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The Bad Beginning, A Multi-Voice Recording
- A Series of Unfortunate Events #1
- Narrated by: Tim Curry, Full Cast
- Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
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- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2
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Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odor.
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Décevant
- By Anonymous User on 2019-01-09
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The Wide Window
- A Series of Unfortunate Events #3
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If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.
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My Favorite of the Series
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The Miserable Mill
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I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to listen to this recording because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put down this audio instantaneously, because of all the audios describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet.
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Terrible Audio
- By Steven on 2018-02-24
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The Austere Academy
- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5
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If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school. Don't.
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The Ersatz Elevator
- A Series of Unfortunate Events #6
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- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
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Like the previous books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there is nothing to be heard here but misery, despair, and discomfort, and you still have time to choose something else to listen to.
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The Vile Village
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Nobody in their right minds would listen to this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay at the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded on this program.
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The Reptile Room
- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2
- Written by: Lemony Snicket
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odor.
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Décevant
- By Anonymous User on 2019-01-09
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The Wide Window
- A Series of Unfortunate Events #3
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If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.
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My Favorite of the Series
- By Tracey Lough on 2019-04-15
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The Miserable Mill
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- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
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I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to listen to this recording because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put down this audio instantaneously, because of all the audios describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet.
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Terrible Audio
- By Steven on 2018-02-24
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The Austere Academy
- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5
- Written by: Lemony Snicket
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- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
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If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school. Don't.
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The Ersatz Elevator
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Like the previous books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there is nothing to be heard here but misery, despair, and discomfort, and you still have time to choose something else to listen to.
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The Vile Village
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Nobody in their right minds would listen to this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay at the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded on this program.
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The Hostile Hospital
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This audio is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children's miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful audios in the world.
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The Carnivorous Carnival
- A Series of Unfortunate Events #9
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- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
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The word "carnivorous", which appears in the title of this book, means "meat-eating", and once you have read such a bloodthirsty word, there is no reason to read any further. This carnivorous volume contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than even the most imbalanced meal.
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The Slippery Slope
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Like handshakes or housepets, many things are preferable when not slippery. Unfortunately, in this miserable volume, I am afraid that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire run into more than their fair share of slipperiness during their harrowing journey up, and down, a range of strange and distressing mountains.
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The Grim Grotto
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When Brystal Evergreen stumbles across a secret section of the library, she discovers a book that introduces her to a world beyond her imagination and learns the impossible: She is a fairy capable of magic! But in the oppressive Southern Kingdom, women are forbidden from reading and magic is outlawed, so Brystal is swiftly convicted of her crimes and sent to the miserable Bootstrap Correctional Facility. But with the help of the mysterious Madame Weatherberry, Brystal is whisked away and enrolled in an academy of magic!
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Amazing!
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Publisher's Summary
What the critics say
Grammy Award Nominee, Best Spoken Word Album for Children, 2005
Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Children's Literature, 2001
"Tension-producing orchestral music, scene-setting sound effects, and most of all, Tim Curry's chocolate-voiced narration captivate the listener in this multicast production of the Lemony Snicket that started it all.... It's all good fun for listening children and their parents." (AudioFile)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Bad Beginning, A Multi-Voice Recording
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jordan S
- 2020-07-29
worst background noises
this is my favourite book series and Tim Curry was MADE to narrate this but the sound effects and occasional baby crying in the background are infuriating and make it hard to continue listening :(
1 person found this helpful
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- katie
- 2020-01-31
Chan
My reasoning for the poor review is the voice over, it would be a lot better if it was only one voice and not multiple. The music and sounds In the back ground are distracting, and the actress that plays sunny does not do a very good job
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- Veronica
- 2020-01-03
Tim Curry amazing
Loved Tim Curry as a narrator was a perfect fit for this book. All the other speakers and music is just distracting and takes away from the story
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- Marion
- 2019-09-11
no
so the story is great and the narrator is great but omg the other voices especially the baby is horrible it's so bad I had to turn it off. like i would rather listen to nail on chalk board...
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- Gillian Lennon
- 2019-04-13
Rory
Hi my name is Rory I finck your book is 👍☺️I you shid make a new book 📖
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- Lindsey
- 2005-06-05
Brilliantly miserable
I had looked at this series in print, but it had not held my attention as an adult. I was surprised to find I really enjoyed this production of the book- a very high quality, witty, well thought out performance. All the sound effects were excellent, and alterations in the text made sure that the warnings not to listen/read to such gloomy material came across freshly as jokes.
Aimed at children who are just developing a sense of irony, can be painlessly enjoyed by an adult in the same car.
41 people found this helpful
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- Catherine Storey
- 2015-06-01
good, but
everything was great, except the sound effects often drowned out the reader. the effects were much louder than the story.
40 people found this helpful
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- Phillip Frangules
- 2017-07-01
Tries to fix what wasn't broken
There are two versions of 'The Bad Beginning'. The first was done in its entirety by Tim Curry. The second, which is the only version available on Audible, retains Curry's narration but replaces the dialogue with different actors as well as adding sound effects throughout. This was a mistake.
Tim Curry was a perfect narrator in the original book. There are some audiobooks that benefit from full-cast recordings but this is not one of them. Much of Curry's charm is lost in the omission. I might have forgiven this if they had kept Curry's Count Olaf; his performance as the sinister villain is in my opinion the definitive take on the character (it's a shame he was never able to portray the Count in live-action). Unfortunately, not only was Olaf 'recast' but whoever replaced him was not nearly as good.
In addition I found the sound effects are unnecessary. If they had done it sparingly it might have been a nice addition but they are frequently used and become distracting. When I'm listening to an audiobook I don't need to hear a wailing baby in the background.
Unfortunately, as stated before, the original recording is not available to purchase on Audible but if you are able to seek it out you should definitely listen to it.
19 people found this helpful
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- BR mom
- 2005-05-07
Wickedly funny -- not just kid stuff
I had toyed with the idea of picking up these books on occasion at various places. After I heard the interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air (on my 40th birthday no less), I had to give these a try. This not just kidstuff (although they are completely kid appropriate). These are so much FUN!!! My husband and I listen to them over and over and laugh our heads off. Misery loves company -- and I am hooked.
34 people found this helpful
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- Dan
- 2011-05-19
Great start. Too bad about licensing..
I really loved this book. I decided to listen to it between bigger books as sort of a palette cleanser. Tim Curry is Lemony Snicket and a full cast reads the dialog. There are also nice sound effects and music so that it feels like a real radio play.
Unfortunately as I looked to get the other volumes, Audible has not licensed all of the Tim Curry/Full Cast versions of these books. It's disappointing to go from a full production complete with voice acting, sound effects and Tim Curry to Daniel Handler dryly reading his own novels.
So I will not be buying the rest of them until they can get all of the Tim Curry/Full Cast versions.
95 people found this helpful
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- Hallie Logan
- 2015-06-12
All the Noise
wonderfully read, awesome writing, but the background noise was unnecessary, mildly irritating, and at times made the reading hard to hear. A great performance but is go with the normal audiobook version if I had to choose again.
20 people found this helpful
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- Diana - Audible
- 2012-04-16
Books Will Save You
The Bad Beginning may be, as Lemony Snicket reveals, a miserable tale, but it is a joy to listen to. This full-cast production is of the highest caliber, filled with orchestral music and chilling sound effects. I loved Tim Curry (yes, Dr. Frank N. Furter) as the infamous villain Count Olaf, and was charmed by the witty Baudelaire siblings, who rely on books to help them avoid the Count's treachery.
37 people found this helpful
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- ArmyWife0609
- 2019-03-02
quietest car ride I've had!
My son (9 years old) and I were about to have a long day in the car. I decided to try something different to keep him occupied. Neither of us had read the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and it sounded interesting, so I downloaded book 1 to my phone the night before our drive. I started it at the beginning of our drive, and we listened to the first half on the way there. We listened to the last half on the way home. The only sounds I heard from the back seat were laughs and short comments about what was just read. He didn't want to talk too much because he didn't want to miss a single word. The drive went by much faster than it normally would have because we were both entertained! The story was engaging, and the narration was excellent. My son was excited to get back in the car so that we could finish listening to the story. I will definitely be buying the next in the series.
7 people found this helpful
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- Angel
- 2015-10-12
Too noisy.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Not wasted, but I'd have preferred spending the time finding a different version.
What did you like best about this story?
The story itself. The characters are fantastical and unpredictable and delightful.
What three words best describe Tim Curry and Full Cast ’s performance?
Too much background.
Do you think The Bad Beginning, A Multi-Voice Recording needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Yes! Just... maybe edited slightly differently.
Any additional comments?
I love these books and I mean - it's Tim Curry! But all the noise in the background was REALLY off-putting.
28 people found this helpful
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- Materfamilias
- 2015-08-25
Do not like the sound effects
The sound effects are really distracting and annoying. Also, I am so far finding the story to really be just depressing and unenjoyable. Maybe I need to read the book for myself before finishing it on audible with my kids, but it's not what I was expecting and the sound effects make none of us want to keep listening.
17 people found this helpful