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jazzijessi's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Re-read. Read the hard cover when the book was new. Still outstanding.
amandadelbrocco's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I have been slowly rereading the Nancy Drew books that I grew up with and while I knew that they had been re-written over the years, I guess I never truly understood the extent to which they were rewritten nor the reasons behind it. I found it interesting to learn about the women behind the character but I was hoping for more focus on Nancy herself.
eggjen's review against another edition
This just simply wasn't the book I wanted it to be. I loved Eating for Beginners so much but this didn't have that same fantastic wit that I'd grown to love in EFB and the book was much more about feminism and women's suffrage than it was about Nancy Drew - not an uninteresting topic, just not what I'd been hoping to read and ultimately it felt more like that stodgy traditional "nonfiction" that I was forced to read in school.
susanj212's review against another edition
Its interesting, I just can't get into non fiction now
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting look at this phenomenon in children's literature. In places it's so dry, I was left wondering if it was a Master's thesis.
zmull's review against another edition
3.0
I got this mostly for the publishing angle. Being both a pop music fan and a comics fan, work-for-hire tales of woe are particular favorites of mine. Girl Sleuth has some elements of that toward the end as the two old ladies most responsible for Nancy Drew very politely dis each other for claiming more than their share of the legacy. It seems, more than a behind the scenes look at series publishing, the author wanted to paint Nancy and her creators into the greater feminist movement of the 20th century. I'm not sure that I buy Nancy Drew's pervasive influence on several generations of progressive women. Maybe Nancy's a stronger rallying point than I realize, but the case certain wasn't made for me by the book. Still, it's interesting for its glimpses behind the pseudonym.
shoelessmama's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I cut my reading teeth on old copies of Nancy Drew that had belonged to my mother and grandmother. I vividly remember noticing, even as a child, inconsistencies in the stories (Nancy's hair color, her car being called a roadster or a convertible and the color changing among other details). Because my copies were a range of originals and rewrites even Nancy's character had variation. I loved Nancy regardless. Even with these changes there is a through-line that makes Nancy Nancy. Over the years I have read more about "Carolyn Keene" and Nancy. There were many things I already knew going into this book, but this contained much more detail.
The best thing about this book was seeing the influence culture had on Nancy and Nancy on culture even while the authors strove to make Nancy timeless. Nancy is both timeless and of her time. For fans of Nancy Drew this will be an interesting commentary on the scope of the 20th century through the lens of the Nancy Drew books. I think if Nancy Drew has impacted your life you'll be able to see that, and if she hasn't this book has little to offer.
The best thing about this book was seeing the influence culture had on Nancy and Nancy on culture even while the authors strove to make Nancy timeless. Nancy is both timeless and of her time. For fans of Nancy Drew this will be an interesting commentary on the scope of the 20th century through the lens of the Nancy Drew books. I think if Nancy Drew has impacted your life you'll be able to see that, and if she hasn't this book has little to offer.
alesehunter's review against another edition
Can’t stay focused on this one, may try again at a later date.