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Post by Hooky on Nov 4, 2005 19:47:13 GMT -5
TBB did indeed feel dark and sinister, mainly because Olaf seemed so much smarter, and thus, scarier because of his cleverness in making a marriage disguised as a play.
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Post by lauren on Nov 4, 2005 19:52:39 GMT -5
Yeah what happened to Olaf he used to be so cool and intelligent *shakes head* you've disappointed me Olaf
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Post by beatriceblake on Dec 15, 2005 20:07:39 GMT -5
I liked the Bad Beginning because it was so different to otehr children's novels that I had read. I bought it for my sister as a Christmas present and she enjoyed it too. On re- reading though it is surprising how little happens between the Baudelaires going to live with Olaf and the attempted marriage. It is my favourite of the pre- VFD books because the subsequent books just seemed to be recycling the same story.
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SmegHed
Catastrophic Captain
some times i don't even understand me!
Posts: 51
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Post by SmegHed on Mar 27, 2006 14:02:12 GMT -5
I agree completely, find a new guardian Olaf disguised finds them. Then at the last minute they escape. I like how in TMM new stories began to thread their way in.
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orsa
Reptile Researcher
Posts: 11
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Post by orsa on Jun 4, 2006 19:13:47 GMT -5
TBB was my favorite of the pre-VFD books. The books just had a certain dark side (no SW pun intended) to them. Olaf seemed more of a villian in this book when he would hit people or act insane while drunk, but then could slip right into a cool mood very easily.
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Post by joker on Jun 4, 2006 20:51:01 GMT -5
Major bumpage, I know you're knew, orsa, but please don't bump threads that are like, over two months old or around that. Just a little advice. . Although this entire B1-3 forum is dead.... I agree. In the V.F.D series, he's all....not threatening. He's funny and not dangerously scary or insane. Huh. Olaf has turned....
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Post by sunshinestar on May 24, 2007 19:39:25 GMT -5
it was a LOT better than the movie with a lot more detail.
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Post by kingofvfd on Mar 23, 2008 18:19:41 GMT -5
i really liked the book i xcouldnt put down the bookj once i picked it up.its probably my favorite book.
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Post by jster on May 23, 2008 1:28:27 GMT -5
my fave books in the seires are thh tbb tww and tcc
but anyway, all of them are great
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Post by hieitouyaicedemon on Jan 14, 2009 16:57:08 GMT -5
There's something about the first book - it has to be good, doesn't it? Or else who would buy later books? I personally read the first and was hooked, not only by the storyline but by the sheer darkness that the book dives into. Lemony doesn't just promise you an unhappy book, he delivers. I loved Jim Carrey in the movie (and trust me, he's a fantastic actor when he does serious material, too,) but he was just too quirky. You weren't really scared of him. Olaf in the books is scary. You have no doubt that he really will drop Sunny off of the tower if the children don't comply with his orders, and you're just as worried about the possibly poisoned oatmeal as the children are. The one part of the movie that I compliment Mr. Carrey on is the point when he says "Where do I sign for the fort- I mean the children." He delivers that line just right.
Anyway, it's an excellent book to begin the series with, and the rest (for the most part) get even better.
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Post by Mijahu on Jan 23, 2009 14:09:45 GMT -5
Now that this has been bumped quite a bit, I might as well take this chance to agree with everyone that says Olaf changed in a major way. I thought he was a lot more evil in this one than in some of the later books, but I will say that he comes around a bit in the end of TE. He's not more evil, per say, but he isn't as much of a stupid or bumbling buffoon as he is in previous books. He's cooler
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Post by Dante on Jan 23, 2009 15:44:18 GMT -5
Olaf has his moments in other books. He's pretty much a complete monster in TRR, and even while there are elements of buffoonery at the same time, in the final chapters of TPP he is deeply horrible. I think TBB is the most straightforwardly gothic book, though; the following books dabbled more in different genres. I think in that way, TBB is more of an individual book and less of an introduction or generalisation. And if Handler hadn't increased the comedy, aSoUE really would be every bit as depressing as the advertising claims.
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Post by Mijahu on Jan 27, 2009 1:53:03 GMT -5
Yeah, the genre dabbling really did make for a colorful, albeit gothic, story, which is what's so great about it; a childrens' book that not afraid to go there.
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Post by Hermes on Jan 27, 2009 14:18:12 GMT -5
I've just been looking at TBB again, and agree with you all that it's very different from the later books. Two things struck me in particular. One is that it is emphasised that Olaf is clever (though he's also drunken, something which is played down later.). The other is that Sunny is handled much more realistically than later on - it's even said at one point that she doesn't understand what people are saying to her. Her speech actually sounds like baby-talk rather than like an elaborate code.
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Post by Dante on Jan 27, 2009 14:50:33 GMT -5
In the earliest books - TBB and TRR were released simultaneously, I think - Sunny is basically just a McGuffin to be passed around, more object than character. She becomes less realistic later, performing activities far beyond most babies and with most (if not all) of her dialogue turning into hidden jokes, but she's more interesting as a result. She's more of a Baudelaire.
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