Margery Sharp - The Foolish Gentlewoman & Four Gardens

A while back, I put in a request that my library order a few books published by Dean Street Press. Now, I would love to own all of the books that Dean Street Press have published under their Furrowed Middlebrow imprint, but as I do not have unlimited funds in my book buying budget I am really excited that I can try a few titles through my library. I also like to think that I am single-handedly improving the shelves of my local library! Among the titles I requested were these two, The Foolish Gentlewoman (1948) and Four Gardens (1935). 

I was introduced to Margery Sharp through her book Rhododendron Pie (1930). Why did I choose to start with that one? I liked the title! And what good luck I did start there because I found it to be a delightful read, full of joy and humour. You can find my review of that book here.

Something Light (1960) was the next. It was similarly joyful, and like the title suggests, it was a light and sparkling book. It put me in mind of Doris Day films like, "Move Over Darling" and "Pillow Talk". I cannot actually remember how the character of Louisa is described, or even if she is, because after the first couple of pages I had cast Doris Day in the role and nothing would budge her image from my mind.

As a plus, Louisa is a photographer of dogs. Any book with plenty of scenes with doggies is a winner in my mind. (And yes, I am a grown woman who unashamedly refers to dogs as doggies!) My full review of Something Light can be found here.

Now, The Foolish Gentlewoman and Four Gardens are entirely different from Rhododendron Pie and Something Light. They are not without humour, but both of these books left me feeling... Sad, frankly.

Let's start with The Foolish Gentlewoman.

World War II has ended and Isabel Brocken has moved back into her family home in London. With plenty of room to spare, she opens her home to her friend and companion, Jacky, who has just left the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and Humphrey, Isabel's recently demobbed nephew. Then there is Simon, Isabel's lawyer brother-in-law, who needs a place to live while his bomb-damaged home is being repaired. Simon has no other option but to stay with Isabel, but he makes it clear he won't be a part of the household any longer than necessary. He has little patience for his sister-in-law, who he thinks of as being foolish. Then Isabel does something that feels drastic, and perhaps more than a little foolish. In a misguided attempt to right a mistake she made in her youth, Isabel invites her a relative, Tilly Cuff, to stay at her home and, here's the kicker, Isabel plans to give her home and everything she has to Tilly. Oh, and not leave her home to Tilly when she dies, no, she wants to give it to Tilly now. 

I found The Foolish Gentlewoman difficult to get into, that is, until Tilly arrives on the scene. If I'm remembering correctly, Tilly appears about a third of the way into the book. She is a poor relation of Isabel's, and as such it seems that Isabel is doing the right thing in at least opening her home to her, but Tilly is the kind of person that causes people to band together in their dislike. She is malicious and conniving, a thoroughly unlikeable person.

In a way, the premise of the unwanted houseguest or the unpleasant houseguest, reminded me of Miss Plum and Miss Penny by Dorothy Evelyn Smith, another book republished by Dean Street Press. But I enjoyed that book more than this one. (You can find my review here if you are interested.) 

I don't want to spoil the ending of The Foolish Gentlewoman, but I found it almost entirely unsatisfying. In my mind, only three characters got a happily ever after and only two of them were deserving of one! I felt a little like everyone else was cheated of -- if not happy ending -- than a satisfying one.

Needless to say, I really wanted the next book I picked up to be happy and light and uplifting. 

The back cover of Four Gardens refers to this book as the "most emotional and nostalgic of Margery Sharp's brilliant novels". Sounds great, right? Especially if you are in the mood for something nostalgic. As it would happen, I was not. But in classic Caro fashion, I didn't read the back cover until after I had already read the book.

Nostalgia is such a nice word, and there is often the tendency to infuse it with a positive meaning. But in the Merrian-Webster dictionary, nostalgia is defined as "a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition". A further definition calls it "the state of being homesick". It's a longing for a home that one cannot return to. Is it any wonder then that this book left me feeling sad and at a loss?

The story begins with Caroline as a young woman when she visits and tends the garden of an empty house. Later, when she marries, she is too busy to garden and their small plot of land lays mostly forgotten. When Caroline gets the kind of garden that dreams are made of, she is discouraged by the gardener in taking any part in its care or to even have a say in what is planted. She may visit the garden, but is made to feel like a guest there. Eventually, Caroline gets a garden of her very own. She has the time to both tend it and enjoy it, and no one else has any say in her outdoor space. Bliss!

Or is it? Because it isn't just a garden for which Caroline has spent her life yearning. If her and her husband could have had one open, honest conversation, he would have known that and they might have stood a chance of living a life where they were both happy and fulfilled. I felt both frustrated and sad by the end of this book. Even thinking about it now is bringing me down. It isn't that this book is not good. It is very good! But it made me feel sad because the marriage is all too believable. This couple has maybe a few moments of honesty and understanding across a lifetime together, and the rest of the time it is as though they are just plugging away at their own separate lives. 

There were two bright spots in this novel, for me. One is the later part of the children's trajectory. The second is Caroline's friendship with Lady Tregarthan, a woman Caroline dreads meeting, but who quickly becomes a firm friend. Without Lady Tregarthan, I think Caroline's life would have been unbearable. There are still moments of humour in this book, as one would expect from a Margery Sharp novel, but there wasn't enough to make up for the melancholic atmosphere that permeates this story.

If I had enjoyed reading this book more, I might have forgiven the fact that for a book with the word "garden" in the title there is precious time spent in a garden. I didn't make a note of the exact page count, but there was about 100 pages or so where no mention was even made of a garden and the edition I read is only 227 pages in its entirety. 

One could say that this book does have a happy ending for the heroine. But it's after a life of disappointments with a husband she barely sees and children who are brought up with much more privilege than Caroline herself was, so both parties struggle to relate to each other. I just found it sad and depressing.

Here's a photo of my best guy, Clark, to cheer us all up.

Now, just because I found both of these books to be melancholy, does not mean I don't think they are good books. The problem is, I went in expecting something different from what I got and was disappointed. These are great books! Margery Sharp is a stellar writer. The fact that I still feel sad and frustrated on Caroline's behalf and worried for Isabel's future, should tell you how much I believe in these characters. 

However, I think I will be turning to something cheerful and uncomplicated for my next read. And when I read these two again in the future it will be when the sun is shining outside and I am in an obnoxiously optimistic mood. 

Have you read either of these books? What are your thoughts on them? And if you have a favourite Margery Sharp book, please let me know!

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56 Weeks with Nancy Drew - The Hidden Staircase - Part 2/2

 Week 2, Book 2

Welcome to the 56 Weeks with Nancy Drew series! If you are new here, welcome. You can find my introductory post to this series here. Please note I will be including plot spoilers in this review series. I explain my reasoning at the start of this post. This is Part Two in a two part discussion. You can find Part One here. 

Originally published in 1930 and written by Mildred Wirt, I am continuing my review of the revised text edition of The Hidden Staircase, published in 1959 and pictured above.

After our long discussion theorizing when and where this book is set, I thought it would be fun to look at some the characteristics that make Nancy such a good detective. I mean, she only has one case under her belt, which she solved sometime last week, so why does Helen automatically turn to Nancy to investigate the suspected haunting of Twin Elms? And why does Nancy seem to take it for granted that Helen is calling her up, out of the blue, about a mystery?

I would like to know what the editor was thinking when they came up with the abrupt and unnatural telephone conversation between Nancy and Helen that opens this book. I say "editor", because I refuse to believe Mildred Wirt would have plunged the reader into the story with so little finesse, but as I have not read the original version of this book, this is only my assumption. And here I am already off track! Please excuse me while rein myself in...

Let's consider some of the qualities that make Nancy a good enough detective that Helen would ask her for help, rather than calling in a professional.

Nancy is (mostly) cool under pressure

We saw an example of Nancy's cool-headedness in The Secret of the Old Clock, when she is about to be locked in a closet by a gang of thieves. In that scene she is frightened, but she still stands up to them, both verbally and physically. Later, when she is stuck in the closet, she notices that she is spiralling into a panic, and talks herself down. No one is going to come to her rescue, so she is going to have to rescue herself. 

In The Hidden Staircase, Nancy and her father nearly get run down by a large truck when visiting the building site of a new bridge at the River Height waterfront.

    "Dad!" she screamed.

    In the brief second of warning, the truck almost seemed to leap toward the water. Nancy and her father, hemmed in by the concrete piers, had no way to escape being run down.

    "Dive!" Mr. Drew ordered.

    Without hesitation, he and Nancy made running flat dives into the water, and with arms flailing and legs kicking, swam furiously out of harm's way. (18)

Nancy is brave

On countless occasions in this book, Nancy runs in the direction of danger. Without being foolhardy, she is willing to put herself in harm's way when she deems it necessary to further the investigation.

Oh, and when I say countless, I mean it. After a while, it actually gets a little monotonous! Helen would say something like, 'Nancy, you don't suppose the ghost could be hiding behind that door?' and then Nancy would rush forward to open the door. That is essentially what happens when Nancy investigates the inside of a wardrobe (35). 

Later, they notice the chandelier is swaying from side to side. Nancy doesn't cower in fear at the unexplainable. No, without hesitation, she steals upstairs to investigate (42-44).

Then when Helen sees a horrible face is staring at her through the window, Nancy doesn't wait for Helen to give a full explanation before hurrying outside to look all around the house for the culprit. She even has the presence of mind to look for footprints below the window (46-47). After assessing the situation, she comes up with a logical explanation for how the feat could have been carried out. There's that cool head of hers again!

Another time, she runs upstairs when Helen, Aunt Rosemary, and Miss Flora hear a violin playing somewhere above them (54).

Nancy even goes outside after midnight to investigate a shadow she spotted from her bedroom window (62). Spooky!

Nancy welcomes help

Nancy may be brave and calm under pressure, but she is not too proud to call on others for help when she needs it. She knows that an investigation is not a one-woman operation and she often has a friend along to help her, who acts as the Watson to her Holmes. And when necessary, she is willing to turn to the police for help. She calls the station and does not hesitate to stop by local police headquarters when she can use their assistance.

Although, Nancy does not voice her concerns to Helen or the others, she sees the danger of there being an intruder able to come and go at Twin Elms undetected, and suggests they get police protection (56-57).

I do find it funny just how willing the police to offer assistance and to believe Nancy, and to believe in her. In this book, Captain Rossland of the Cliffwood Police even petitions Nancy for help.

    "Miss Drew, we think you can help the police."

    "I'd be glad to. How?"

    Captain Rossland smiled. "You many not know it, but you're a very persuasive young lady. I believe that you might be able to get information out of both Harry and Greenman, where we have failed." (156)

Of course, Nancy goes in alone and wows everyone with the ability and speed with which she gets both a kidnapper and an eyewitness to talk. 

These are books for children, but even reading these as I child I knew how farfetched Nancy's interactions with the police were. We turn to these books to escape real life. They are simple stories where anything is possible for a young woman with initiative. Clearly, they are not intended to be complicated representations of reality!

Nancy is logical

Nancy knows ghosts don't exist, so she continues to look for clues to explain the goings-on at the mansion, despite the growing belief in ghosts of those around her.

    "I saw it! I know I saw it!" Helen insisted.

    "I don't doubt you," Nancy replied.

    "Then what explanation is there?" Helen demanded. "You know I never did believe in spooks. But if we have many more of these weird happenings around here, I declare I'm going to start believing in ghosts."

    Nancy laughed. "Don't worry, Helen," she said. "There'll be a logical explanation for the face in the window." (47)

Nancy is also respectful enough to continue to refer to the person or persons responsible as a "ghost", just like Helen, Aunt Rosemary, and Miss Flora do. While at the same time Nancy does not encourage any belief in the supernatural as being the basis of the problems in the house, as we can see from the above quotation.

Nancy always has a plan

Nancy is not just stumbling around reacting to events as they happen. She has agency. 

    "Oh, Nancy, we must have two ghosts!"

    "Why do you say that?" Helen asked.

    "One rocking the chandelier, the other holding the horrible face up to the window. No one could have gone from Miss Flora's room to the front porch in such a short time. Oh, this complicates everything!"

    "It certainly does," Nancy agreed. "The question is, are the two ghosts in cahoots? Or, it's just possible, there is only one. He could have disappeared from Miss Flora's room without our seeing him and somehow hurried to the first floor and let himself out the front door while we were upstairs. I'm convinced there is at least one secret entrance into this house, and maybe more. I think our next step should be to try to find it--or them." (49)

After delivering the best line ever, Nancy comes up with the next logical step to take in her investigation, to find out how the troublemaker is getting inside of the house. As she repeatedly comes up against problems, she makes or revises her plan of action. On more than one occasion, Nancy and Helen try to anticipate the ghost's next steps. She is not just waiting around for something to happen and reacting to it, she is playing a scenario out in her mind before it happens (90-91).

Nancy knows how to live a balanced life

Most of us could take a page out of Nancy's book. She loves detective work, but she is still an 18-year-old with a healthy social life. Let's see how she does that.

The Saturday night before Nancy leaves for Twin Elms, she goes out on a date to see a play with Dirk Jackson (16).

On the way to Twin Elms, Helen announces she is engaged to Jim Archer and Nancy pulls the car off to the side of the road so they can have a quick tête-à-tête and then they continue the conversation on the remaining drive (24).

In the middle of the investigation, Helen and Nancy spend an evening decking themselves out in fancy dress and dance a minuet for Aunt Rosemary and Miss Flora (74-75).

But even when she is taking time off, Nancy is still working the case. 

At one point she lies in bed and she suddenly recalls something interesting about the wall in the attic and makes a plan to investigate it the next day (81). Another time, she is woken up in the middle of the night and instead of rolling over and going back to sleep -- what I would have done -- she gets up to investigate the sound (57-58). 

When she is in the middle of a case, she is always problem solving and coming up with plans to move the investigation along, even when she is having a meal, squeezing in some form of recreation, or taking a much needed rest her brain is still working. A lesson to us all! We might sometimes feel guilty for not always being on the go or doing something, but taking time away from a task provides our brain with the opportunity to do necessary problem solving.

Nancy is an impeccable house guest

Nancy makes sure she is not in any way a burden on her hosts. Whether that means helping to cook meals (33, 70), wash dishes (49), or do some light cleaning (82), Nancy is always happy and willing to help.

Nancy proves to be considerate of her hosts, especially Miss Flora, who starts to show her age as the investigation wears on. When she sees that Miss Flora is looking tired, Nancy says she is hungry, knowing it will enable everyone to take a break from the stress of detective work. Another time, she suggests going to bed early, because everyone else is tired, when she would much rather continue to work on the case. When their is some concern about Miss Flora's health, Nancy suggests Aunt Rosemary and Miss Flora spend the day in the garden, then she helps Helen wash the breakfast dishes and do some cleaning while the two older women are out of the house (82).

When an owl is discovered in Miss Flora's room in the middle of the night, Nancy is quick to put the old woman's mind at ease by providing a logical explanation for how the owl might have got in. Once Miss Flora is settled in another bedroom, Nancy quickly captures the bird and releases it outside (59).

Being aware of Miss Flora's age, Nancy also considers the possibility that the woman might have forgotten to lock her bedroom door, despite her claims that she is sure she did. But despite Nancy's suspicions, she has the good manners to keep that theory to herself (59).

Nancy is humble

The final thing that I think makes Nancy a good detective, houseguest, and just all round nice person, is her humility. Consider this scene when she tells Aunt Rosemary her plans for the investigation.

    Aunt Rosemary looked at Nancy intently. "You are a real detective, Nancy. I see now why Helen wanted us to ask you to find our ghost."

    Nancy's eyes twinkled. "I may have some instinct for sleuthing," she said, "But unless I can solve this mystery, it won't do any of us much good." (66)

Now, I did argue in this post about The Secret of the Old Clock that Nancy does not give herself enough credit. In that book she thinks to herself, "Dad depends on my intuition". I still think that Nancy should give herself credit where credit is due and not belittle her own intelligence by brushing it off as mere "intuition", or by accounting for her skills as a detective as simply being"instinct". However, I also think it would have been in bad taste for Nancy to blatantly agree with Aunt Rosemary's assessment that Nancy is a "real detective". And the older woman, may have interpreted it as boasting. 

Sure, I would like Nancy to think that instead of relying on her intuition or hunches that her father depended on her intelligence, especially as her father is her biggest supporter and is quick to praise her. He certainly never looks on his daughter's successes as her just getting lucky or using intuition. But in a lot of ways these books are of their time and perhaps it is too much to expect that a 1959 version of Nancy could both be humble when the situation called for it, and also able to acknowledge her own worth.

Quotation of the book!

And now for my absolute favourite quotation from this book. Perhaps you have already guessed! It comes from a scene I quoted earlier.

    "The question is, are the two ghosts in cahoots?" (49)

"Cahoots" was one of my favourite words when I was little and to this day it always gives me a thrill when I hear (or read) it. It's such a fun and hilarious word. I mean, aren't you just dying to be "in cahoots", now? I know I am!

56 Weeks with Nancy Drew - The Hidden Staircase - Part 1/2

Week 2, Book 2

Welcome to the 56 Weeks with Nancy Drew series! If you are new here, welcome. You can find my introductory post to this series here. Please note I will be including plot spoilers in this review series. I explain my reasoning at the start of this post. I should add that this discussion is a two-parter. Part Two can be found here.  

Edition pictured: Revised text (20 chapters, 182 pages)

Illustrated by: Rudy Nappi

Revised text publication date: 1959

Original text publication date: 1930

Ghostwriter: Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Editor: Edward Stratemeyer

Revised by: Harriet Stratemeyer Adams

Setting: River Heights & Twin Elms (Colonial mansion) USA

Originally published in 1930 and written by Mildred Wirt, I will be reviewing the revised text edition of The Hidden Staircase, published in 1959 and pictured above.

Nancy Drew's close friend, Helen Corning, needs a detective. Mysterious things have been happening at Twin Elms, the estate owned by Helen's great-grandmother, whom everyone calls Miss Flora. Strange sounds, music playing, footsteps heard in empty rooms, and now an heirloom pearl necklace has gone missing. Is the house haunted by a thief as well as a ghost? Since closing the case on The Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy has been hungry for another mystery to solve and is eager to take on this new challenge.

Meanwhile, Nancy's father, Carson Drew has been hired by the railroad to do some legal work in a property debate that resulted when they bought land to build a new bridge. One of the property owners, Willie Wharton, claims he didn't sign a contract of sale. The problem is, Willie Wharton has gone missing, and the lawyer initially sent to get the contract signed died a few hours after getting Willie Wharton's signature and both failed to have it witnessed, and to get the certificate of acknowledgement notarized. Carson Drew needs to find Willie Wharton.

This would all be in day's work for a successful lawyer like Carson Drew, but Nancy has been warned that her father is in great danger. How is Nancy supposed to both keep her father safe and investigate the goings-on at Twin Elms?

In this book Nancy investigates the haunting of Twin Elms, sees a crook brought to justice, convinces a frightened eyewitness to talk to the police, extracts two confessions in record timing, finds multiple secret passageways, and still has time to deck herself out in fancy dress, dance a minuet, go to church, take a quick swim, capture an owl, prepare food, wash dishes, do some gardening and cleaning, appreciate nature (for a whole 10 minutes), eat 15 meals, have one tea party with dainty sandwiches, enjoy a slice of ice cold custard pie, and find an alternative use for an old fashioned buttonhook. And here I didn't even know what was the primary use of a buttonhook before reading this book!

Similar to The Secret of the Old Clock, nowhere in The Hidden Staircase are we explicitly told what time of year it is. However, there are a few clues. The first one is at the very start of the book.

    Nancy Drew began peeling off her garden gloves as she ran up the porch steps and into the hall to answer the ringing telephone. (1)

In some regions, garden work can be done at just about any time of year, but I think we can rule out winter straight away.

As Nancy drives Helen and herself to Twin Elms, her friend provides the directions, pointing out the house when they have driven 10 minutes outside of the town of Cliffwood. Side note: I'm thinking they must have hit a lot of red lights between Cliffwood and Twin Elms for it to take them 10 minutes to drive the two miles that Helen says is the distance (25).

    From the road one could see little of the house. A high stone wall ran along the front of the estate and beyond it were many tall trees. Nancy turned into the driveway which twisted and wound among elms, oaks, and maples. 

    Presently the old Colonial home came into view. Helen said it had been built in 1785 and had been given its name because of the two elm trees which stood at opposite ends of the long building. They had grown to be giants and their foliage was beautiful. The mansion was of red brick and nearly all of the walls were covered with ivy. (25)

Although, I do not doubt for a second that Nancy would be able to identify tree types from a distance without foliage, this quote does tell us the trees are in leaf. From this, we could assume it is not autumn because surely we would get a description of the colour of the leaves if they were changing. However, we get an indication that we can rule out autumn when Nancy is awakened by a sound in the night and tiptoes to the window to look out on the moonlit grounds of Twin Elms.

    Shadows made by the tree branches, which swayed in a gentle breeze, moved back and forth across the lawn. The scent from a rose garden in full bloom was wafted to Nancy. (58)

The rose garden is in full bloom, so it is looking more and more like this book is set during the summer. Later when Nancy realizes time is running out for her to help her father with his case, she takes a moment to collect her thoughts. I'm going to share the full quotation because it is a rare moment of tranquility for Nancy and as someone who appreciates the importance of spending time outside in nature, I think it is a lovely section outside of the information we can glean from it.

    She breathed deeply of the lovely morning air and headed for the rose garden. She let the full beauty of the estate sink into her consciousness, before permitting herself to think further about the knotty problem before her.

    Long ago Mr. Drew had taught Nancy that the best way to clear one's brain is to commune with Nature for a time. Nancy went up one walk and down another, listening to the twittering of the birds and now and then the song of the meadow lark. Again she smelled deeply of the roses and the sweet wisteria which hung over a sagging arbor. (133)

First of all, Nancy listens to the "song of the meadow lark". We have no way of knowing for certain if she is listening to the Western Meadowlark or the Eastern, but I have a hunch that the fictional town of River Heights is relatively close to Chicago, Illinois, while still being far enough away that when Willie Wharton has been spotted there, Carson Drew opts to fly, instead of taking the time to drive. If River Heights is in the state of Illinois, then it is most likely in the southern end of the state and we know that Twin Elms is not far from River Heights because Carson Drew offers to stop by to see Nancy on his way back home from the airport (23-24).

We do not know how far away Twin Elms is from River Heights, but it cannot be too far as Helen has been back and forth, once with her Aunt Rosemary to visit Nancy (6-11). When Helen and Nancy drive there Helen shares the news that she is engaged. Much to Nancy's surprise, as she has not only not met the man in question, this is the first time Helen has mentioned him. I love Nancy's reaction. 

    "Why, Helen, how wonderful! Who is he? And tell me all about it. This is rather sudden, isn't it?" (24).

Anyway, we don't get a definite trip length, but we do know, 

    The two girls discussed all sorts of delightful plans for Helen's wedding and before they knew it they had reached the town of Cliffwood (25).

So it could be argued that they haven't left the state and they are still in southern Illinois. Only the Eastern Meadowlark is found year round in the southern part of the state and since Nancy is listening to the bird's song and not the call, it could be argued that it is May or June, the months when most of the recordings have been made of the Eastern Meadowlark's song. If you are interested in hearing what the Eastern Meadowlark's song sounds like, you can find multiple recordings here.

And yes, I did suggest the first book in this series, The Secret of the Old Clock, was also set in June. In theory, the two storylines cannot be happening at the same time. But The Secret of the Old Clock takes place over 11 days and The Hidden Staircase is set over eight. Simple math tells us that Nancy Drew cannot solve all 56 mysteries in this series before her nineteenth birthday. Because remember, Nancy Drew is 18 years old in every one of these books! (In the original editions, she is 16.) In Nancy Drew Land time has no fixed place in reality, so we just have to suspend our disbelief and embrace the concept that in these books time is fluid.

Nancy is not just enjoying the sounds of nature, but also the smells, taking deep breaths of the roses and wisteria. Wisteria blooms before the leaves in late spring to early summer, and blooms throughout the summer in the province of Ontario, according to this source. Southern Illinois is in plant hardiness zones 6a-7a, so wisteria may be blooming a little earlier in spring there than in southern Ontario, which has a zone range from 5b-7a, if I have interpreted this map correctly. For those of us who are not expert, or even novice gardeners, preferring to romanticize gardens rather than get our hands dirty in them, a hardiness zone is simply a geographic area with an average annual minimum temperature within a certain range. 

We don't know what varieties of roses are in the garden, but roses generally have a number of bloom cycles throughout the season, starting in May. So given all of this information, the trees in leaf, the song of the meadowlark, the roses and wisteria in bloom, I believe it is safe to assume The Hidden Staircase is set in late May or June.

While I do enjoy learning about birds and plants, I am neither an ornithologist nor a botanist, so feel free to leave a comment if you think I'm completely off in any of my wildly uneducated assumptions. 

Of course, I have build this entire theory on a foundation of straw, since we do not know with any certainty that Twin Elms is located in southern Illinois, as I based that information on my assumption from this book and clues from other Nancy Drew books that River Heights is somewhat near Chicago. 

But Mildred Wirt, the writer of this book and twenty-two other Nancy Drew books was born in Iowa and it has been argued that she set River Heights there. In which case, Nancy may have been listening to the song of the Western Meadowlark instead. Thankfully, either bird will work for this book to be set in late May or June. But the hardiness zones of the state of Iowa range from 4b-6a, so if River Heights is somewhere in Iowa, then it is more likely this book is set in June rather than May.

If River Heights is somewhere else in the United States, then who knows! But isn't it fun to look for clues and come up with theories? It may be just a tad geeky. But I think Nancy would approve!

In Part Two of my discussion of The Hidden Staircase we will be talking about what makes Nancy Drew both a good detective and a stellar houseguest. I will also be sharing my favourite quote. And let me tell you, it is a doozie!

56 Weeks with Nancy Drew - The Secret of the Old Clock

Week 1, Book 1

Welcome to the 56 Weeks with Nancy Drew series! If you are new here, welcome. You can find my introductory post to this series here. 

There is one thing I wanted to talk about before we get started and that is the issue of plot spoilers. I tried to write this post without spoilers and I then when that proved too difficult, I thought I would add a notice when a spoiler was coming up, but it just got too cumbersome. So I left the spoilers in. But here's the thing. We don't read for plot points, do we? I mean, if we did we could go around reading book summaries and not bother with books at all. This is a mystery series for children. We know everything is going to turn out right in the end. And isn't that the point? Isn't that at least part of the reason we turn to these books as adults, because it all turns out right in the end? 

Here's a pro tip. It's also the mother of all spoilers, so hold on to your hat... The titles of the Nancy Drew books are spoilers in themselves. I mean, The Secret of the Old Clock? Are you kidding me? Why not Nancy's First Case or The Last Will and Testament of Josiah Crowley? Okay, maybe not that last one, but you understand what I'm saying. 

Also, I went a little crazy and added citations in case you wanted to look up a section I am referring to in the same edition and also because I'm a big geek.

Oh, and one last thing. I apologize for getting this out a day later than I had said I would. It took me a little longer to put this together than I had expected.

Now, without further ado. Let's get started!

Edition pictured: Revised text (20 chapters, 180 pages)

Illustrated by: Rudy Nappi

Revised text publication date: 1959

Original text publication date: 1930

Ghostwriter: Mildred A. Wirt Benson

Editor: Edward Stratemeyer

Revised by: Harriet Stratemeyer Adams

Setting: River Heights & Moon Lake (fifty miles away) USA

The Secret of the Old Clock was originally published in 1930 and written by Mildred Wirt under the name Carolyn Keene, as all of the Nancy Drew books were and continue to be. I will be reviewing the revised text edition, published in 1959, pictured above.

Nancy's curiosity is aroused when the Topham family become the sole heirs of Josiah Crowley's fortune. But Josiah promised a number of needy friends and relatives that he would leave them something in his will. The Topham's are already wealthy, so they do not need Josiah's money like the others do. 

Not only that, but after years of not having time for their cousin, Josiah, the Topham's begged him to make his home with them and eventually he consented. (15) 

In Nancy's very first case on her own, she sets out to find Josiah Crowley's missing will and see that the rightful, and much nicer, heirs inherit.

She stops a gang of thieves, meets a whole cast of characters who she helps along the way, and she even has time to play badminton and tennis, go hiking, swimming, waterskiing, and canoeing, get stranded on a lake in a motorboat, fix the motorboat, change a flat tire, wrap an injured ankle, and eat 17 meals, two late night snacks, and one slice of birthday cake with chocolate frosting. Phew!

There is no direct mention of what time of year it is, but I suspect it is sometime in the late spring to early summer due to the reference that is made to Nancy going to stay at Moon Lake with her friend Helen Corning. Helen's Aunt Martha runs Camp Avondale and Helen is staying there for two weeks before the regular summer camp opens (82).

The other clue to the time of year is that when the will is eventually found, it is dated in "March of this year" (158). Josiah Crowley knew enough to have the signing of his handwritten will witnessed, so why didn't those witnesses come forward when there was this issue with the wills? Both men, Dr. Nesbit and Thomas Wackley, died in April (158).

From those bits of information my guess is that it is May or June. June makes the most sense to me, as Nancy and her friends go swimming and spend time out on the water at Moon Lake. In one scene, Nancy is stranded out on the water in a broken down motorboat and she gets uncomfortable from the hot sun beating down on her (98). Later, Nancy is locked in a closet by a gang of thieves. It gets very hot and stuffy and she finds herself longing for the fresh air and lake water on the other side of the door (109-116). 

I would like to add that I found this scene very worrying when I read it as a child. It did not help that Nancy, who is normally coolheaded and logical, gets agitated and increasing desperate. Of course, she is successful in talking herself out of her panic, but she does oscillate back and forth for a bit and when she realizes she has been left there "to starve" (110) the reader cannot help but fill in the words she isn't saying, "to death!".

There are a few scenes at Moon Lake, but most of the action occurs in and around the town of River Heights where Nancy lives with her father, the prominent lawyer Carson Drew, and their housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. Hannah has been an integral member of the Drew household since Nancy's mother died when Nancy was three years old.

In the original versions of these books, Nancy is said to have been 10 years old when her mother died. I suspect Nancy's age was lowered so as to avoid having to make mention of Nancy's mother, except to say that she had died. Losing her mother at three years old would most likely mean that Nancy would not remember her mother at all. The writers could then avoid the tricky task of writing about a young girl grieving for her mother. But this is all speculation on my part, not having read enough of the original editions to know if Nancy's mother is referred to in them. If anyone out there has read a number of the original books, please let me know if there are is any mention of Nancy's memories of her mother.

While we are on the subject of the original version of this book, I will mention that while I do not own a copy of the original, I have read it. Unfortunately, it was many years ago, and I'm sorry to say I don't remember much about it. I know that Nancy was 16 years old in the original, not 18 as she is in the revised. I have to say that I think Nancy being 16 makes a lot more sense as to why she doesn't have a job and there is no mention of her going to university. Surely, in 1959 an 18-year-old with Nancy's privileged background and intelligence would be planning to go to university, even if it was only thought of as a stopgap before getting married. Don't you think?

Now, I love these books. I loved them as a child and they make me feel very nostalgic. But sometimes reading them as an adult can be a bit... troubling.

For example, this book opens with Nancy driving down a country road in her new, dark blue convertible (1). 

    "It was sweet of Dad to give me this car for my birthday," she thought. "And it's fun to help him in his work." 

    Her father, Carson Drew, a well-know lawyer in their home town of River Heights, frequently discussed puzzling aspects of cases with his blond, blue-eyed daughter.

    Smiling, Nancy said to herself, "Dad depends on my intuition." (1)

He depends on your intuition, Nancy? Why not your intelligence? 

But perhaps I'm being a bit hard on Nancy. I like to think of 28 April, which is the day this book was first published in 1930, as being Nancy's birthday. From the quote above we know that Nancy has a new car that her father has given to her as a birthday present. And if we subtract 18 years from 1959, the year the revised edition was published, that makes Nancy's birthday 28 April 1941. As this would make Nancy about the same age as my mother, then maybe we can forgive Nancy for diminishing her intellect with a comment about her intuition. My mother used to refer to women's intuition, which sounded to me a lot like ideas popping into one's head by accident and without any skill of deduction. But then again it seems all the more odd that Nancy would refer to her intuition when she is constantly using her skill of deduction in her detective work.

If Nancy doesn't take her abilities seriously, or is just too humble to comment on it even to herself, at least her father believes in her intellect.

    "Dad, don't you believe Josiah Crowley made a second will?" Nancy questioned suddenly. 

    "You sound like a trial lawyer, the way you cross-examine me," Mr. Drew protested, but with evident enjoyment. (17)

On other occasions, he talks to her about the case and tells her that she is a good detective (149). I really respect that while he cautions her to be careful, especially after the closet incident, the re-telling of which leaves Hannah particularly shaken (146), he does not tell her to drop her search for the will. He doesn't even suggest it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. What I did want to mention is that in the original version Nancy's outlook towards the Topham girls is less generous than in this one. After Nancy has a run in with Ada and Isabel Topham, I found myself thinking that Nancy seemed a lot less nice than in the revised edition. She also seemed more realistic and relatable.

There is one instance I remember where Nancy actually drives her roadster over the speed limit when she is pursuing the bad guys, and in the revised edition they kept it! Although, of course, her mode of transportation has changed.

    "I'm afraid I'm exceeding the speed limit," she thought. "But I almost wish a trooper would stop me. Then I could tell him what happened to the poor Turner sisters." (11)

As the series progresses, Nancy drives as fast as the law allows, no faster. As such, the baddies often outrun her. Thank goodness, in Nancy Drew books all criminals are stupid and even the slightly more clever of them prove to be no match for Nancy Drew.

As this blog post has ended up being much longer than I had originally expected, I am going to it conclude here. I think it's safe to say, I could go on for days. Good thing we've got 55 more weeks ahead of us!

I would love to hear your thoughts on The Secret of the Old Clock, the series, and Nancy Drew, the person. I mean... character!

Ooo! And if you read these books as a child, and again as an adult, tell me what about them surprised you most when you revisited them!

Let's end on my favourite quote from this one. "They've left me her to--to starve!" That's Nancy. Always thinking of her stomach!

December Reading Wrap Up

As I was sick in December and through the start of January, I am a little behind with my reading update and reviews. Okay, okay. I'm A LOT behind. But I've been reading some fabulous books that I am no less excited to share.

All the ⭐️🌟✨💫🌠

The Snowstorm by Beryl Netherclift*

I have been wanting to read this book for ages and it did not disappoint. As it is set in January, I am seriously considering reading this one again soon. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys children's adventure stories, time slip novels, old houses, and snowstorms! This just might make my top ten list of 2023.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Shining like a bright light wherever she goes, Anne is touching and whimsical. She is also cursed with getting herself into scrapes! This is a lovely, heart wrenching book that I would not recommend reading on the train unless you're extremely comfortable with crying in public. This is one children's book that stands up to rereading as an adult.

Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther*

Made up of slice of life episodes that were originally published in The Times, this one is simply a delight! It starts in October and ends on 25 September 1939. My only regret is that I didn't savour this one more. The articles are like potato chips and I finished the entire bag in a couple of sittings. No matter! I will most certainly be rereading this one in the future.

5 ⭐️

Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read

This is an omnibus containing novels from Miss Read's Fairacre series, The Christmas Mouse and No Holly for Miss Quinn, as well as the short story, "Christmas at Fairacre School". If you like sweet and cosy stories where nothing bad happens, then Miss Read has got you covered. These are stories for when you are feeling a bit fragile and need nurturing. I try to reread this book every December.

Cherry Ames, Student Nurse by Helen Wells

Cherry Ames has dreamed of becoming a nurse. She is certain it is her calling, but does she have what it takes to withstand the training? Will she get her cap at the end of probation or will she be asked to leave? I'm not going to lie to you. This one made me cry. I suspect I'm growing soft in my old age! 

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

This book is funny and delightful. Full of the delicious flights of fancy that readers of the first book in the series, Anne of Green Gables, will recognize and love. For me, this book has less raw emotion compared to Anne of Green Gables, but it makes for a more comfortable reading experience. I had not read this one since I was a child, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it stands up to my memory of it.

Christmas with Rosamunde Pilcher by Rosamunde Pilcher, Andreas von Einsiedler (Photographer), Siv Bublitz (Editor)

This is a lovely book containing photographs of the writer, Rosamunde Pilcher, and her family at her home in Scotland at Christmas. She shares her favourite Christmas memories, family traditions, and recipes. It also contains one of my favourite short stories by her, "Miss Cameron at Christmas". I have borrowed this book from my library every December for the last three years. I really ought to find myself a copy, because the month wouldn't be the same without a reread of this lovely book.

Peter's Room by Antonia Forest

This is the fifth book in Antonia Forest's Marlow series. In part, these books are boarding school stories, but unlike many books from that genre, we also get to see the children at home. In this one, it is the start of the Christmas holidays and the entirety of the book takes place before the children go back to school. 

Peter Marlow clears out a disused outbuilding and claims it as his own, but the building looks pretty appealing to a few of the other children too. Soon, the twins, Nicola and Lawrie, along with Ginty, and their neighbour, Patrick Merrick, are all spending time there. Ginty, who has been studying the Brontës at school, is fascinated by Gondal, the make-believe land the Brontës created. When she suggests they create a Gondal of their own, some of the children are more game than others to play along. But before long their make-believe world begins to blur the lines of reality. 

Although, it is set over the Christmas holidays, this is not a Christmas book. Which is fine with me, as it does not claim to be. I have to admit, when I realized that full chapters were taken up with the story the children are telling themselves, I was a little worried it would get boring. Let me tell you, I was not bored in the least! This book has such an odd (not to mention, a bit unlikely) premise, but Antonia Forest makes it work. I should have know she would! Highly recommend!

4.5 ⭐️

Mistletoe Malice by Kathleen Farrell

A dysfunctional family congregated over Christmas at the matriarchal home. Starting the day before Christmas, and set over four days, tensions rise as the festivities reach their climax.

I rarely read book summaries before diving into a book, so I did not read the summary through to the end before starting this book. Thankfully, that meant I didn't going into this one with the expectation that a Christmas tree would explode only to be disappointed, like a lot of readers were. 

It also didn't remind me of Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles, which is referenced on the cover. And the comparison of Kathleen Farrell's writing to Elizabeth Taylor's, as it is on the back cover, creates unrealistic expectations, in my opinion.

However, I really enjoyed this book and I would love to read more of Kathleen Farrell's books. I would love it if Faber were to republish all of her books, because vintage copies are impossible to find online.

The only reason this wasn't a five star read for me is because there was a little too much exposition for my liking. I would have preferred some things to be left unsaid so I could come to my own conclusions. After a while I got used to the style, but I still would have liked to have gone through and given it a good edit. 

This is also not a cosy or particularly festive book. Still, I enjoyed it enough to read it in November, and then again in December and the writing style bothered me less with the second reading.

Country Chronicle by Gladys Taber*

This was my first Gladys Taber and it certainly will not be my last. This book journeys through the seasons at Gladys Taber's seventeenth century Connecticut farmhouse, Stillmeadow. The perfect balance of descriptions of the surrounding landscape, of the animals -- both domestic and wild -- and of her home. When I reached the end I had this incredible urge to immediately start over from the beginning. No doubt, I will be reading this one again soon.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because there were a few instances where information was imparted as though it hadn't already been mentioned earlier. Of course, I'm fine when a topic is referred to a second time, but I would prefer that it was not treated as though it were new information. It gives one the unsettling feeling of déjà vu. 

Castle Deadly, Castle Deep by Veronica Bond

This is book two in Veronica Bond's series, A Dinner and A Murder Mystery. Set in the autumn, this is the perfect cosy mystery. There is a castle, a murder, the theatre world, kittens, lots of descriptions of delicious food and the autumnal landscape, not to mention, a lot of sweet characters. I would describe Veronica Bond's books as being a lovely mix of Nancy Drew and Miss Read. Julia Buckley is the writer behind the pseudonym Veronica Bond and I love the books she writes under her own name too, especially her Writer's Apprentice Mystery series. 

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

This book starts on Midwinter's Eve and I cannot think of a more haunting read for this time of year. It is the day before Will Staunton's birthday and his greatest wish is for it to snow. This will be a birthday that he will never forget.

The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is because I found myself questioning the magic system around Will's quest. However, I would not take that as a reflection of the book, rather, on the fact that I rarely read fantasy books and sometimes struggle with suspending my disbelief.

I have to thank Liz (@pony.books) for letting me know that this book can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed this one so much that I plan to go back and start the series from the beginning.

4 ⭐️

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene, Mildred Wirt (Ghostwriter)

I will be reviewing this one soon, so I won't say too much about it here. It has got an old mansion in it, which the owners believe is haunted. I mean, what more could you want in a mystery book for children?

Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell

This is the ninth book in Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire series. Because I read a fair number of books that are out of print and thus harder to find, I have got into the habit of reading books as I acquire them, which means I frequently read series out of order. Thanks to Virago reprinting them, these books are in print, so there was no reason why I should have read book nine in this series when I had only previously read the first one, High Rising. 

There are so many character names to keep straight with this one that I was more than halfway through before I started enjoying myself. Needless to say, I plan to go back to the beginning and read this series in order. Despite my confusion with the characters, this book still managed to scrape by with a 4-star rating.

Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton

The Agatha Raisin series is perfect for when you are ill or have very little bandwidth for reading. I have read the series through once in order and now I'm rereading the odd one as the urge strikes me. Agatha Raisin spends a lot of time getting her hair done in this one as an excuse to dig up the dirt on a hairdresser that seemed a little too good to be true, that is, right up until he died. Isn't it funny how death can change people?

I Visit the Soviets: The Provincial Lady in Russia by E.M. Delafield

About a year ago, Liz recommended this book to me and after rereading The Diary of a Provincial Lady back in November, I finally got myself a copy. I now understand why people say this book is not like E.M. Delafield's other Provincial Lady books.

In this book, she visits Russia after the Revolution while it is under Communism. It feels like even Delafield, with all of her sparking wit, has to work to find the humour in her experiences. There are funny moments, but it is not nearly as light as the first book in this series.

I also found the structure of the book to be a bit odd. The sections were not laid out in chronological order and I really think it would have worked better, and been less confusing, if they had been. 

As a note to anyone thinking of buying the same edition as mine: My copy is missing page 122. That is to say, the page is there but it is blank. It is the first page in a section called, "Margaret Was Right", so it is definitely not supposed to be blank! I'm waiting to hear back from the publisher and hoping they can replace my copy or send me the missing page. 

3 ⭐️

Winter Carnival by Francine Pascal*

When I was young, I read all of the Sweet Valley High books I could get my hands on. I loved reading about twin girls who could not be more different from each other.

It was very odd reading this one as an adult. I remember, I used to find Elizabeth a bit dull, while her sister Jessica was a lot more fun. But what struck me this time was how selfish Jessica is and how Elizabeth (and the rest of her family) simply allow Jessica to walk all over them. More worrying is that the lesson Elizabeth learns at the end is that she should forgive Jessica and be thankful she has a sister. Not a bad lesson to teach kids, but within the context of the story it seemed very misplaced.

There is also a dream sequence that goes on for more than a chapter. I remember reading that part as a kid and thinking that was just the sort of thing we were told not to do in creative writing. I am even more embarrassed than ever to admit how much I loved these books! 

Overall, I would say I had a very productive, and more importantly, enjoyable reading month. I usually read eight to ten books over the course of a month, but as I was sick and we did not have a lot on over the holidays, I had hours of free time to read. Bliss!

All of the books marked with an * were given to me by the lovely Gina (@babsbelovedbooks). Thank you so much, my friend! Like me, Gina rang in the New Year by starting a book blog! You can find her beautiful blog here. I am so excited for her!

Fingers crossed, I hope to have my first post for 56 Weeks with Nancy Drew up tomorrow.

How did your reading go in December? Did you read an old favourite or, perhaps, find a new one? Please, let me know in the comments. I would love to hear about what you have been reading!