The Clue In The Old Album (1977) - Plot & Excerpts
Growing up, I was a big Nancy Drew fan. My mom got me hooked when she gave me her 5-6 volume set from the 1950s. From that moment on I devoured the mysteries starring the girl detective like they were going out of style--every birthday and Christmas saw at least one Nancy Drew title on my list. I've been reluctant to reread any of these beloved mysteries for fear that they wouldn't hold up so well now that I'm a grown up. But--I signed up for the Birth Year Challenge Honors Edition and needed books from 1947 (my mom's birth year), so I decided to see which Nancy Drew book came out in that year and give it a reread. I thought it appropriate to read at least one Nancy book in honor of mom--since that's really how this love affair with books started--and, so, this is my first candle on Mom's Birth Year Challenge cake.The Clue in the Old Album--in which Nancy goes to a violin concert, observes a man steal an older woman's purse, runs after him, recovers the purse (but not its contents), and winds up on a hunt for a lost doll and a young girl's missing father who happens to be a gypsy. In the course of her adventures, Nancy gets poisoned and kidnapped (not on the same day), takes an impromptu trip to New York City where she just happens to be able to meet the violinist from the concert who introduces her to a famous gypsy actress, AND she and her friends Bess & George buy a little sailboat and win the first-ever "girls" boat race. Just your typical small-town girl's life. :-)So, yeah. Totally unrealistic. But absolutely fun and exciting for young girls...and not too bad for a middle-aged girl doing a bit of nostalgia. As I've said previously here on My Reader's Block, I've seen critiques of the Nancy Drew stories--all about how it wasn't healthy to entice girls with a heroine who seemed to have all the money in the world and a dad who let her do anything. You know, those things never occurred to me. I never thought, "Gee, I wish I was rich like Nancy" or "I wish Dad would let me do whatever because Nancy can do everything." Yeah, I admit it, I wanted a blue roadster (for that matter, I still do), but not as a thing to possess. For me, that blue roadster represented adventure. Anything might happen when you set out on an ordinary day in your blue roadster. And, for Nancy, anything did.This particular story was never one of my favorite, favorites. I'm not sure what I rated it then, but I suspect it would be the three stars that I'm assigning it now. Decent mystery, good adventure. A nice trip down memory lane.{This review is mine and first appeared on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.}
The Clue in the Old Album is a children's story by Carolyn Keene (pseudonym) and the 24th book in the Nancy Drew series. Little does Nancy Drew realize the adventures ahead when she attempts to stop a man from stealing a woman's purse. Nancy becomes entangled in a world of poisonous dolls, stolen possessions, and dangerous gypsies.I’ve always been a voracious reader. So, as a child, one of my favorite things about summer was the frequent trips to our local library, which was less than a mile from our house. Like most young girls of a certain age (ahem), my love for mysteries started with Nancy Drew—there simply was no mystery too baffling that she couldn’t solve. And as I would read her most current adventure, I would imagine myself following in her footsteps … taking charge and plunging ahead, getting into mischief, chasing down culprits and solving the mystery. Even though I haven’t re-read any of these books since I was a child, I still think that Nancy is a great character—her courage, confidence and fierce independence, makes her an iconic source of inspiration for young girls everywhere. A must-read children's book, The Clue in the Old Album is another wonderful Nancy Drew mystery.
What do You think about The Clue In The Old Album (1977)?
One of those Nancy Drew Mystery Stories that made me say, "hold up, Carolyn Keene, what the hell?" multiple times. This book is really weird and all over the place! There are gypsies. There are bogus fake gypsies living among the real gypsies. There is a poisoned doll shaped like a witch that almost gets Miss Nancy killed for real. And there is a creepy life sized portrait doll of a lady in a wedding dress made from a mysterious substance that is warm to the touch like actual human flesh. There's a rampaging pickpocket, too, but that seems pretty mundane compared to gypsy world domination conspiracies with life size portrait bridal dolls made of mystical heat radiating organic materials. Some Nancy Drew novels are seat of the pants riveting and some are so intensely bizarre you just feel emotionally exhausted when you finish them. Guess which kind this is? This review is for the 1947 edition. The 1977 condensed revision may very well be less bananas.
—Phyllis
Okay, Nancy is really dated in this one. It's all about violin music and collectible dolls stolen from/by gypsies. Lots and lots of gypsies. Are they all terrible people? Surely not! But they're gypsies, with their strange gypsy music and strange gypsy ways! Without much "gypsy knowledge " to go on, this one was a little too wacky for me. Crazy Nancy, always tromping off with George (the tall. athletic beauty) and pleasingly plump Bess (who is always looking to go shopping or eat at a new tea house she's found.) ") Not the best from the Stratemeyer syndicate.
—babyhippoface
This Nancy Drew book doesn't seem to fit with the previous ones. Nancy begins the story chasing a purse snatcher and ends up being poisoned and kidnapped. This story had an ominous overtones. It was darker than the others. The bad guys are more evil and the stakes are higher. People are being forced to work for a gypsy king and there is a sci-fi twist to it. At the end, the doll Nancy is searching for is found, but inside it is something mysterious. Something warm with curative powers. Definitely a different Nancy Drew book. Some of the passages are disjointed making me wonder if this book had some updates and changes since the original writing. This book was the last of the original books to be updated, although the publisher had the first 34 books updated. Maybe that's why it feels disjointed.
—Tabi34
