The Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene - Review

Reviewer: Anuprova Bhowmik       
          With all the libraries around town closing, I have not been able to get a good new book to read. This prompted me to look for old books around the house that I had not had the chance to read, and I found a set of the first ten Nancy Drew books I had received as a present a while ago. Although I've had the books for a few years, I never bothered reading them, so I started the first couple of books to pass the time during the quarantine.  I'm on my fifth book right now, and I'll probably end up finishing the series soon. Anyways, on with the review! (As a side note, the books that I have are not the original versions, which were published in the 1930s. Instead, I have the revised copies, which are from the 1950s.)        

          Nancy Drew is an 18-year-old high school graduate who lives in the small town of River Heights. Her mother died when she was very young, so she lives with her father, Carson Drew, and the family housekeeper, Hannah Gruen, who treats her like a mother. Nancy Drew has a big heart, and throughout the books in the series, she solves mysteries to help out people who are in need of a detective. From finding a missing will to helping an orphan to investigating an old family secret, Nancy Drew will do whatever it takes to help those around her and uncover the truth.

         Although the books were quick fun reads for the most part, there were multiple downfalls of the books. The first main issue I encountered was that the plot was really predictable in most of the books. For example, in the first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy was trying to find a missing will. However, the title of the book and the cover picture completely gave away the ending (hint: the will is inside the old clock). Within the first 20 pages of the book, everyone knew exactly how the story would end. Although the next couple of books were not quite as predictable, the plot was very simple, and it was pretty easy to figure out where the story was going by the time you finished half of the book. Another problem I had with the book was that Nancy was that there were a lot of coincidences. Nancy always happened to be at the place at the right time and know the right skills to complete her mission. When the case called for it, Nancy suddenly knew how to change tires, undo handcuffs, and skin-dive, despite being an 18-year old amateur detective. Her vast skill set made the story improbable and very simple, as Nancy always knew how to get out of a problem.

         That being said, I do think I would have liked the book more if I read it when I was younger. The book was marketed towards a younger audience (elementary school children), and Nancy is supposed to be a powerful role model that children can look up to. She is the image of a strong and independent woman, as she can confidently do her job without the help of others while still being able to help out around the house. Although I viewed her perfectness as a flaw to the novel, it is probably what made the book so popular to younger children throughout the decades. Overall, the Nancy Drew books are pretty fun to read, and even though the plot isn't very complicated, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a short and simple mystery.