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biancalea1956's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Nice break from the the heavier content I read. Never read Nancy Drew as a child. COVID year presented an opportunity to read a lot more than I already did. Found the ND books entertaining and a fun diversion. Have read most of the series. Occasionally pick one up for “light hearted” reading.
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
5.0
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Published in 1959, the year Hawaii became our 50th state, The Secret of the Golden Pavilion is the most travelogue-like of the Nancy Drew Mysteries so far. There’s so much information about our newest state that it’s amazing the writer could pack any mystery in the book. Everything from the history of the indigenous people to the flora and fauna is covered. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take away from the mystery and only enhances it.
The bad guy is revealed right away, so there’s no mystery there. But to find out he’s a member of the Double Scorps, an international gang of no-good doers, means Nancy and the gang has to watch their back. And when I say gang, yes, Bess and George make the trip, their expenses paid for by Carson Drew’s client. And it just so happens that Emerson College is scouting out Hawaii’s football team, so Ned, Burt and Dave take a separate plane to Hawaii. I noticed that the boys are always described with the same exact words in every book the past few books. Ned is dark haired and handsome, Burt is a blond, husky youth, and Dave is always described as rangily-built.
Despite the fact that Nancy and the gang have a couple of mysteries to solve, they get in their fair share of fun and sight-seeing. And the food! Every meal has them tasting what must have been exotic oddities like pineapple and papaya. They even attend a pig roast.
Nancy learns to do the hula early in the book, which comes in handy when she is going to impersonate the person pretending to be a ghost on the estate they’re staying at. I thought it was hilarious when Mrs. Armstrong, who is helping Nancy out, finds a white muumuu in her belongings and insists on pressing it herself so Nancy can wear it. As if a few wrinkles would show up at night across the garden where she’ll only be seen fleetingly. But Nancy must always look her best!
In terms of peril, a funereal lei is delivered to Nancy with poison tacks attached, and Ned and Nancy and captured, bound and gagged and shoved under the Golden Pavilion.
This is one of my favorite Nancy Drew Mysteries so far. A solid entry in the series.
Published in 1959, the year Hawaii became our 50th state, The Secret of the Golden Pavilion is the most travelogue-like of the Nancy Drew Mysteries so far. There’s so much information about our newest state that it’s amazing the writer could pack any mystery in the book. Everything from the history of the indigenous people to the flora and fauna is covered. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take away from the mystery and only enhances it.
The bad guy is revealed right away, so there’s no mystery there. But to find out he’s a member of the Double Scorps, an international gang of no-good doers, means Nancy and the gang has to watch their back. And when I say gang, yes, Bess and George make the trip, their expenses paid for by Carson Drew’s client. And it just so happens that Emerson College is scouting out Hawaii’s football team, so Ned, Burt and Dave take a separate plane to Hawaii. I noticed that the boys are always described with the same exact words in every book the past few books. Ned is dark haired and handsome, Burt is a blond, husky youth, and Dave is always described as rangily-built.
Despite the fact that Nancy and the gang have a couple of mysteries to solve, they get in their fair share of fun and sight-seeing. And the food! Every meal has them tasting what must have been exotic oddities like pineapple and papaya. They even attend a pig roast.
Nancy learns to do the hula early in the book, which comes in handy when she is going to impersonate the person pretending to be a ghost on the estate they’re staying at. I thought it was hilarious when Mrs. Armstrong, who is helping Nancy out, finds a white muumuu in her belongings and insists on pressing it herself so Nancy can wear it. As if a few wrinkles would show up at night across the garden where she’ll only be seen fleetingly. But Nancy must always look her best!
In terms of peril, a funereal lei is delivered to Nancy with poison tacks attached, and Ned and Nancy and captured, bound and gagged and shoved under the Golden Pavilion.
This is one of my favorite Nancy Drew Mysteries so far. A solid entry in the series.
laura_cs's review against another edition
4.0
Aloha! Nancy and company are off to Hawaii, where there is a strange case of unexpected relatives staking a claim on an inheritance, gangs, and a ghostly hula dancer.
I was curious to see when this book was written compared to when Hawaii became a state--lo and behold, the book was published in the same year that Hawaii became a state!
I was curious to see when this book was written compared to when Hawaii became a state--lo and behold, the book was published in the same year that Hawaii became a state!
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Just how often do criminals think that staging a haunting or having a mysterious dancer flit around in the moonlight is going to keep away the curious?
It happens all the time in these books. Why bother with expensive security systems when I can just have a young woman in white twirl around on the porch at all hours. I could sleep at night.
Nancy, George and Bess (along with the ever-vacationing Emerson lads) jet off to Hawaii to investigate an unusual estate and a cryptic scavenger hunt meant for the heir. I loved the amount of shade being thrown at this man because he can't decode his weird grandfather's bogus instructions.
I liked that Hannah Gruen was sent along as chaperone, but she doesn't get to enjoy herself much. Within a chapter she's working away in the kitchen helping cook Hawaiian meals. She probably makes all the beds, too.
There was nothing objectionable here, just the usual level of nonsense.
Nancy Drew
Next: 'The Clue in the Old Stagecoach'
Previous: 'The Haunted Showboat'
It happens all the time in these books. Why bother with expensive security systems when I can just have a young woman in white twirl around on the porch at all hours. I could sleep at night.
Nancy, George and Bess (along with the ever-vacationing Emerson lads) jet off to Hawaii to investigate an unusual estate and a cryptic scavenger hunt meant for the heir. I loved the amount of shade being thrown at this man because he can't decode his weird grandfather's bogus instructions.
I liked that Hannah Gruen was sent along as chaperone, but she doesn't get to enjoy herself much. Within a chapter she's working away in the kitchen helping cook Hawaiian meals. She probably makes all the beds, too.
There was nothing objectionable here, just the usual level of nonsense.
Nancy Drew
Next: 'The Clue in the Old Stagecoach'
Previous: 'The Haunted Showboat'
samanthawattam's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amaezing's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
This story largely takes place in Hawaii and deals with a lot of Polynesian culture and things. I think it does okay, with representation, but I am neither Polynesian nor very knowledgeable about them.
The end though where they joke about Ned being crowned king at the end is very cringe, as the kids say.
Especially considering that from what I understand, without looking up any facts right now to double check, The American government overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy in order to take it over, so we'd have a nice island paradise for rich people, like the Drew's, to play in.
So an American teenager, joking about being crowned the king of Hawaii...yeah.
The end though where they joke about Ned being crowned king at the end is very cringe, as the kids say.
Especially considering that from what I understand, without looking up any facts right now to double check, The American government overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy in order to take it over, so we'd have a nice island paradise for rich people, like the Drew's, to play in.
So an American teenager, joking about being crowned the king of Hawaii...yeah.
ejpass's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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
5.0
zenithharpink's review against another edition
3.0
I rather enjoyed this mystery, though the pacing was a bit inconsistent. Additionally, the pictures, which I usually thoroughly enjoy-for the perilous moments they capture, were very infrequent and only captured Hawaiian tourist moments, and nothing to do with the mystery. It was very disappointing.
I recommend this book to fans of Nancy Drew. It's a good book in the series, but not top-tier.
I recommend this book to fans of Nancy Drew. It's a good book in the series, but not top-tier.