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1.44k reviews for:
THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories No. 1.
Carolyn Keene, Carolyn Keene
3.75 AVERAGE
1.44k reviews for:
THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories No. 1.
Carolyn Keene, Carolyn Keene
3.75 AVERAGE
This book was good. I mean it’s dated of course but still good but it’s entertaining .
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Well, I liked it enough to keep going with the series! Although I later came to identify a bit more with (the closer to my age) Trixie Belden. I read and still own some with the old 1940s (possibly 1930s) blue bindings that were my Mom's, many with the yellow-spined hardcover bindings from the 1970s, and over a dozen with the paperback bindings from the early-80s. It's been ages, but I think I read one or two out of order to begin, then went in order, then may have jumped around a bit. I own most of those available in the 70s hardcovers, but not all. My collection is numbered into the mid-70s... I stopped buying and reading long before they stopped publishing them! I've got up through 73, skipped 74 for some reason, and then have 75.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really good. Pretty fun, thought it was a little dry at first but enjoyed it more as it went on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Violence, Classism
I honestly don't know if I have read this first book or not, though I read countless Nancy Drew books as a girl. This first one was surprisingly ... boring. I had heard the actual writing in it wasn't that great (and so was expecting that), but the plot really didn't hook me either. Nancy is looking for a will by talking to a lot of different people between doing activities that rich girls did in the 1930's (shopping, a girls camp, etc.). The reviews are actually really high on Goodreads and a lot of people talk about the fast pace, and I just don't get it.
I started reading this aloud with my girls (8, 6, and 4) after we watched the Nancy Drew movie (which we all love). At first, they were excited and liked it, but about 1/3 of the way in, they were bored and asked if we could read something different. I was also bored with it, so I immediately agreed. I did decide to finish it on my own because I wanted to read/reread this as an adult and just see what it was like as a whole (and it's also fairly short).
To make a long story short, I just love Trixie Belden. I've read the first two aloud with my girls and we all loved them, and I reread them countless times growing up. I know that Nancy Drew has a lot of different writers (all under the same name, I think?), so maybe future books are better done, but this one fell flat for me. I would take Trixie Belden over this book any day.
I started reading this aloud with my girls (8, 6, and 4) after we watched the Nancy Drew movie (which we all love). At first, they were excited and liked it, but about 1/3 of the way in, they were bored and asked if we could read something different. I was also bored with it, so I immediately agreed. I did decide to finish it on my own because I wanted to read/reread this as an adult and just see what it was like as a whole (and it's also fairly short).
To make a long story short, I just love Trixie Belden. I've read the first two aloud with my girls and we all loved them, and I reread them countless times growing up. I know that Nancy Drew has a lot of different writers (all under the same name, I think?), so maybe future books are better done, but this one fell flat for me. I would take Trixie Belden over this book any day.
Obviously the book is a bit dated, but considering how long ago it was published, it holds up surprisingly well. The writing style is compelling, Nancy Drew is as spunky and fun as I remember her being, and the scrapes she gets herself into (and tries to solve herself) are memorable. There's a fair chunk of gender stereotypical junk, as you'd expect of a book originally published in 1930, but it's balanced by a fair amount of moxie on Nancy Drew's part, a spirit of "I can solve this myself!" Well worth a re-read, and a nice memory from growing up.
lighthearted
mysterious