26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nancy Drew in her own words, April 22, 2005
Chelsea Cain's lighthearted, witty parody of the Nancy Drew series will appeal to all who spent blissful childhood hours curled up with the "slim, attractive, titian-haired" detective. Cain serves up the REAL Nancy Drew, as appealing in her own way as she was in the pages of Carolyn Keene "who got a lot of things wrong."
All the familiar characters are here---Ned Nickerson (whom Nancy does marry); Bess (not really plump at all--indeed, slightly anorexic due to her anxiety over the way she is depicted by Keene); George (with a "life partner"); Hannah Gruen (with a surprising secret); Carson Drew (with a svelte young wife). Many other figures from the pages of childhood mystery series appear--foremost among them, Nancy's love, Frank Hardy.
Readers will find themselves chuckling over every page and experiencing delightful nostalgia mixed with wry, clear-eyed adult humor. You'll love this book!
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Your Daughter's Nancy Drew, May 12, 2005
Now the truth can be known. Carolyn Keene was a real person. In fact, she was Nancy Drew's college roommate who decided to use Nancy's exploits to make herself famous. Turns out that Carolyn didn't get all the facts right, however, so Nancy has decided to set the record straight.
This book is the story of the real Nancy Drew. Taking 10 cases, it explores her life from the 1920's to 1992. As the times change, so does Nancy's life. But she still finds herself caught up in mysteries that often involve other famous teen sleuths like Frank and Joe Hardy, Judy Bolton, and Encyclopedia Brown. And they are quite eye opening for all concerned.
Make no mistake about it, this book is intended for adults and not kids. There are lots of adult themes, and no halos are left intact. Honestly, as a result, I found it oddly depressing at times. Of course, part of that may be because I was watching characters I like struggle and change. The author nailed that part when she has Nancy talk about how we the readers never want to seem these characters grow up or change. On the other hand, I found the cameos by other teen sleuths (and there seems to be at least one every chapter) fun. Obviously, the more you know about them, the more you'll enjoy the references. A couple went over my head for the most part. Of course, some come out looking better then others. The storylines of each chapter are quite fun as they find Nancy in various points of history. She gets involved in World War II, the red scare of the 50's, and Haight-Ashbury during the 60's as just a couple examples.
This book's target audience is adults with fond memories of hours spent with teen sleuths as a kid. They will most likely enjoy this take on the genre if they can allow their childhood heroes to become tarnished by real life.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
clever affectionate parody, April 1, 2005
I'm not sure the reader above does understand "parody." This is a clever, affectionate book that will bring a smile to the face of anyone who fondly remembers the adventures of Nancy Drew. It's not in poor taste by any stretch, unless you're a real prude (nothing worse than a PG rating equivalent). Incorporating the other teen sleuths we all remember was an great idea--I love imagining a whole universe populated by plucky young detectives! The trash is no place for this one! I picked it up after reading the New York Times Book Review, and I'm glad I did!
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