The Bad Beginning
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The Bad Beginning is the first novel of the A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket.
Plot
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, the three Baudelaires, were at Briny Beach one day when they saw a man which is really scaring the children at first because they can't make out who it is. Fortunatel,y it is just a friend of their parents. What is unfortuante is that Mr. Poe tells them that their house caught fire and killed their parents and destroyed all their possesions.
They have no one else to live with except Mr. Poe so they stay with his family, while Mr. Poe finds a suitable guardian for them. He finally finds Count Olaf who is either their "third cousin four times removed" or "fourth cousin three times removed."
Unfortunatley Olaf is a greedy man who wants the enormous Baudelaire fortune for himself. Olaf neglects the children many times. He forces the children to do very long chores.
Later, the children file a complaint to Mr. Poe. He explains to them that the legal concept ("in loco parentis") that Olaf may raise them in any way he wants, and tells them good day. Olaf then and apologizes to the children. He then informs the children that they have to participate in a play called The Marvelous Marriage by Count Olaf (Al Funcoot is an anagram of Count Olaf). He also wants Violet to play his bride, and tells them that Justice Strauss will play the judge that marries the happy couple. The children, troubled, spend the day at Justice Strauss' house, reading books, until Olaf's henchman, the Hook-Handed Man comes to retrieve them and Klaus manages to take a book on nuptial law with him.
Klaus spends most of his time reading the extremely big book on nuptial law and finally discovers Olaf's plan. Olaf plans to marry Violet using the play. The law says that both the bride and the groom must sign a document. He also discovers that the bride must sign with her own right hand. When Violet is told by her brother of Olaf's plot they run to him and he yells that he has captured Sunny and threatens to kill her if Violet does not cooperate. The play starts and as soon as Olaf announces that he is now really married to Violet they stop in the middle of the play. As soon as Sunny comes back, Violet comes on the stage and deliberately tells that she is right-handed and she signed the document with her left hand, which means the wedding is off. Olaf escapes. The Baudelaires have no guardian. Justice Strauss announces she will take care of them, but Mr. Poe tells her that a relative must take care of the children.
The Rare Edition
Another edition of The Bad Beginning is available; it is known as The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition (ISBN 0060518286). This edition comes with a new cover, an index, a portrait of the characters and an extra chapter filled with author's notes on the book.
Cover images
 US cover |
 UK cover |