{"product_id":"the-bad-beginning","title":"The Bad Beginning","description":"\u003cp\u003e6b, Reprint. Lemony Snicket. A Series  of Unfortunate Events. Book of the First. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"177\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"23\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"2\" data-end=\"21\"\u003eThe Bad Beginning\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is the first book in \u003cem data-start=\"45\" data-end=\"77\"\u003eA Series of Unfortunate Events\u003c\/em\u003e by \u003cstrong data-start=\"81\" data-end=\"99\"\u003eLemony Snicket\u003c\/strong\u003e (published in 1999), and it wastes absolutely no time living up to its title.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"179\" data-end=\"667\"\u003eThe story follows the \u003cstrong data-start=\"201\" data-end=\"223\"\u003eBaudelaire orphans\u003c\/strong\u003e—\u003cstrong data-start=\"224\" data-end=\"234\"\u003eViolet\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"236\" data-end=\"245\"\u003eKlaus\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"251\" data-end=\"260\"\u003eSunny\u003c\/strong\u003e—whose lives are turned upside down when their parents die in a mysterious fire. Instead of finding comfort or stability, the children are sent to live with the delightfully awful \u003cstrong data-start=\"440\" data-end=\"454\"\u003eCount Olaf\u003c\/strong\u003e, a greedy, theatrical villain obsessed with stealing their inheritance. Olaf forces them into miserable labor, ignores their basic needs, and hatches an increasingly disturbing plan to legally take their fortune.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"669\" data-end=\"1098\"\u003eWhat makes the book stand out is its \u003cstrong data-start=\"706\" data-end=\"727\"\u003edarkly comic tone\u003c\/strong\u003e. Snicket constantly warns the reader that this is \u003cem data-start=\"778\" data-end=\"783\"\u003enot\u003c\/em\u003e a happy story, explains difficult vocabulary mid-sentence, and pokes fun at incompetent adults who never listen to children—even when the kids are obviously right. Violet’s inventiveness, Klaus’s love of books, and Sunny’s surprising ferocity make the Baudelaires clever and likable, even as everything goes wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1100\" data-end=\"1460\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eOverall, \u003cem data-start=\"1109\" data-end=\"1128\"\u003eThe Bad Beginning\u003c\/em\u003e sets the stage for a series that’s gloomy, witty, morally sharp, and strangely comforting for readers who enjoy clever storytelling with a macabre edge. If you like humor mixed with injustice, irony, and smart kids outwitting terrible grown-ups (sometimes unsuccessfully), this book is a perfect—and perfectly miserable—start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNEW\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Moons Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56134865944742,"sku":null,"price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0173\/6563\/1040\/files\/23A46B34-BDC3-4046-A366-19A60166B841.jpg?v=1769476583","url":"https:\/\/moons-rare-books.myshopify.com\/products\/the-bad-beginning","provider":"Moons Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}