The Bad Beginning question

I read all these books for the first time in my 20s, and loved all of them, particularly the in-text definitions and the refreshing lack of fluff and happy endings. I am actually of the mind that these books are not entirely appropriate for people under 15, simply because one should not be encouraging pessimism and cynicism in young children until they have had enough experience living real life to more fully comprehend those ideas. Just because kids like to behave all grown up by reading/watching/playing things that are meant for older people doesn't mean that they are ready to ingest that kind of negativity. In general, kids are being brought up to expect adult privileges without adult responsibility, so they can't be expected to understand the difficulties that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny endure or the pessimistic and cynical outlook Lemony Snicket proclaims over and over again in each of these books. Despite what children may think of their own lives, most have not had it as bad as the three children in these books. If anything, the cynicism in these books appeal more to adults than to children because adults are more likely to have caught themselves being cynical at some point in their lives, and recognize it for what it is.

It might not be the story so much as the writing. Snicket has a very strange way of story telling. Lol

Actually, when I first read The Reptile Room when it came out I didn't particularly like it I found the cynicism gloomy and annoying. Now I"m a teacher and I started reading them with my students and I found I appreciate the humor much more than I did as a pre-teen. In my case at least, they are more appealing to my adult self than my child self.

One reason may be because the children are practically smarter than any adult in the series. But the adults won't listen to the children because they're just that...children. Maybe some believe that the series is teaching kids to take matters into their own hands because no adult is going to listen to them.
(Of course this is not how I feel :) I love this series!)

well half way through sentences lemony explains what the word means which i think makes the whole thing more childish and i just want to read and see what happens!

Probably because they're aimed at children?

Most adults don't like them because of the sadness and all the tragedy and sorrow in the books.

I've only read the first book which was just recently in December 2014 (I was 21, and still currently 21) because it was a popular series when I was in primary school and figured that I should at least read the first book to see how it was.

I didn't enjoy the book because of the abusive uncle and how he treated the children. When the uncle hit the boy, I didn't want to continue reading because it made me uncomfortable.

I'm sure children won't recognise how horrible the uncle actually is, and will just laugh it off as something funny, when it really isn't.

I think most adults turn away from books such as these just because they are middle grade books and for that reason, they feel they won't enjoy them. For example, most adults would rather watch CSI or something than mickey mouse club house or cartoons. Its all a matter of what books genres you like.

That's an interesting point. For some reason, there are plenty of adult women who read Twilight and Harry Potter, but hardly any who read A Series of Unfortunate Events. It probably has to do with the lack of adult narration or "adult" situations. Nevertheless, I found these books to be much more intriguing than either of the aforementioned. Lemony Snicket has such an interesting writing style. I wish the series had never ended!

A well-written children's book appeals to adults as well as the younger crowd. If a children's book has no appeal for adults, it probably won't become a lasting classic.And by "lasting" I mean "one hundred years from now" as is the case with books like Alice in Wonderland. The vocabulary in that one is very advanced for many kids, and there will be things they laugh at because they're absurd but won't fully understand (as we no longer live in houses with gas lighting and open fires etc)--but they will read it again and again, and as they mature will find more and more in it.

I stopped reading this book because it was so slow. I can imagine that it would have limited appeal to many children because of that; kids like things to happen, not pages and pages and pages droning on about spaghetti sauce.

My experience is that the people I know who love these books are evenly divided among young and old. They all tend to me at the more mature edge of their reading tastes. The children who love these books seem to read (and talk and think) just a bit above their biological age, and the adults I know who love them tend to be more philosophical and thoughtful--though still able to appreciate a fun story and not entirely caught up in literary affectation--and able to appreciate the summons to greatness and goodness that the author makes increasingly clear as the series progresses.

I have heard a few adults say, "I don't like them because he spends all that time explaining words and ideas, and I just want to know what happens next." But that, in itself, is not a particularly mature approach to reading. It's OK for adults to want to know what happens next, but that way of reading (reading exclusively for plot) is something that we generally grow out of with increased maturity rather than grow into.

I think most of the books people who red the series of unfortunate events end well because they are usually quite young, but the series doesn't end well and it's a bit depressing and hopeless throughout the books.

Which grown ups dislike these books? I thought that The Series is generally considered one of the best of the kind.

I don't think adults would like this book because it is showing the struggles of children, and how children react to the circumstances, so you are reading a lot of the children's thoughts, that other children would understand.

I think that most adults don't like it because the book is for children. I am going into 4th grade and i loved the whole series. I think that every child should read it! :)

to tell the truth i love the books a series of unfortunate events. i wish that i was the one who actually wrote it because they are such good books. i am up to the book number 8 and have read all the others so far up to that number. They are so well written and the movie is just as good. however i do not agree with the comment where that man says it is not appropriate for kids who are under 15 because that is just reduculus and i know and i am 15 and have been reading those books since i was 9 so give the people a break. i love the books and no one can ever stop people fro, reading.

I read these with my son and I really enjoyed reading them and I was in my late 20's/early 30's. Trying to get my younger son to read them now.

Well, my mom made me read the books when I was 10, so I guess she's the minority.
That said, some adults don't like the books for probably 2 reasons: they might find them appropriate (for kids 9 and under), and/or they might think they're creepy.

Emma wrote: "Why do hardly any grown-ups like these books?"

Simply because this isn't meant for grown ups.
If you read this at a young adult and reread the book as a adult, you will still like it. But if you read this for the first time as an adult, there isn't much in the book to draw you in. I read this last year and hated it (same thing happened with Artemis Fowl), but I can see why I would have liked both books had I read them a decade back.

I read them when I was a teenager and my mother read them too. She said she didnt like the writing style at all. Loved the plot but what annoyed her the most was the explanation of the vocabulary constantly. Great for me in my early teens still picking up words. But for her she new the worlds and it may have been long winded.

Well I'm sure there are plenty of adults that could care less for these books, but ah...I don't know any! In fact I don't know any children that like these books, i'm always asking my cousins and nieces and nephews if they've read these yet. "Nah.." However it was my 40 year old sisters that got me into the series.

Well, my mother once had a pretty good explanation; even though it's more cynical written than having a sad backround, she'd prefer to read other books, because she doesn't need to make herself sad because of stories.

They're marketed towards children. The writing style can be kind of preachy and is pretty simple.

because the first six books had the same storyline....

I'm pretty sure many adults have read and enjoyed the series, but then there are some adults that are very proud. Just because the series are known as children books, they may not read it. The same goes for the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series, many adults love them.

because in the books he makes all the adults seem like children and the children seem more like the adults

I am OLD and I love these books!

I have read all these books and I am in my 50's maybe some adults have forgotten to use their imaginations!

I don't know. Maybe because a lot of adults are looking for certain comfort from books and don't appreciate quirky-type novels.

I read all these in my 20's and I love them. I worked at a bookstore at the time and I was constantly recommending them to parents. I actively steered them away from Judy Blume because of the rampant misspellings in that series. Children should be encouraged to read and learn new words. That's what Lemony Snicket does.

I am rereading them all now, 12 years later and I get why it's annoying. But like Ahsan mentioned, I do still like it probably because I have read them before. As a kid I remember laughing at the in-book definitions, now I skip over them. They are still funny though. However as an adult, I like his backstory much more, dramatic and intriguing.

I'm not sure what you mean. All the adults I know love them, :).

I'm not sure of the answer to your question, since it doesn't reflect my own reaction to the books at all. I was over 40 when a friend (in their 30s) gave me the first three books in the series, and I loved them instantly, passed them on to other adult friends. In fact, the only non-adult I know who shared my opinion of them was my youngest son (now an adult, more or less..). I suspect that anyone who read them at the "appropriate" age, may have a great time re-reading them as an adult and finally understanding the literary allusions and cultural references the author rather sneakily packs into them.

I think that grown ups don't like this book because it was written for kids and they might not like the plot.

Some adults may not think that this is realistic enough or is good for their children to read. Either way, it is truly a well-thought and captivating book to read.