Recently, I decided to give a try to a children's book. This isn't my favorite type of literature, but I said, "Why not?" If I don't like it, then I don't have to continue with the rest of the series, since this particular book has several sequels. The book I am talking about is "The Bad Beginning", the first installment in "A Series of Unfortunate Events".
It's a very short book, having 162 pages or so. You can read it one sitting, if you have time, and it's not complicated to understand. I must clarify: don't think that just because it's a children's book it's going to be "dumb" or boring. Quite the contrary! Even though I'm a twenty-something adult and I generally prefer more mature literature, I still enjoyed the novel. Children will probably enjoy it more than I did, but still. It was a pretty cool read.
Now, I know of some friends who know nothing about this series and its world, and haven't seen the series' adaptations. So, what is it about?
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" is a series of thirteen books narrated by fictional Lemony Snicket; he's the narrator, not the author. The books tell the misadventures of the three Baudelaire orphans: Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Once belonging to a wealthy, happy family, it all comes to an end when their parents die in a fire that consumes their house and belongings. According to their parents' will, the children must love with their closest relative, which is (supposedly) Count Olaf.
The Count is a horribly cruel man, who treats the children like slaves. He is verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive with them; needless to say, the children suffer a lot under his tutelage. The Count is after the Baudelaire's fortune, but then he learns that the children won't inherit the money until Violet (the eldest) comes of age. Therefore, Count Olaf starts planning on ways he can have the children's wealth, even if it means murdering them.
After the children's stay with Count Olaf, and fouling his devious plan to marry Violet and get her fortune, the Baudelaire's move from one relative to another, from place to place, escaping from Count Olaf and his minions. The children face countless hardships and tragedies throughout the novels, and they barely escape with their lives from every danger that comes in their way.
As for the book itself, there were many things I liked, and I wasn't really expecting to like so many things about it. First of all, the characters. They are truly the heart of the book, including both heroes and villains. The children especially capture your heart from the very first page, as you can't help but feel sorry for them, give them a huge hug and a safe place to stay.
Violet is the eldest Baudelaire and fourteen at the beginning of the series; by the end of the books, she's sixteen. Violet is distinguished by being a natural leader, a caring person, and also kind, polite and resourceful. She can be headstrong and gets frustrated with adults, and she will always put her siblings first. She's an inventor since a young age, and she's capable of creating many useful things that help her and her siblings escape from danger.
Klaus is the middle child, and shares a close relationship with Violet. Like his elder sister, he's very protective of Sunny. He is twelve years old by the beginning of the series, and fourteen at the end. Klaus is alike his sister in politeness and kindness; he's also resourceful and strong. He is a very observant boy, who questions everything and everyone, and can be quite spirited. Klaus is an avid reader from a young age, and he read almost every single one of the books that used to exist in his former house; his book knowledge saves the three of them multiple times.
Sunny is the youngest of the Baudelaire orphans, being around one year old by the start of the series and three around the end. Even though she's only a baby, she is as polite as her siblings, and does a lot of things that a normal can't do, such as: swordfight, being a secretary, and climbing with her own teeth. The latter is her most distinguishing feature; by the beginning of the books, Sunny has only four teeth which are so sharp that can cut through rock. Her siblings have been aided by this biting ability more than once.
Then of course, there's Count Olaf himself. A devious man full of malice, greed, bad manners and a serious case of disorganization in his house. The Count is the series main villain, and he's always persecuting the Baudelaire orphans to murder them and take their wealth. He uses multiple disguises to hunt the kids, and he murders anyone who comes between him and the children, including their tutors.
Now that I've talked about the characters, another thing I enjoyed with the book was the language and how it was used. The book is written in a very simple way, so children can understand it. Nevertheless, it's engaging and fun, and it successfully transmits the gloomy atmosphere of the story. But what I liked the most about the language was the vocabulary words. The author uses several words that might not be understood the first time you read them, so he provides a definition of such word and an example within the story. For example: when the children are informed of their parents' death, the informer uses the word "perished". The author makes a quick pause on which he explains what perished means, and writes an example using the book's situation at hand. This particular element for me is fascinating, and very helpful for all readers.
The third element that I liked from the book was the setting. The world of the Baudelaire children is set in a timeless place. The book has drawings, which represent different types of clothes, objects and architecture from different eras. The story might take place in the 40's, 50's, 90's or 2020 for all we know. This for me is a brilliant thing, as the books never grow old, they are never stuck in one place in history. The setting also has a very gloomy, depressing atmosphere which I adore; the drawings that accompany the story reinforce this gloomy aspect.
The last thing I liked about the story were the ideas present in it. Yes, the book and its sequels can be quite depressing at times. They have a big amount of darkness in them, and they are not to be taken lightly. I mean, we're talking about a group of siblings who are being continuously hunted by a man who wants to murder them. The children are tortured in many ways, they never find solace, their tutors are murdered one by one, most adults don't believe or help them, they have no place to go, and the only people they can really count on is themselves. But this last idea is what the makes the story so special.
As I said, the story can be very sad. But it also has some beautiful aspects. One of them is the theme of hope. No matter what happens, the Baudelaire children give each other hope when they need it most, believing that someday they will escape from their trauma and survive despite de darkness that surrounds them. Resilience is also a very big theme in the story; the children use their unique, individual talents to defeat the villains and strive under the circumstances. They never give up easily, and are always ready to fight their monsters. And last but not least, the biggest theme of all is family love.
The Baudelaire kids love each other deeply, They uplift their spirits, give each other a reason to go on, and no matter how cruel the world might be, they don't let that cruelty shape or destroy them. It shows us that family will always be there, that our siblings are people we can count on if we trust them, and that home will always be the brightest place in the world. But where is hope when your house is burned to the ground and your parents die with it? Easy: home is where the heart is. Wherever the orphans may be, as long as they have each other, they will always be home.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was how short it was! I was surprised to see how much I wanted to go on, and now I can't wait to read the second book, following the unfortunate events that fall upon the children.
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" has been adapted twice.. The first time was as a movie, and the second one as a Netflix series. I'm not a big fan of both works, but they do have their strengths and weaknesses.
The movie was a terrible adaptation, in the sense that it mixed three books into one movie, and the plot didn't really work. But they captured the timeless setting of the story quite well, the casting was pretty good, and the story as a whole was presented correctly: a sad tale, with tragic heroes and terrible villains. I wasn't a fan of Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, but at least he could look menacing when he needed to. The movie managed to make you feel deeply sad for the children and their situation, which is a success.
The Netflix adaptation also has a good casting. The children in this version are better suited for their book counterparts, and I like how they act better. The setting looks gloomier, the music is good, and they follow the books a little closer. But there are two things I seriously dislike about the TV series. One of them is the tone of it all. They made the series too funny, too silly, and they dumbed down the tone. Yes, the books have an absurdist element to them, but that doesn't make them a comedy. I hate it so much when children's stories are dumbed down, which is something that Disney tends to do a lot nowadays by the way. At least the movie took the story more seriously; the series is black comedy, and it's not even good.
The other thing I didn't like about the Netflix adaptation was the casting of Count Olaf. Here he is played by Neil Patrick Harris, and even though he looks the part, he doesn't know how to act it. His Count Olaf is completely preposterous (ridiculous) and stupid. I hate it so much when villains are portrayed that way. Count Olaf is not someone you're supposed to laugh at; he is absurd a lot of times, but that doesn't make him a comic relief. He is a monster in human skin, and Neil Patrick Harris wasn't able to capture that. I believe the fault doesn't fall completely on him, because I think the director and writers have a lot to do with that. But still... his portrayal makes me cringe more than it makes me cheer. Also, why is he practically the center of the series? Yes, he's the main villain, but the protagonists are the Baudelaire orphans, not him.
In conclusion, I really liked this first book. I think I will continue reading the series, as I'm very intrigued by it. It's the first time a children's book gets me excited to read more, even when I was a kid. I don't plan on continuing watching the Netflix series though. I don't like wasting my time on things I know I'm not going to like. I'd rather read the books, and no let the adaptation ruin the experience for me.
If you are interested in books about: orphans, horrible villains, bad actors, giant snakes, wide windows, ladies obsessed with grammar, mysterious societies, incompetent adults, miserable mills, an austere academy, an inventor, a reader and a biter- then these books are for you. But fair warning: there is no happy ending, and very few happy things in between. If you're like me, this is exactly the type of story you're looking for.
P.S. I wish I could adopt the Baudelaire children. Those three deserve a break.
