Laura Linney Books

Barefoot In The Park is the complete and unabridged ninety minute audiobook presentation of a classic Neil Simon romantic comedy. Wonderfully performed by Laura Linney and Eric Stoltz, Barefoot In The Park is the flawlessly recorded production that tells the story of a new lawyer and his young bride, the adventures and foibles in beginning married life, complicated by an uptight mother-in-law and an eccentric gourmet chef who lives in a loft on the roof of their apartment (their window ledge is the only access to his padlocked premises). A superb choice for any personal, school, or community audiobook collection, Barefoot In The Park is also available in a CD format...

I first heard of this play from my good friend, who happened to see it performed in Central Park. I later saw this old copy of the play laying around my high school stage office, and picked it up, remembering my friends mention of it... upon finishing the play (within two days, I could NOT put it down) I realized I have NEVER laughed so hard outloud while reading any sort of literature.. it is witty, comical, and softly but lovingly expressing the hardships of the first days of marriage and living together with your beloved. I highly highly highly recommend picking this up for a mood-lifter, or just a good laugh. It is light and entertaining and very cute!

I have loved this book ever since I was in grade school! I bought this copy because I wanted a nice, hardbound version and I liked the illustrations.

The words are so crowded. So I won't suggest this one.

I bought this book as a gift to impress the receiver. To my shock, the receiver told me the book was very nice indeed but it contained only the first half of the book. I did not see anywhere where we are told about this being only half of the book unless you include the Library Journal description.

This is a classic we wanted our grand daughter to read. The illustrations are professional and wonderful

I love to read and have begun reading many classics. My teacher recommended "Little Women" for me to read. So, I went off and bought it at the bookstore. In this edition you read an introductin first which I thought was a bit boring and long. It tells about the back round of the author and how this book was made. This story is broken up into two parts. The story starts out with four girls- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Their father is away at war. The first part of the story was too drawn out I thought. There is a description for everything. I did however enjoy reading it. The second part had a lot of action. There are weddings and births, and sadly even a death. It was more paced then the first part. I think Jo had the best character. She was so realistic. All in all, I thought this story was pretty good and I am not disappointed in it. I am very happy I read it. I know it is a classic and I do understand why.

This is one of my new favorite books. After seeing the movie (starring Meryl Streep) I was intrigued to get more "invovled" with her character. The book did not disappoint in the least. Great read.

This book was so therapeutic to me after losing my father to cancer 8 years ago. It brought back so many memories, but it really hit the nail on the head when it talks about the"dying with dignity" issue. My father was so well known in the community, and such a pillar of strength to us family members, that none of us really knew how to deal with the fact that we now had to be the pillars of strength for him. It is hard to see how debilitating cancer can be on a loved one, but nobody portrays this any better then Anna Quindlen did in this book. Try to imagine no longer having hair to comb, or having to be pushed around in a wheelchair, or what it must feel like to have to wear diapers....Those are issues that both sick people, and elderly people have to deal with. There is so much we take for granted when we are in good health. This book focuses on dealing with both the physical and mental issues involved with debilitating health, as well as the effect it has on the other family members. ]
This story centers around a couple in their late 40s stuggling to cope with the wife being diagnosed with cancer. Their children are already grown and out of the house when the oldest child, Ellen, has to give up her successful career to come home and care for her mother - mostly to appease her father. At first the daughter is very angry and focuses on what she had to give up, but along the way she realizes the many sacrifices that her mother gave just to be a good mother, a good wife, and a good citizen. During the duration of the book the mother and daughter bond like they never have before, and it makes you realize how important family really is. This is another "have a box of tissues near by" book, especially for those of you who lost a parent to cancer. This book is a MUST READ - and you will be glad you did.

I checked this book out from the library with a vague recollection that it had been the basis for a movie a number of years back. Once I started reading it, I virtually devoured it- I was finished with it in less than three days. I kept in in my briefcase to read everytime I got a moment to do so.

This book is not just a story, it is many. It's a book about facing the deterioration of a loved one from a terminal illness. It's a study in family dynamics, as Ellen examines the relationship she's had with both of her parents during her life. It's a story of the debate about female archetypes, and how so much of society divides us into groups of "heart" vs. "mind". It's an illustration of the things we say and do, or what is said and done to us, resonates long after the action or words are gone- Ellen's high school essay, her boyfriend's mother issues, words taken out of context.

I watched the movie, as well, having found it by chance on cable while reading the novel. It was good and very touching, but was missing so many of the subtle layers that are present in the book. I'm glad I saw the film first, otherwise the absence of so many of the other explorations would have detracted from the film in my eyes.

This woman can write! I've got to get my hands on some of her other books.

From the first word to the last the narrative flowed effortlessly. This is essentially the story of a grown daughter discovering and learning to appreciate and value her mother. Much to her surprise I think. The circumstances are tragic, but tragedy often brings important issues into the forefront. My favorite line, "It's so much easier, to learn to love what you have instead of yearning always for what you're missing, or what you imagine you're missing." Anna Quindlen gets it; she knows how people think and feel. She understands relationships and conflicts. This is a must read!

I also just watched the movie. I think they did a pretty good job. Usually no movie is as good as the book; things are always different. But this film comes close. It gets the essence of the book. One True Thing

A few things touched me especially deeply as I read this finely crafted novel by Anna Quindlen. One is how easily this situation could occur for any of us and second is the curiosity of how I would handle the situation and third is, how much do we really know about the innerworkings of the relationships of the people around us, even closest to us?

This novel of family, of life, of death and of choices surrounding life and death invites you into the intimate family circle of Ellen - an intelligent professional woman who goes home to a small college town to take care of her mother who is dying of cancer.

She comes to know both her parents in an entirely new way - bits and pieces of which we glean in the first sentence of the novel: "Jail is not as bad as you might imagine."

From that tightly wound first sentence all the way through, Quindlen's writing holds the reader captive. We want to know what is next. We want to be a part of the process. We want to understand. We don't want the ribbons to "go untied" although... well, you can find out for yourself when you read it... which I strongly suggest that you do.

My granddaughter loved this book. She reads and listens to the CD's that Laura Linney has made for the series. She loves them and can't wait till many more have been made to match her growing collection.

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene is a great mystery book. All the characters are fit for the story. This is perfect for anyone who enjoys solving problems and coming up with solutions. An amazing storyline, and until the end it will keep you on the edge of your seat!

P.H

When I started reading Nancy Drew, I started in the middle. My seventh read was "The Secret of the Old Clock".

I'm glad I started in the middle. This book meant more to me. By the time I read it, I'd done research on the series, the creator, the pen name and the ghostwriters. Although the books I read in the series are revised, I love the introduction of this character. I kept in mind that this series began during a time when girl detectives were at a minimum.

I love the plot, I especially liked the characters, like Nancy's old classmates who were just plain mean. It was a page turner and I was on the edge while Nancy worked hard to escape a locked closet.

I'm happy to be a Nancy Drew fan!

I always liked the Hardy Boys better than Nancy Drew, which is perhaps not too surprising. The whole team adventure thing there is probably a bit more interesting, and perhaps a bit more freedome given to the young lads than Nancy, anyway.

Other than that, a pretty garden variety kids mystery story. With these books, the title does actually have something to do with it.

I have loved reading Nancy Drew since I was little. They are still fun, however you may want to find older copies of these books to really get your money's worth. Otherwise, you will be buying what is in essence a disposable product, kind of like a magazine or newspaper.
I have an older set from the mid 1990's and it's in fine shape, but I have noticed that the publisher is following a trend I have started to see in the book industry as a whole. They are all switching to cheaper quality materials for their books, but still asking the same amount of money if not more. I thumbed through some of these at my local bookstore and noticed that while they are still in the familiar yellow hardbacks, the covers are not well printed, it looks like a muddy scan for the cover and the paper used inside is the same you would get in your average newspaper.
Some may not care, but if you consider that in order to buy the whole 56 book set it costs well over 350 dollars . . . you can see that it adds up fast and for that kind of money, they should be like the previous 60 years or so editions, nice tight bindings and high quality paper that doesn't yellow in five years or so.
What gets to me is that the industry is trying to pull a fast one on the consumer. If they could lower their prices a little, to reflect their use of disposable materials, that would be more honest on their part.
But I guess that's what's at issue here. Buy with caution, because if you intend for these books to stay in your library a while, you may be disappointed.

There are several ND books that I read as a young child and now my daughter reads them too. The Hidden Staircase is one that I put at the top of my recommendations. It is excellent mystery reading for kids age 9 to 12 (or for those of us who just like a trip down memory lane once in a while). The thrill is still there!

I bought this little notebook for my mother who is an old school Nancy Drew fan and she was thrilled with it! It is a nice size to use as a purse notebook, well made binding, quality paper and there are printed illustrations on the pages - so it isn't just a blank book with a Nancy Drew cover - it is a total Nancy Drew themed blank book. Really nice small gift item.

This book was for my grandaughter. I read it before giving it to her and found it to be very entertaining and appropriate for my 8-year old grandaughter. She is reading it now and enjoying the book very much.

I did have to get this third party because it wasn't available when I went to order it. I am glad to add it to my collection. Putting aside what is obviously wrong with it (the derogatory portrayal of the African-American servant) this is a pretty good mystery story. It is much different than the seventies version I had read before, not just the language, but even the storyline changed, with both the elimination and addition of characters. My only problem is the big gold seal on the front of the dust jacket. If this is supposed to be an accurate reproduction of the original book, it should not be "defaced" with a seal stamped on the front advertising "The Originals." I would have preferred that be put inside the book. I did enjoy the internal advertisements of other series in the end pages.

This is the second original text Nancy Drew book that I have read, the other being The Secret of the Old Clock. In both, the writer practically goes out of her way to depict African American characters in as negative a light as possible. In the Clock, we have a gullible, black caretaker who gets drunk and allows thieves to drug him so that they can rob his employer's home. Here, we have a scheming, black housemaid who is described as "looking as if she were an ogre," and who Nancy declares is among the most beastly creatures she has ever laid eyes on. Offensive, right? Well, just wait until you read her dialogue - makes Mammy from Gone with the Wind sound like Audrey Hepburn.

Race issues aside, as in the OT of Clock, the characters are better developed in this book and the plot offers more suspense. In the re-write, the ending can easily be guessed fairly early into the story.

Also, this has some really funny (although unintentionally) moments. For example, there are numerous references to "eldery twin sisters," who are frequently described as "old ladies." Later, we are told that these "elderly women" are "almost 30 years older than Nancy," who, in this version, is 16. That would make them a whopping 45! Hilarious.

Great to hear the book on CD. Laura Linney is a wonderful story reader. We can hardly wait for more of the Nancy Drew series to come out on CD.

Like many of the Nancy Drews, the Bungalow Mystery shows what Nancy is really like. It shows her desire to help those in need, and resourcefulness in hunting down criminals, more than her attorney father had. Nancy was justified in being suspicious of Laua Pendelton's supposed guardian, though Laura said that Jacob Aborn and Mrs. Pendleton, who had died recently, were schoolmates. When Laura ran away (and helped Nancy move a downed tree so they could get to River Heights), she told Nancy how mean Jacob Aborn had been. Nancy's investigation started NOT at the bungalow on Melrose Lake but at a deserted shack; she learned, after she had sneaked into Laura's legal residence, that Laura had come under control of a professional crook who called himself Stumpy-- a gangsterly name if ever there were one! When he went to sleep, she returned to the abandoned shack and found the REAL Jacob Aborn chained and half-starved! After more adventures she ran down Stumpy Dowd, who had POSED as Jacob Aborn
to steal Laura's inheritance, and brought happiness to Laura when she and Jacob Aborn were brought together. A delightful story, to be sure.

I love the way these classic reproductions give you a window on life and culture back in the 30's and 40's, through the medium of popular fiction for young readers. Thanks to the publisher for bringing these back!

Bungalows are deadly. Well, not really, she doesn't live in Midsomer.

However, accidents in boats can be a bit on the dangerous side, and this happens to the young chick.

Apart from that, she has to check out a couple of dodgy adults, look into some thieving, and stay dressed nicely.

I thought this book was good. It kept you interested and it makes you wonder what will happen to the bad guys in the end. It a good series if you want a light read series. Sure the series is about or around forty books, but from I know they are all about 180 pages. I can read one of these books in a couple of hours. They may not be long, but the author definitely did not waste any page space by boring you with unnecessary details. I will definitely read more in the series.

thank you for your time
and feel free to comment
this review,
Loran

Out of the three other Nancy Drew books I've read this one was the hardest to figure out. The books are well written and good for light reading. This book was suspenseful in the sense that I had a hard time trying to figure out who the culprit was. The ending was surprising. I never really thought that person was the culprit. Good ending.

Thank you for you time,
feel free to comment this
review,
Loran

I chose to read this book because my mom had told me that the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories was a good series of books. By the cover of the book I had thought that it was going to be about the typical scary haunted house book but it wasn't. Before I read the book I never imagined that it would have been this good. The main character of the book is a young lady named Nancy Drew. Nancy is invited along with her friend Helen to come and join their friend Emily and her fiancé on their wedding day and stay at the inn that they own called, Lilac Inn. In the book someone breaks into Nancy's house and steals her charge plate and some articles of clothing. They are using the charge plate to impersonate Nancy. The impersonator has been stealing all other sorts of things also from the inn. Nancy discovers thatsomeone is trying to impersonate her so now she is on the hunt for her impersonator/burglar who is causing all problems for Nancy. While on their stay Nancy and her friend Helen come to beleive that the house is haunted. Nancy and Helen think that the house is haunted because of the noises and mysterious things that are happeining. I suggest you read the rest of this book to find out who impersonates her and why. This was a very suspenseful book and I enjoyed reading it, it was one of those books where you couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and there was not a boring moment in this book. This was really good book and that is why I gave it 4 stars.

Originally written by Mildred Wirt Benson from outlines by Edward Stratemeyer, the Nancy Drew series was first published in 1930s. THE MYSTERY AT LILAC INN was the fourth book in the series, and it and those that followed presented its heroine as a rich, headstrong, and distinctly reckless teenager who sometimes carried a pistol and who wasn't above breaking the law when it suited her purposes.

As the series progressed and other writers began to generate Nancy Drew novels, the character changed and Nancy was "toned down;" instead of flatly rich, she became reasonably affluent; recklessness was replaced by commonsense caution; and while she might be willing to bend the law a bit she would never knowingly break it. In the 1950s and 1960s the earlier novels were re-written to reflect this change in character.

Every book in the Nancy Drew series repeats certain basic elements, but even so THE MYSTERY AT LILAC INN is something of an exotic. The original 1930 book concerned a jewel theft; the 1961 re-write kept the idea of a jewel theft but threw out the rest of the plot and very unexpectedly involved Nancy with everything from identity theft to espionage! And not only is LILAC INN surprisingly violent for a Nancy Drew mystery, it also permits the normally unflappable herione to show her temper more than once.

This particular story finds Nancy invited to act as a bridesmaid for friend Emily, who--along with her future husband--has bought Lilac Inn, a resort hotel they hope to update and operate once married. Accompanied by friend Helen Corning, Nancy visits Emily at the Inn, only to discover the property is beset by a host of mysterious happenings: employees have resigned, "ghosts" are stalking the grounds, and in short order Emily's inheritance of valuble diamonds are stolen. But this is only the start; before the story ends Nancy and her friends will cope with auto theft, blackmail, impersonation, and two attempted murders.

As is always the case with the original series, the book is very much of its era: there are no cell phones, computers, or similar modern gadgets and although she is allowed to loose her temper a few times in this title Nancy remains the "perfect good girl" according to the standards of the day. Even so, the unusual nature of this particular book lends a bit more spice to the proceedings than usual, the result is particularly enjoyable.


The Nancy Drew books are not great literature by any stretch of the imagination--they are too distinctly formula for that--but they are competently written, literate, and never talk down to their target audience. They are also good "comfort reading" for grown-ups who recall their childhood reading fondly. THE MYSTERY AT LILAC INN is certainly one of the better efforts, and both old fans and young newcomers will enjoy it.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

My friend was always very into Nancy Drew. She had bought a couple of the books, but then recieved a box set and was left with a few doubles, so she gave this one to me. I thought "Wow. Great. A cheesy mystery novel." It sat in my bookshelf for two years. I only have a few unread books left in my shelf, and didn't feel like going into my series of Louisa May Alcott books just yet, so I picked this book up yesterday. In the middle of the third chapter, I was sucked into a vortex and couldn't come out. I started this book at 4:40, took a half hour break for supper, and finished the book at 10:11. Normally when I read mysteries (which is very rare because I find them so predictable) I am able to piece together everything that will happen. Not in this one. There are so many well-developed characters to support Nancy, and the plot has multiple twists and turns. For girls from about 8 to 13, I think you will enjoy this book greatly!

I chose to read this book because my mom had told me that the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories was a good series of books. By the cover of the book I had thought that it was going to be about the typical scary haunted house book but it wasn't. Before I read the book I never imagined that it would have been this good. The main character of the book is a young lady named Nancy Drew. Nancy is invited along with her friend Helen to come and join their friend Emily and her fiancé on their wedding day and stay at the inn that they own called, Lilac Inn. In the book someone breaks into Nancy's house and steals her charge plate and some articles of clothing. They are using the charge plate to impersonate Nancy. The impersonator has been stealing all other sorts of things also from the inn. Nancy discovers thatsomeone is trying to impersonate her so now she is on the hunt for her impersonator/burglar who is causing all problems for Nancy. While on their stay Nancy and her friend Helen come to beleive that the house is haunted. Nancy and Helen think that the house is haunted because of the noises and mysterious things that are happeining. I suggest you read the rest of this book to find out who impersonates her and why. This was a very suspenseful book and I enjoyed reading it, it was one of those books where you couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and there was not a boring moment in this book. This was really good book and that is why I gave it 4 stars.

This was my very first Nancy Drew book. Yep, and I a little older than what would be considered young adult these days! Tee Hee! I am hooked. I will tell you I was a little afraid of starting with Book 7, but I didn't feel left out at all. The author made it possible for me to catch up with Nancy, her family and her friends. I even got to meet the new "guy". I love stories about diaries, add in a mystery, a fire, some great adventures and a romantic interest, and I was extremely happy. Now, I will say that I did find some parts that dated the book, but for the most part I was very happy living in Nancy's world and I expect to do so again very soon.

I think the book is great and full of suspense. Nancy, Bess and George are driving in a beautiful neiborhood when suddenly a grand house bursts into flames. Nancy later learns it was home to Felix Raybolt. "Foxy Felix" stole peoples inventions, and one of his victems is Joe Swenson. Joe is getting acused for setting the Rabolt house on fire, and only Nancy Drew can clear his name...

When I was in elementary school most of the boys read books in the Hardy Boys series and a lot of the girls read books in the Nancy Drew series. While I have read many of the Hardy Boys books, this is the first Nancy Drew book that I have read. I spent a lot of brain cell electricity contrasting the two series as I went through the pages. In the Hardy Boys series their father is a detective and in the Nancy Drew series her father is a lawyer. Nancy has two best chums, the plump Bess and the masculine George. They go everywhere together sharing adventures and concerns.
While there is some boy interest in this book, the girls do not fawn over the fact that an attractive male their age is present. That is an aspect of the story that was impressive. The girls are business-like, trying to solve the problems at hand and determine who is guilty of what. The crime is the apparent arson destruction of a house owned by a wealthy man who has made a lot of enemies. Nancy and her friends are there when the house explodes and Nancy sees a man fleeing the scene. He is the prime suspect, as he is an inventor whose invention was stolen by the owner of the house. Since the owner has disappeared, there is a suspicion of murder.
One common thread in this book and the Hardy Boys series is that the local police are incompetent simpletons. They start with a simple theory and refuse to deviate from it, even when it appears to be wrong. Of course, Nancy and her pals solve the mystery and the innocent man is spared a jail sentence. Nancy and her friends are also portrayed as very good-hearted, as they befriend a young girl and her mother who are obviously poverty-stricken.
While reading this book, I kept the historical context in mind. This book was written in 1932, a time when women were still very much considered the "weaker sex." Yet, Nancy drives skillfully and generally avoids accidents, the men are the ones who drive foolishly and recklessly. The girls are all portrayed as being competent and capable, not shrinking from the prospect of danger. Nancy's father is portrayed as being supportive of her endeavors and makes very little attempt to shelter her from the nastiness of the world. Strong female characters were a rare thing in the literature of the 1930's, a fact that makes this book a trailblazer in many respects.

Do NOT read any Nancy Drew books! They're boring and girly. If you want a real mystery, read a good one like Chasing Vermeer or The Witches of Worm. THIS BOOK IS SO STUPID, I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYONE LIKES IT!!!!

they are just as good as they were when I was 10 years old!!! Nancy and her convertible!!! :-)

In "The Red Gate Farm" I thought that the setting was a perfect place to have the plot. I thought it was a good place because it was a perfect place to have counterfeit money making place where nobody ever goes to and where people would never think of a cave and a farm to do all the making of fake money.
"The Red Gate Farm" was a very good book I thought. The events that I liked were the beginning when the man comes up to Nancy in the train because that's when the first start of the mystery begins to show up. Also I liked how nice and kind Nancy was to Joanne because she was having such a rough time with her grandma's farm. I thought Nancy was nice because she helped Joanne when she fainted from the perfume, and when Joanne needed to find a job and a place to stay for the night. A third thing I liked was how each character acted, like it just gave them character. Like Mr. Kent, Maurice Hale, Mrs. Hale, Nancy, Yvonne, Joanna, and others, but those were the ones I thought were good because how they acted I thought just gave them a lot of a variety in each character. Another thing I liked was when finally they got all their costumes ready to go and sneak into the Black Snake Colony Cult. I thought it was very brave of them all to do this very risky thing to do. When they snuck in and found a lot of information of what the Cult was doing and who a lot of the people were. I guess I just liked how exciting and sometimes suspenseful it was to see what was going on and what was going to happen. Lastly I loved when at the end when Nancy and her friends were caught, and you thought it was the end for them, suddenly you read that the secret service was there to arrest the criminals and then when the mystery was finally solved. I liked the book, but those were the few events in the "Red Gate Farm" I really like.
I really liked "The Red Gate Farm" but there were some thing's I didn't like that much. Some things were that I thought the snake biting George part didn't really matter all that much. Also I thought some things could have been cut out and get right to the point, but I guess the author was just making it a little suspenseful. The things that could have been cut out a little bit were the parts of them making the costumes; to me they weren't that all important. Also I thought that some of the spying on the Cult wasn't as important because no real significant events happened, and sometimes the Cult wouldn't even gather, so sometimes I thought it was kind of pointless. Other than those couple of events I thought the book was really good!

They all have the same generic plot to them except for
different mysteries. The end was actually surprising
with it's couple of twists. I think this book is where
I end my reading of Nancy Drew. The books were good
and occupied my time in a good way. They were fast
enjoyable reads that I could read in a few hours.

thank you for your time
and feel free to comment
this review,
Loran

If you like mysteries, than you are sure to like this one. Nancy Drew, Bess Marvin, and Goerge Fay go to this new friends farm because someone is trying to buy her mom's farm and she doesn't want her to sell it. One night the girl told Nancy these people come and dance on her lawn sometimes. Nancy tries to figure this mystery out, but she learns she is going to need help along the way. The more touble she gets in, the more help she needs. See what happens to her by reading the story.

Thanks

I can't wait to read the original book. I have only read the rewrite and I am curious to see how it stacks up. I'll be sure to let you know!

Originally written by Mildred Wirt Benson from outlines by Edward Stratemeyer, the Nancy Drew series was first published in 1930s. THE SECRET OF RED GATE FARM was the sixth book in the series, and like the earlier books it presented its heroine as a rich, headstrong, and distinctly reckless teenager who sometimes carried a pistol and who wasn't above breaking the law when it suited her purposes.

As the series progressed and other writers began to generate Nancy Drew novels, the character changed and Nancy was "toned down;" instead of flatly rich, she became reasonably affluent; recklessness was replaced by commonsense caution; and while she might be willing to bend the law a bit she would never knowingly break it. In the 1950s and 1960s the earlier novels were re-written to reflect this change in character.

Originally published in 1931, RED GATE FARM was re-written in 1961--but unlike several other re-written titles the story remains much the same. In this instance, Nancy and her friends Bess and George visit Red Gate Farm, where owner Mrs. Byrd is in financial difficulty and has rented a portion of the land to a religious cult. When Nancy becomes curious, she and her friends are threatened by the cult members--and they decide to infiltrate the group's strange gatherings.

It is worth noting that the cult, which is called The Black Snake Cult, dresses in white robes with odd, peaked hoods, and Nancy and the girls consider disguising themselves with sheets and pillowcases the better to spy upon their activities. Given the era of the book's first publication and later re-write, this would seem to be a subconcious reference to the Klu Klux Klan on the author's part! As always in the original series, the story is very much of its era: there are no cell phones, computers, or modern gadgets, and Nancy is very much an ideal of the time: she can sew, herd a cow, treat a snakebite, and still seem to dress appropriately for all social occasions.

The Nancy Drew books are not great literature by any stretch of the imagination--they are too distinctly formula for that--but they are competently written, literate, and never talk down to their target audience. They are also good "comfort reading" for grown-ups who recall their childhood reading fondly. RED GATE FARM is an amusing read for old fans and newcomers alike.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I thought it was really good. I love how these books are short, but get you really into the story. The author definitely doesn't fill the pages with useless boring information. The books are easy fast reads and I love how every person in the book is there for a reason. The book reminded me of the Mary-kate and Ashley movie that I watched when I was little called "How the West Was Fun" because it was also about a ranch and treasure too.

thank you for your time
and feel free to comment
this review,
Loran

No I'm not talking about Nancy Drew.

In this editon (the original) Nancy and her friends travel to Shadow Ranch where they fall into a mystery. They come across an abused child living in a shack. Her guardian seems to be a crazy, old lady who likes to beat the child. Remember this is the 1933 version, and this kind of behavior was normal. Nancy feels for the child, and upon searching the shack she discovers a trunk of expensive girls' clothing as well as a doll. Does the trunk belong to the little girl? Upon closer examination, Nancy believes that this little girl might have been kidnapped at an earlier age, and is being brought up to believe that the kidnappers are her real parents.
Will Nancy solve the case?
This is a really good copy if you can get your hands on it, if not applewood books has a copy.

Originally written by Mildred Wirt Benson from outlines by Edward Stratemeyer, the Nancy Drew series was first published in 1930s. THE SECRET OF SHADOW RANCH was the fifth book in the series, and it presented its heroine as a rich, headstrong, and distinctly reckless teenager who sometimes carried a pistol and who wasn't above breaking the law when it suited her purposes.

As the series progressed and other writers began to generate Nancy Drew novels, the character changed and Nancy was "toned down;" instead of flatly rich, she became reasonably affluent; recklessness was replaced by commonsense caution; and while she might be willing to bend the law a bit she would never knowingly break it. In the 1950s and 1960s the earlier novels were re-written to reflect this change in character.

As originally published in 1931, SHADOW RANCH not only found Nancy packing heat, it also demonstrated that she was a good shot when it came to fending off wildlife. Re-written in 1965, the story concerns Nancy's visit to Arizona, where she faces a phantom horse and works to find both a hidden treasure and a missing artist who may be in the hands of kidnappers. Earlier books found Nancy assisted by Helen Corning, a slightly older friend; on this occasion, however, she is accompanied by two cousins, the ultra-feminine Bess Marvin and the tomboyish George Fayne, both of whom became reoccuring characters in the rest of the series.

The Nancy Drew books tend to repeat certain basic ideas, and in this particular instance the repetition is not so much amusing as it simply repetitious. Still, the book does have its minor charms: Nancy is distinctly the ideal of a specific era, able to do whip up a chocolate cake, win a square dance contest, and solve the mystery all at the same time.

The Nancy Drew books are not great literature by any stretch of the imagination--they are too distinctly formula for that--but they are competently written, literate, and never talk down to their target audience. They are also good "comfort reading" for grown-ups who recall their childhood reading fondly. SHADOW RANCH is not among the best of the series, but entertaining nonetheless.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Bottom line is this is a terrific book to read. It's a great book about horses and of course Nancy Drew!Anybody who loves mysteries will love this book. It's basically about Nancy Drew going to her two best friends'Uncles'house/ranch to have a great time riding horses and solve a mystery. When her friends tell her about all the vandalism that has been going on Nancy knew she had to figure it out. Plus she her friends,and some other people on the ranch have been seeing this so called "Phantom Horse" who everybody thinks is a ghost. Nancy doesn't know if it's really a "ghost horse" or if somebody on the ranch or anywhere else is just doing this as a prank. That's all I'm going to tell you for now, anyway buy this book you will loooove it!

The Sceret Of Shadow Ranch is great mystery. It's about Nancy and her friends thinking they wher going for a vacation on Beth and Georges uncels ranch ranch in Arizona for the summer. A hidden treasure and a phantom horse became another mystery for the three friends to solve. I mostly liked the ranch setting . i would love to spend a weekend at a ranch like that. i didn't however like how mean the bad guys wher to each other. I think it is sad when other people make others feel worthless. Nancy, was my favortie chartecter because she was mysterious also when she was solving mysterys she keept going no matter how hard they were to solve. My favorite part is on page 152;"You're a downrite marvel, that's what you are young laddy," Ms,Thurmond said that about Nancy Drew. i like when the charecter,Nancy, how she helps notice how smart she really is. it is a really good story. The only question i have about this book is that;i wish they would have said what the debt was, like why they had to sell the ranch? I would recommend this book greatly because it really makes you think.