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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
Decided to reread the first seven Nancy Drew’s that I’ve owned since I was young before I pass them on to the younger generation. These novels are the reason I love mysteries so much as an adult!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I remember reading these when I was younger. I had the whole set. It was actually a really engaging read. I was surprised to find out that the man who created the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew actually sketched an outline of the book and had a ghost writer write it back in 1930.
I’ve never really gotten into the Nancy Drew books but I really enjoyed this book and am planning to read more of this series.
Re-read this for book group. Rating at three stars because I cannot in good conscience judge a book aimed at elementary readers in the 1930s by the criteria I use as an adult in the 21st century.
I did enjoy the discussion with my spouse over whether it was necessary to name a character whose lone appearance was to speak a sentence that foreshadowed action two pages later.
I did enjoy the discussion with my spouse over whether it was necessary to name a character whose lone appearance was to speak a sentence that foreshadowed action two pages later.
Ah Book One! By far the best Nancy Drew out there. This one is definetly my favorite mystery of the whole series.
Sept. 4-6, 2024: This is the original Nancy Drew novel, as written in 1930. This Nancy is a 16 year-old blonde. She smart, independent, resourceful, & calm under pressure. She seems to reflect the "new woman" of the era. Nancy's father, the lawyer Carson Drew, trusts her & treats her as an adult. Really, she doesn't act much like a teenager. She seems like a professional detective already. Her boyfriend Ned & her friends George & Bess don't yet appear. Instead she has her friend Helen Corning, but Nancy keeps her investigations from her. She lost her mom at the age of 6, & runs the household, despite housekeeper Hannah Gruen.
Nancy discovers that the social-climbing Topham family will inherit everything from a rich elderly man they took in who'd recently died. Not relatives, they took him in for the money, not for any care or concerned for Josiah Crowley. Because she despises the Tophams (the Topham girls are no friends of hers, she makes clear more than once), & doesn't believe they deserve the inheritance, she sets out to discover if there is a second will. She soon discovers that old Crowley did promise to provide for those who took him in before he died (others, definitely NOT the Tophams), but they don't know where he'd hidden the will. He's described by his survivors as a "queer" man, who liked to hide things. Because Nancy is polite, & is the daughter of the well-respected lawyer Drew Carson, she is able to ask a few questions to send her in the direction of the supposed will's location. This is in contrast to the Topham family, who seem universally hated in town.
I'd never read any of the original books. Instead I read some of the older incarnations. I really enjoyed the original. I love how modern Nancy Drew is. She doesn't ask permission. Most of the time, her father doesn't even know where she is, & when he finds out about her adventures, he's proud of her accomplishments, even when they put her in danger. She doesn't seem old fashioned at all. I think I'd like to read more from the original series.
Sept. 18-20, 2024: I read the 1959 rewrite. Originally written by Mildred Wirt, under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the books were rewritten by Edward Stratemeyer's daughter Harriett Adams. The original authors agreed to give up all rights to their works & to remain anonymous. Why the books needed an "update" is unclear. The book is essentially the same in terms of plot, but with a few changes in details & chapter titles. It's also shorter. I won't go into too much detail, so as to avoid spoilers, but I will say that Judy is a new addition to the story, as well as making the Hoover sisters less entrepreneurial. Nancy is also 18 years old instead of 16. Nancy is slightly less independent than in the original (her father & housekeeper play a bit of a larger role) & she makes promises for the futures of the inheritors without any evidence of a second will & it is also suggested to her that there may be a second will, instead of coming up with the theory herself in the original. Nancy goes much more out of her way to be helpful, and the writing style is a bit more symplistic, leading me to think the story was rewritten for a younger audience. It's less suspenseful, & Nancy is never as much in peril in the newer version. Frankly, I think Adams is an inferior writer to Wirt, & I much prefer the 1930 original to the 1959 rewrite. The Adams rewrite is practically plagiarism!
Nancy discovers that the social-climbing Topham family will inherit everything from a rich elderly man they took in who'd recently died. Not relatives, they took him in for the money, not for any care or concerned for Josiah Crowley. Because she despises the Tophams (the Topham girls are no friends of hers, she makes clear more than once), & doesn't believe they deserve the inheritance, she sets out to discover if there is a second will. She soon discovers that old Crowley did promise to provide for those who took him in before he died (others, definitely NOT the Tophams), but they don't know where he'd hidden the will. He's described by his survivors as a "queer" man, who liked to hide things. Because Nancy is polite, & is the daughter of the well-respected lawyer Drew Carson, she is able to ask a few questions to send her in the direction of the supposed will's location. This is in contrast to the Topham family, who seem universally hated in town.
I'd never read any of the original books. Instead I read some of the older incarnations. I really enjoyed the original. I love how modern Nancy Drew is. She doesn't ask permission. Most of the time, her father doesn't even know where she is, & when he finds out about her adventures, he's proud of her accomplishments, even when they put her in danger. She doesn't seem old fashioned at all. I think I'd like to read more from the original series.
Sept. 18-20, 2024: I read the 1959 rewrite. Originally written by Mildred Wirt, under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the books were rewritten by Edward Stratemeyer's daughter Harriett Adams. The original authors agreed to give up all rights to their works & to remain anonymous. Why the books needed an "update" is unclear. The book is essentially the same in terms of plot, but with a few changes in details & chapter titles. It's also shorter. I won't go into too much detail, so as to avoid spoilers, but I will say that Judy is a new addition to the story, as well as making the Hoover sisters less entrepreneurial. Nancy is also 18 years old instead of 16. Nancy is slightly less independent than in the original (her father & housekeeper play a bit of a larger role) & she makes promises for the futures of the inheritors without any evidence of a second will & it is also suggested to her that there may be a second will, instead of coming up with the theory herself in the original. Nancy goes much more out of her way to be helpful, and the writing style is a bit more symplistic, leading me to think the story was rewritten for a younger audience. It's less suspenseful, & Nancy is never as much in peril in the newer version. Frankly, I think Adams is an inferior writer to Wirt, & I much prefer the 1930 original to the 1959 rewrite. The Adams rewrite is practically plagiarism!
Upon seeing the Nancy Drew series in an antique store, I thought not would be the perfect time to re-read the series. While there are some definite outdated sentiments, it’s still just as easy a read as I remember from when I was a kid. Love
that this is such a low-stakes commitment. It’s a cute little introduction to Nancy.
that this is such a low-stakes commitment. It’s a cute little introduction to Nancy.
Re-read recently as I loved these books when I was younger. While I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did when I was a child, it was still fun to revisit this series.