish Ankea alku, translated by Mika Ojakangas (WSOY, 2001: ISBN 952-5418-00-6);
• Greek: "Η Κακή Αρχή", translated by Χαρά Γιαννακοπούλου (Ελληνικά Γράμματα, 2002:960-406-186-0);
• Italian Un infausto inizio, translated by Valentina Daniele (Salani, 2003: ISBN 88-7782-951-6);
• Norwegian En grufull begynnelse, translated by Alexander Melli (Cappelen Damm, 2000: ISBN 9788202189471);
• Polish Przykry początek (The Unpleasant Beginning), translated by Jolanta Kozak (Wydawnictwo Egmont Polska, 2008: ISBN 83-237-1449-5);
• Romanian Început îndoliat (Egmont, 2002: ISBN 973-583-363-8); Înneguratul început (Arthur, 2017)
• Russian Скверное начало (Azbuka-Klassika, 2003: ISBN 5-352-00360-4);
• Spanish Un mal principio, translated by Néstor Busquets (Montena, 2004: ISBN 0-307-20934-2);
• Swedish En olustig början (Richters, 2002: ISBN 91-7711-334-9);
• Turkish Kötü Günler Başlarken (Doğan Egmont, 2002: ISBN 978-975-323-582-2).
• Indonesian Mula Malapetaka, (ISBN 979-22-0301-X)
• French Tout commence mal…, translated by Rose-Marie Vassallo (Éditions Nathan, 2002: ISBN 2-09-282353-1)
• Quebec French Nés sous une mauvaise étoile, translated by Rose-Marie Vassallo (Éditions Heritage, 2007: ISBN 2-7625-2942-5)
• Korean 눈동자의 집 (ISBN 89-546-0834-5)
• Japanese 最悪のはじまり (Soshisha, 2001: ISBN 4-7942-1070-1)

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