Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

3 reviews

jennifermreads's review against another edition

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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

4.0

** Book Riot 2025 Read Harder Challenge: Re-read a childhood favorite. 

The Book Riot Challenge prompt should have continued “re-read…so you can see that your favorites from childhood do not hold up well with the passage of time.” If one is reading the 1959 revision of The Secret of the Old Clock for the first time today, the sexism, with so many words spent on what she wore and how she looked, is glaring. I can only imagine how poorly the original 1930 edition would look in light of our growth as a society in regards to gender and race. 

In addition, I feel like I know Nancy Drew so well and I guess the reason I have that feeling is because, as a youth, I read 62-70 volumes of the original series. Because, if I had been relying on this first book to tell me all about Nancy, I would be left wondering. The character development in the first volume is weak at best and, with the housekeeper, it is tedious as she was referred to by her first and last name almost exclusively throughout the story. Why? Why couldn’t she just be “Hannah”? But, then, we only know the housekeeper’s name; readers are left to wonder what role she plays in Nancy’s life and have no clue what the poor woman looks like. 

Regardless, I give this book four-stars. I fully admit it is a reminiscence-rating. While growing up, I loved the Nancy Drew series and inhaled these books so fast. I credit Nancy as the reason I so enjoy mystery novels today. And, yes, I will be keeping my copies of books one through five on my bookshelf. They are treasures to me—and, if my TBR wasn’t miles and miles long, I’d be re-reading the entire set of 175 volumes of the original series. 
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spl2d's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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

3.5

Library book via Libby! I enjoyed it - light, easy, quick read. Cute, if a bit naive and outdated. Will come back to it to support my library if I need another palate cleanser. 
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bookgurl488's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was an entertaining read.  It was very plot contrived. Everything fell into place. I liked that Nancy made things happen.
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