Het bittere begin (1999)

Classic book series but probably not my favorite so far. I know I'm only one book in, but it is very slow. I do enjoy the way this book is written, it's very different and unique. I will be reading the rest of the series of course because "first impressions are often entirely wrong" as Lemony Snicket says. ( )

I thought this book was good and I enjoyed reading it. I think the author does a good job of keeping the readers attention throughout the whole book. ( )

I could sit and spend hours reviewing this entire series book by book instead of providing one review over the entire series simply because I love this series so much. Top 5 favorite book series right here. I'm an avid reader and this series left such a profound impact on me in middle school. I remember I got into the series because a guy that I had a crush on recommended it to me. He's deceased now, but I'm so happy that I took his recommendation. It was the first time I had ever been exposed to this style of writing. Some people find the way Lemony Snicket writes to be grating and almost condescending- but it compliments the books flavor and atmosphere perfectly. I never had a problem with his writing simply because of how distinct it is. Additionally, I have never seen anyone else write like him and leave the same effect over me. It's comical, sardonic, at times light hearted, somewhat educational and honestly anyone with a dark sense of humor could appreciate.
TSOUE series is sadistic and immersive. At one point I think it was controversial because some people weirdly saw it as 'child abuse is entertaining'. That's just as idiotic as saying that reading a Stephen King novel makes someone a murderer or that reading Lord of the Rings makes someone approve of racism. While this series does have plenty of dark, gloomy and well- unfortunate moments- it digs so much deeper than that. It really makes you appreciate the little moments we have in life to be thankful over. It puts a lot of things into perspective. It is one of the only series in existence that I cheer for the heroes rather than the villains, and that I prefer the protagonists to the antagonists. It certainly makes you want to see more justice in the world and to see the closure of these characters, and just hope for the best along the way.
This series absolutely promotes having a can-do attitude in a negative situation is a lifesaver. It is also famous for showing that we are always surrounded by incompetent people and the best solution is to do it yourself. It expresses that bad people are everywhere and often times they get away with stuff they shouldn't, so never be afraid to stand up for what's right. It teaches you that just because someone is family does not mean they are on your side or that they are good people- you don't have to accept or call someone family even if they are blood. It reminds you that not everyone is on your side or will be, but there will always be people out there willing to help you- but it is up to your judgement to decide if they are good or bad and if you'll give them a chance. It teaches you that the people that truly do have your back can make any trying time more tolerable. It reassures you that only sometimes people are capable of changing. I could go on and on about this series- and while there is no shortage of 'rain and storms' in this series, there are moments of well-deserved 'sunshine'. This is a series about love, friendship, loyalty, camaraderie, betrayal, resourcefulness, sacrifice and character development. I'd probably make this a required reading if I was a children's school teacher (at least the first two books).
It has moments that require suspension of disbelief- but the books themselves have a heavier realistic tone than you'd probably expect. No supernatural forces like ghosts or ancient Greek gods or anything like that. Just some regular human kids with a tragic past that just try to make it to tomorrow. Each book gets progressively longer as the series continues- but each one are fairly quick reads and can be knocked out in a day or three. I'm pretty sure someone with an average reading pace could finish the entire series in less than a month. I'm a fast reader though.
I also really dig the art found in the series- Brett Helquist really outdid himself for it.
This is a series for children, teens and adults. Literally anyone. ( )

"if you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. in this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle ... i'm sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes."

i read most of these books as they were coming out, but i was unable to finish the series at that time. so, now that i've been reunited with my copies, i figured i would start from the beginning again, because they're great, and because they take, like, a minute to read.

these are the darkly-funny gothic "tragedies" i would have loved to have had when i was a kid, and there is enough adult-ish humor to keep so-called grown-ups entertained. not only that, but lemony snicket loves words, and wants you to love words, too. one complaint that i remember, though, is that as the series goes on, some of the repetition of circumstance gets a little ... repetitive. we'll see if that still seems the case. ( )

I kept reading, waiting for this to be interesting. This wasn't the book for me. ( )