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5th out of 17 books
—
3 voters
Confessions of a Teen Sleuth
"If you are reading this, then I am gone and this manuscript, per my instruction, has been delivered to the writer Chelsea Cain for publication as she sees fit..."
America's favorite girl detective is back to set the record straight. According to our titian-haired heroine, she was not a fictional character, but an intrepid real-life sleuth who investigated some of the twen
...more
America's favorite girl detective is back to set the record straight. According to our titian-haired heroine, she was not a fictional character, but an intrepid real-life sleuth who investigated some of the twen
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
April 1st 2005
by Bloomsbury USA
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A parody of the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and other series that many of us read in our childhood.
And yet, I found myself wishing it had been funnier. Maybe it's that I'm not as familar with the conventions of the various mystery series being parodied here, having not read one in years. But part of me felt like this was a recent Saturday Night Live skit--good for the first few moments, but extended past the point where it continued to be funny.
The story follows Nancy across her life as she solves...more
And yet, I found myself wishing it had been funnier. Maybe it's that I'm not as familar with the conventions of the various mystery series being parodied here, having not read one in years. But part of me felt like this was a recent Saturday Night Live skit--good for the first few moments, but extended past the point where it continued to be funny.
The story follows Nancy across her life as she solves...more
Chelsea Cain has done a wonderful job of taking my favorite characters from my youth--Nancy Drew, Ned Nickerson, the Hardy Boys (Joe & Frank), the Bobbsey Twins, and several more--and turning them into a 21st-century novel that had me laughing out loud throughout the entire story.
Granted, THIS story is probably not for the teen-set, unless your son or daughter is more mature. The Nancy and friends of THIS book drink and smoke, make out, have sex and even an affair, and in general aren't as...more
Granted, THIS story is probably not for the teen-set, unless your son or daughter is more mature. The Nancy and friends of THIS book drink and smoke, make out, have sex and even an affair, and in general aren't as...more
High literary art, this ain't. But it is a quick, breezy read that's an absolute joy for anyone who's ever idolized the original plucky teen sleuth. And let's face it: who hasn't? I polished it off in a day, enjoying the reinventions of Nancy and numerous other members of the adolescent sleuthing coterie. And, while I know that there were countless references to characters I once revered (and have since forgotten) that were wasted on me, I still thoroughly enjoyed being given an excuse to immers...more
what a hilariously silly idea with a terrific execution: the memoir of Nancy Drew. Her roommate at Vassar, Carolyn Keene, stole Nancy's stories and got a lot of the details wrong so here Nancy sets the story straight, and also explains what happened after. Did she marry Ned? Did she have children? What were the Hardy boys really like? Who secretly hated Bess? Why did Nurse Cherry Ames have a vendetta against Nancy? All these questions and more are answered in Nancy's (Ms. Cain's) rollicking tale...more
I was still pretty young when I found a copy of The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene at my grandma's house. I guess it had belonged to my older sister. I read it and was hooked. I read all the other Nancy Drew books I could find in the local library, and then had them order the others from the inter-library loan. Somehow I never was drawn into any of the other teen-sleuth stories, but I knew of quite a few. I later read that Keene didn't actually write all the books, many (most?) were wr...more
We all great up reading about Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, and Encyclopedia Brown. What would have happened if our favorite young detectives were real people. Cain has taken them all and tried to create a world that did just that with this book, which takes on the form of a tell-all memoir by Nancy Drew herself.
In her world, Carolyn Keene was a college roommate of Nancy's who was not only jealous of our favorite girl detective, but decided to write a series of adventures based...more
In her world, Carolyn Keene was a college roommate of Nancy's who was not only jealous of our favorite girl detective, but decided to write a series of adventures based...more
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While this book focuses mainly on Nancy Drew plenty of other famous teen sleuths drop by and when they do it's clear Cain has done her homework. The book is cut up into chapter long mysteries that take place from Nancy's teen years to her old age. If indeed Nancy did exist this book paints a picture of who she might have been and it's not the most flattering.
When I read this book initially I was disappointed - I think I was expecting a lighthearted romp down memory lane. Yes this book is silly...more
When I read this book initially I was disappointed - I think I was expecting a lighthearted romp down memory lane. Yes this book is silly...more
What a fun parody
The premise is simple--a parody book about the secret life of Nancy Drew, her friends Bess and George, the Hardy boys, Tom Swift, Cherry Ames, Trixie Beldon and her lifelong rival with the snoopy interloper Carolyn Keene. Just a fun wonderful tongue-in-cheek read about the mysteries she solved and the unspoken truths about the life Nancy led while solving adventures, falling in love with Ned, and ignoring the fact that her friends were lesbians, slutty, dumb, goofy and sometimes...more
The premise is simple--a parody book about the secret life of Nancy Drew, her friends Bess and George, the Hardy boys, Tom Swift, Cherry Ames, Trixie Beldon and her lifelong rival with the snoopy interloper Carolyn Keene. Just a fun wonderful tongue-in-cheek read about the mysteries she solved and the unspoken truths about the life Nancy led while solving adventures, falling in love with Ned, and ignoring the fact that her friends were lesbians, slutty, dumb, goofy and sometimes...more
This light satire of those wonderful teen sleuth books that we all grew up on was a bit uneven. I enjoyed the gentle mocking of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames, and the bevy of other fictitious teen detectives. The idea for the book is first rate, Nancy is having a hard time adjusting to adult life and the changing world of the 20th century, and longs for her days as a girl detective. She still maintains her impeccable clothes and drives jaunty cars, just as she remains determinedly clue...more
This was a nice, easy book to read. It did not require too much or too little thought. I did not feel confused much by the story, but you had to think about the details to understand what was happening. I enjoyed the way that the author incorporated Carolyn Keene, the author of the Nancy Drew series, into the book. The book is written in several short stories that take place throughout Nancy's life. Although the stories are separated by time, I still got good understanding of the main characters...more
Parody of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other teen sleuth mystery series, Cain's parody was cute, but never truly funny. In one of the funnier passages, for example, Nancy describes her preparation for a sleuthing expedition thus:
"I packed only the essentials: lipstick, rouge, foundation, mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, cold cream, curlers, a hairbrush, a magnifying glass, two pairs of stockings, two pairs of pumps, three pencil-straight skirts (two with elastic waistbands), four fitted blouse...more
"I packed only the essentials: lipstick, rouge, foundation, mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, cold cream, curlers, a hairbrush, a magnifying glass, two pairs of stockings, two pairs of pumps, three pencil-straight skirts (two with elastic waistbands), four fitted blouse...more
I read every Nancy Drew book as a kid, so I immediately recognized the over-the-top, perky tone of this book. It's a clever idea--Nancy Drew is a real person, was roommates with Carolyn Keene in college, and Carolyn wrote about her life but got a lot of things wrong. This is supposed to be the "real" story of Nancy Drew, with appearances by the Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, and other fictional sleuths. It was pretty funny and clever in places, but didn't improve on itself or finish well--I soo...more
My Thoughts about Book
The story itself was well written. Even though it was meant as a parody, I did not find it at all humorous. (The next few sentences will contain a bit of spoilers).The idea of Nancy Drew not marrying the one she truly loved and deceiving an honest Ned Nickerson is both horrible and sad. To me,this seems out of character for someone like Nancy Drew. However, I did like how the author made Carolyn Keene into a real person. I thought it was good how she managed to use Keene to...more
The story itself was well written. Even though it was meant as a parody, I did not find it at all humorous. (The next few sentences will contain a bit of spoilers).The idea of Nancy Drew not marrying the one she truly loved and deceiving an honest Ned Nickerson is both horrible and sad. To me,this seems out of character for someone like Nancy Drew. However, I did like how the author made Carolyn Keene into a real person. I thought it was good how she managed to use Keene to...more
I really enjoyed this book, as far as the plot. I don't want to give too much away. There are lots of surprises about Nancy's life. It's slightly irreverent, which I liked. The writing is very well done, but it is written like the old Nancy Drew books. It had an 'old' feel to it. That I didn't enjoy. It was a lot of fun reading stories with the Hardy Boys, those were eye opening, Trixie Belden's daughter, and Encyclopedia Brown. I was a huge Brown fan growing up. That was the best part. Reading...more
I am currently in the middle of writing a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermystery with a couple of friends. Having read countless Nancy Drew books in my younger years, I was used to the bad writing and have become fairly good at imitating it. Chelsea Cain has done a great job of duplicating that same tone, but I think she goes a little too far. You're supposed to laugh at Nancy Drew, not feel sorry for her. By the end of the book I felt pity for Nancy Drew. The first half of the book was excellent, b...more
I really enjoyed this book. Growing up reading Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden, along with the Bobsey Twins and all of the others, I loved the story behind the story. It is a teen book, but sadly, most teens will not identify with the characters of my youth. My own niece read one Nancy Drew, then told me Nancy could solve crime faster if she had a cell phone. This book was fun, and I liked the dark behind the bubbly characters. They seemed more real, and for a few hours I was transp...more
A mildly funny look at the true life of Nancy Drew. It turns out that as she got older, she continued to solve mysteries, in between torrid affairs with one of the Hardy Boys. It was a bit lengthy and repetitive. To be honest, I probably would have enjoyed it more if I'd read a Nancy Drew book more recently than 20 years ago, since the book seems to be a direct take on the classics. I'd only recommend this if you're really familiar with the Nancy mythos. The Encyclopedia Brown cameo was brillian...more
Funny, funny, funny--from its cover, to its nostalgic, cheesy, black and white line drawings, to just the whole idea--the real, TRUE story of Nancy Drew, in all her adult glory. Even the chapter titles are funny--"The Clue in the Nazi Nutcracker," "The Mystery of the Congolese Puppet." The mysteries themselves are rather weak. I think the book might have been stronger with more interesting mysteries, but I don't think that was the point. The author tried to fit in as many of the classic Nancy Dr...more
Jun 01, 2007
Kate
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Veronica Mars and other spunky teen sleuths.
On a library listserv I read, a children's librarian recently lamented that the dozens of hard-bound Nancy Drew books in her collection don't circulate. She asked for suggestions to promote the series, which likely seems outdated and decrepit to today's Gossip Girls audience.
Lucky for the befuddled librarian, girl sleuths are enjoying a pop culture renaissance. In addition to the release of a Nancy Drew movie this summer and the popularity of latter-day titian-haired teen P.I. Veronica Mars, a n...more
Lucky for the befuddled librarian, girl sleuths are enjoying a pop culture renaissance. In addition to the release of a Nancy Drew movie this summer and the popularity of latter-day titian-haired teen P.I. Veronica Mars, a n...more
How can anyone give this book less than five stars? With its aging child detectives (who've all become failed adults), its clearly the precursor to the Venture Brothers! For anyone who grew up reading Naccy Drew/Hardy Boys books, this book is hysterical. It successfully parodies those books' simple plots, silly villains, and clear abuse of exclamation marks after simple sentences. I mean, you get to see an aging Nancy Drew taking an ExLax and watching "Murder, She Wrote" for God's sake!
I expected this book to have me roaring. It didn't. I kept reading after my initial disappointment and found that I could still appreciate it for what it was. It was interesting to see the various book characters such as Cherry Ames and how the author developed her as she became older. Nancy comes into contact with many other characters from book series written through the years which was entertaining so the book was not a total bust which I thought that it might be after the first couple of cha...more
I loved Nancy Drew when I was growing up, and I was really excited about reading this book. My interest was piqued at the beginning--it brought back many memories from books past. But the author tried to write in the same tone as the original Nancy Drew books written in the '20s and '30s, but her "parody" seemed a little to cheeky for me. I literally skimmed all 100+ pages, and I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything. It's too bad, though. The idea was a good one. I'm just not sure the execution...more
Fun account of Nancy's life after her teen sleuthing. I loved the tongue in cheek use of the original language "I finished slipping into my smart tweed skirt and silk blouse, and ran a comb through my titian hair. I had just checked my reflection - slim and attractive, as always". The guest appearances by Cherry Ames, the Hardy Boys and other teen sleuths were a hoot and Nancy's role in several historical events made me laugh out loud. A quick and fun read.
Dec 18, 2009
Sallie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who loved mystery series for young readers, from Encyclopedia Brown on back
Recommended to Sallie by:
Cheryl Upchurch
Shelves:
light-fun
The lightest thing I've read in a while, and quite a hoot. As someone who loved Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames and the Hardy Boys, it was funny to see the formulas spoofed. And the satire of each decade was fun too. Still, there were a couple of times when the book could have benefited from a bit more editing -- it's no fund to find yourself restructuring awkward sentences when you are trying to read for pleasure. (The curse of a former copy editor I suppose)
If you teach English this is a good example of a parody...if you grew up escaping into the exploits of Nancy Drew you'll get quite a few chuckles as Nancy explains that she was not a fictional character...her identy was appropriated by a college roommate, Caroline Keene, who got a lot of things wrong...find out what happened to Nancy, Bess, George, Carson Drew, Ned Nickerson, and Nancy's true love, Frank Hardy. Light but nostalgic reading!
Well, I must say I was very excited about reading this book. As a child, I lived for Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. Unfortunately, my expectations for what a book like this should be, and the author's expectations of what this book should be were very different! I was disappointed.
Of course, just because I was disappointed in the book, does not necessarily mean that it is worthy of 2 stars. However, if I overlook my disappointment in the direction she took, the writing was mediocre.
Of course, just because I was disappointed in the book, does not necessarily mean that it is worthy of 2 stars. However, if I overlook my disappointment in the direction she took, the writing was mediocre.
Confessions was a short but pleasant read. it is the memoirs of nancy drew, as an old woman, bitter.. feel free to judge this book by it’s cover. posed and partly clothed, nancy is innocent yet hot. she pauses after a seemingly auto-erotic moment.
this fairly sums up the book, though nancy would never admit to having feelings like this. in fact, there are times that she appears to be lacking the words to even describe such a situation.
she is naive beyond belief, and a bit of a skank.
anyone who wa...more
this fairly sums up the book, though nancy would never admit to having feelings like this. in fact, there are times that she appears to be lacking the words to even describe such a situation.
she is naive beyond belief, and a bit of a skank.
anyone who wa...more
Feb 29, 2008
Jennifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who wonders what fictional characters do after you close the book
Recommended to Jennifer by:
Julia
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I read this book quite a few years ago and still find myself thinking about it every once and a while...I need to check it out of the library again soon. It was so funny! Keep in mind I LOVED Nancy Drew as a kid so reading the "true" story as a 20-something was hilarious! If you were a fan of Nancy Drew books (and Hardy Boys, etc.) and have a sense of humour, you should like this book!
Funny, over-the-top homage to the Nancy Drew series. The teen sleuth disputes Carolyn Keene's accounts of Nancy's adventures, stating that Carolyn was actually a jealous (and plump) roommate.
A fast read (the farce gets old quickly if one lingers) that's good for a chuckle and a bit of nostalgia. Brings back memories of borrowing every Nancy Drew book available at our local library.
A fast read (the farce gets old quickly if one lingers) that's good for a chuckle and a bit of nostalgia. Brings back memories of borrowing every Nancy Drew book available at our local library.
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Chelsea Cain is the New York Times bestselling author of the thriller detective novels Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart and The Night Season. Both Heartsick and Sweetheart were listed in Stephen King's Top Ten Books of the Year in Entertainment Weekly. Chelsea lived the first few years of her life on an Iowa commune, then grew up in Bellingham, WA, where the infamous Green River Killer was "th...more
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