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1.45k reviews for:
THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories No. 1.
Carolyn Keene, Carolyn Keene
3.75 AVERAGE
1.45k reviews for:
THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories No. 1.
Carolyn Keene, Carolyn Keene
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
Oh whoa. I read this both for the nostalgia and because I was asked to preview it for Sophie.
It's the weirdest thing! So anachronistic, obviously, but sort of hysterically so.
In the first 30 pages or so, I learn that Nancy is a skillful driver, attractive, discreet and not inclined to gossip, and apparently capable of evaluating pediatric head injuries. She can change a tire and bust out of a locked closet. Her mystery solving skills are basically...being able to draw simple logical conclusions and follow basic information, so, yknow, but she's kind of a sweet little 1950s badass anyway.
I noted the absence of Bess and George, and also Ned. Maybe I will read another! It was entertaining in a really strange way.
It's the weirdest thing! So anachronistic, obviously, but sort of hysterically so.
In the first 30 pages or so, I learn that Nancy is a skillful driver, attractive, discreet and not inclined to gossip, and apparently capable of evaluating pediatric head injuries. She can change a tire and bust out of a locked closet. Her mystery solving skills are basically...being able to draw simple logical conclusions and follow basic information, so, yknow, but she's kind of a sweet little 1950s badass anyway.
I noted the absence of Bess and George, and also Ned. Maybe I will read another! It was entertaining in a really strange way.
A classic story. Nancy Drew seems to know a lot or have a lot of luck I’m not sure which. You can tell reading this that it is an old timely story between the writing and the references, but it is still enjoyable.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this book as a kid, and reread it for a summer class I'm teaching. It didn't quite live up to my memory of it. It's a cute story, but a lot of the writing is rather trite. Too many mentions of what Nancy wears each day and the contents of too many meals, and Nancy Drew is quite the goody-two shoes. But, hey, it's cute enough book, and kids like it.
adventurous
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
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Did not disappoint. Wouldn't win any awards for the most shocking surprise (in addition to the title, she's prying open a clock on the cover), but I found it delightful.
I read a few Nancy Drew books as a kid, but I really can't remember at all if this was one of them. Either way, it's pretty much exactly what you'd think a Nancy Drew book would be like. Simplistic? Yes. But sometimes that's nice, to be able to imagine this time and world where a girl can drive right into some stranger's barn to get out of the rain and then immediately join in their birthday celebration, or go up against a pack of criminals and have the worst thing that happens to her be getting locked in a closet. It's all very charming, if a bit naïve. The mystery itself isn't all that gripping, but it's a pleasant little journey into an idealized past.
Not as good as I remember from when I was younger and definitely dated, but still entertaining. I think people like their heroines a little more flawed today than they did when Carolyn Keene wrote the Nancy Drew series, but the series still holds a lot of nostalgia for me!