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ovvlish's review against another edition
4.0
I think the greatest value of this book is in its final chapters, which explain how the two women who had the most influence in creating the classic Nancy Drew of the 30s, 40s, and 50s ended their lives somewhat mired in the general public's confusion over who Carolyn Keene was. The entire book is a delightful read and gives a glimpse of what life was like for two different classes of women throughout the 20th century. But I think that for those interested in Nancy Drew, it explains so much more about the origins of the character, why my generation was still reading her as kids in the 90s despite her age, and I think it really lays out, finally and more completely, "who" Carolyn Keene was for those first, classic stories. It also is a really important and fascinating study of the way publishing, especially for children, has evolved since the late 19th century. It has a few vaguely trite arguments with regards to women's rights/history, etc, but the entire thing is well-organized and illuminating, and the general feeling of it is that of appreciating what iconic figures like Nancy Drew can do for not just one but several generations of people, and in this case girls and women.
kristina_simon's review against another edition
3.0
Really 3.5*s. Interesting history of the women's movement in America and how the Nancy Drew Mystery series changed with the times as well as the amazing women behind the stories.
myrto229's review against another edition
4.0
Before the age of 13, I'd read every single Nancy Drew book published (and all the Hardy Boys books, too). I devoured them, loving the tension and the gradual sorting-out of clues. I never knew until much later that Nancy Drew was created and written by a team of writers, beginning in the 1930s!
I was excited to read this biography of "Carolyn Keene." The story is fascinating, and I really enjoyed learning all the behind-the-scenes drama that characterized the creation of this series. I particularly liked hearing how the series and the characters of the books changed through the years. Melanie Rehak thoughtfully included some photographs of the book covers published in different decades, summarizing how Nancy Drew and her friends changed as young women in the US changed through the years.
I was excited to read this biography of "Carolyn Keene." The story is fascinating, and I really enjoyed learning all the behind-the-scenes drama that characterized the creation of this series. I particularly liked hearing how the series and the characters of the books changed through the years. Melanie Rehak thoughtfully included some photographs of the book covers published in different decades, summarizing how Nancy Drew and her friends changed as young women in the US changed through the years.
amyl88's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating look at the publishing world, women in business, life at the turn of the century, and Nancy Drew herself. I'm sure I remember finding out that Carolyn Keene was a pen name; however, I don't think I ever heard the real story behind these books.
Along with Nancy, the Stratemeyer Syndicate was also behind several other series for children. The Hardy Boys and the Bobbsey Twins were some of the ones I read as a kid. There were many others, though. The founder of the Syndicate kept tight control over characters and plots, providing outlines to different writers who then churned these books out by the dozen. None of the writers were allowed to claim any of their work - all of the books were "written by" their respective authors, who never really existed.
This is a truly interesting history of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. After the founder died, his daughters took over in a time when women were not supposed to work outside the home. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams attended Wellesley, graduating in 1914. Her father, rather progressive for the times, still did not want to allow her to take a job. She worked for him for a while, then got married and became a housewife. Upon his death, she and her sister, Edna, tried to sell the company, but were unable to find any buyers who could pay what they wanted. They decided to try to figure it out themselves. They continued successfully running it for decades, though they ended up rather estranged. Edna eventually became a silent partner, moving to Florida, but continuing to assert her opinions from afar.
The real star of the story is the actual author of most of the Nancy Drew books, Mildred Wirt. She accepted the assignment as a young woman and was largely responsible for the development of Nancy as a character. She spent the latter part of her life working to attach her name to her body of work, because Harriet Adams was claiming to be Carolyn Keene instead of explaining how the Syndicate worked (multiple authors sometimes worked on one series). Though she had originally signed away her rights to the books, she was disturbed when Adams started claiming to be the author. Wirt also learned to fly at an advanced age and was a working journalist up until the day she died in 2002, at the age of 96. I would have liked to have known her!
I didn't realize syndicate writing was a thing when James Patterson was doing it. I am not a huge fan of it because I think authors should retain the rights to their material. I can see in this case how the lines might be blurry due to the heavy control over the plot and characters the Syndicate kept. Patterson at least gave his authors a credit on the cover.
Along with Nancy, the Stratemeyer Syndicate was also behind several other series for children. The Hardy Boys and the Bobbsey Twins were some of the ones I read as a kid. There were many others, though. The founder of the Syndicate kept tight control over characters and plots, providing outlines to different writers who then churned these books out by the dozen. None of the writers were allowed to claim any of their work - all of the books were "written by" their respective authors, who never really existed.
This is a truly interesting history of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. After the founder died, his daughters took over in a time when women were not supposed to work outside the home. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams attended Wellesley, graduating in 1914. Her father, rather progressive for the times, still did not want to allow her to take a job. She worked for him for a while, then got married and became a housewife. Upon his death, she and her sister, Edna, tried to sell the company, but were unable to find any buyers who could pay what they wanted. They decided to try to figure it out themselves. They continued successfully running it for decades, though they ended up rather estranged. Edna eventually became a silent partner, moving to Florida, but continuing to assert her opinions from afar.
The real star of the story is the actual author of most of the Nancy Drew books, Mildred Wirt. She accepted the assignment as a young woman and was largely responsible for the development of Nancy as a character. She spent the latter part of her life working to attach her name to her body of work, because Harriet Adams was claiming to be Carolyn Keene instead of explaining how the Syndicate worked (multiple authors sometimes worked on one series). Though she had originally signed away her rights to the books, she was disturbed when Adams started claiming to be the author. Wirt also learned to fly at an advanced age and was a working journalist up until the day she died in 2002, at the age of 96. I would have liked to have known her!
I didn't realize syndicate writing was a thing when James Patterson was doing it. I am not a huge fan of it because I think authors should retain the rights to their material. I can see in this case how the lines might be blurry due to the heavy control over the plot and characters the Syndicate kept. Patterson at least gave his authors a credit on the cover.
invisibleninjacat's review against another edition
5.0
This was a pretty great history of Nancy Drew, full of information I'd never encountered before. I really liked hearing about the lives of all the women involved. Stratemeyer's productivity also frightened me a little. :-)
juliabway's review against another edition
4.0
"Grab your magnifying glass, because this is a mystery story." That's the first sentence of the book, and it was all it took to convince me that this book was absolutely something I'd want to read. For the most part, the book didn't quite live up to this particular promise. It's not a mystery at all.
But it turned out to be something even better. Not just a history of the Nancy Drew stories and their place in our culture, but also the story of women in the twentieth century. Everything from the Wellesley College experience at the beginning of the century, to the roaring twenties, to Rosie the Riveter and the housewives of the 1950s, and so on. I also loved reading about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes in Nancy's persona. And of course, the lives of Harriet Adams and Mildred Wirt, the two ladies most responsible for the series.
All in all, I read this almost as quickly as I'd have read a Nancy Drew book back when I was a kid (though I always preferred the more modern "Case Files of Nancy Drew" to the classic stories).
But it turned out to be something even better. Not just a history of the Nancy Drew stories and their place in our culture, but also the story of women in the twentieth century. Everything from the Wellesley College experience at the beginning of the century, to the roaring twenties, to Rosie the Riveter and the housewives of the 1950s, and so on. I also loved reading about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes in Nancy's persona. And of course, the lives of Harriet Adams and Mildred Wirt, the two ladies most responsible for the series.
All in all, I read this almost as quickly as I'd have read a Nancy Drew book back when I was a kid (though I always preferred the more modern "Case Files of Nancy Drew" to the classic stories).
taylakaye's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I was a big Nancy Drew fan growing up and I was completely fascinated by the story of the people who created her. I don't wish to spoil the illusion for anyone, but the identity of Carolyn Keene may throw you for a loop. The book seemed as though it would become boring and cumbersome as the history was rehashed, but I never reached that point with it. Kudos to the author on that. I stayed interested in learning more throughoutthe book about the creation of the character who shaped so many young girls lives.