The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook Review)

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Title: The Bad Beginning
Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events, book the First
Author: Lemony Snicket
Narrator: Tim Curry
Publisher: Listening Library
Duration: 2 hours, 50 minutes
Copyright: 2001
Genres: adventure, fantasy, juvenile
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY:
Dear Customer,
I am sorry to tell you that this audiobook is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. One might say that they are magnets for misfortune. On this recording alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to record these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from ignoring this audiobook completely and choosing something happy instead, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
©1999 Lemony Snicket; (P)2002 HarperCollins US

DEDICATION: To Beatrice: Darling, dearest, dead.

MY THOUGHTS: What can you say after a beginning like that? Those poor Baudelaire orphans, their parents die in a tragic fire, and their luck just never seems to improve.
“The Bad Beginning” is the first audiobook in Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series. It is intended for younger readers, but I found it to be a charming story, and also amusing in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.

NARRATOR: There have been two audiobook releases of “The Bad Beginning.” The one I listened to was narrated by actor Tim Curry, who did a fine job.
The second audiobook was performed by the stars of the film, Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law. I would love to hear that one, I’m sure Jim Carrey would be hilarious as an audiobook narrator, and I always thought Jude Law would make a good narrator as well with his pleasant British accent.

SPECIAL FEATURES: This version of the audiobook contains an interview between Leonard Marcus and Daniel Handler. If you don’t know, Daniel Handler is the real name of Lemony Snicket, and this was really an interview with himself, as he performed the parts of both Marcus and Handler,who claims to be Lemony Snicket’s personal assistant. The interview was amusing, in a stuffy, British sort of way.

FINAL WORD: “The Bad Beginning” is a wonderful audiobook for the young, and the young at heart. I got several good chuckles out of this one.

FILM ADAPTATION: Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” hit theaters in 2004, and starred Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly, and Catherine O’Hara. It had a monumental budget of $140 million, and grossed about $209 million.
The film version of the wildly popular children’s book series covered only the first three books, out of a total of 13. It would have been nice to see some sequels covering the other books, but it doesn’t seem likely at this point since the children will all have aged several years by now.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook Review)
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook review)
The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket (Audiobook Review)

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If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "The Bad Beginning" (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First)by Lemony Snicket, from Amazon.com.

Interested in the movie?
Get "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2-Disc Special Collector's Edition) on DVD from Amazon.com.

This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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