A Series of Unfortunate Events book 1 · 1999
The Bad Beginning
After their parents die in a fire, the Baudelaire children are sent to live with Count Olaf, a terrible actor who wants their fortune.
Spoiler-free summary written for The Recurring Cast.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Book facts
- Author
- Lemony Snicket
- Series
- A Series of Unfortunate Events, book 1 of 13
- Published
- 1999
- Setting
- Set in various places
- Characters charted
- 6
- Chart confidence
- High
Who is in The Bad Beginning
6 recurring or key characters from Lemony Snicket’s chart. Introduces Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, Sunny Baudelaire, Count Olaf and 2 more.
Lead 3
- Violet BaudelaireFirst appearanceEldest, an inventor
- Klaus BaudelaireFirst appearanceMiddle child, a reader
- Sunny BaudelaireFirst appearanceBaby with sharp teeth
Major 1
- Count OlafFirst appearanceVillainous actor
Minor and cameo 2
- Mr PoeFirst appearanceBumbling banker
- Lemony SnicketFirst appearanceNarrator
Also featuring these characters
Other Lemony Snicket books that share the most characters with The Bad Beginning.
- The Wide Window2000 · A Series of Unfortunate Events · 6 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Miserable Mill2000 · A Series of Unfortunate Events · 6 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Austere Academy2000 · A Series of Unfortunate Events · 6 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Ersatz Elevator2001 · A Series of Unfortunate Events · 6 shared charactersBuy on Amazon