Near the end of the revised text story for Twisted Candles, I felt that it was not at all logical for all of the relatives to come to the inn late at night. The original text was more logical since Sidney and Boonton were already at the inn, so it was not as much of a stretch for the other relatives to come.
I have always favored the revised text Twisted Candles since a little more time is devoted to Nancy hunting for hidden objects secreted behind the Sign of the Twisted candles. Upon this reading, that part of the revised text did not stand out as much for me, probably because the revised text is so short.
This time, I favored the original text.
In both versions, Nancy drives her brand-new car into the middle of the woods, hiding it behind bushes. I cannot fathom why Nancy would drive a new car into the woods. The car would likely have been scratched!
In the original text, Nancy sends a message of "S. O. S." via carrier pigeon. In the revised text, the message is changed to "SP at once," which is said to mean "Sailplane at once" and also "Send police at once." Mmm, okay... What was wrong with "S. O. S."? Some revisions make no sense.
While I enjoyed both texts of Larkspur Lane, I favored the original text.
8 comments:
These are two of my favorites in the series, the OT versions, though the RT of Larkspur is rather good.
I enjoy both versions of both stories, favouring the original text books over the revised ones.
In Twisted Candles, Bess and George were more than one-dimensional characters. In this story, they experienced realistic feelings - their friendship with Nancy was in jeopardy because of the girl dectective's involvement with the Sidney case. The cousins had very human-like characteristics of jealously and hurt. Of course, it was wonderful when the girls friendship was repaired.
The comment Ned makes in the revised text about Bess being as "friendly as an ice cube" (page 114) is odd. I didn't understand until I was adult reader that he meant she was cold.
Hannah has a great role in the revised book since she accompanies Nancy to the Inn. I found it, odd, however, that she flipped the "back of her skirt over her head" when she and Nancy were attacked by bats. I kept wondering how she could see!
I enjoyed both versions of Larkspur Lane. Helen Corning has a strong role in this original book where as Bess and George have this role in the revised story. I enjoyed the part in the revised book where Bess disguises as a nurse to get Nancy, dressed as an elderly woman, into the gates of the fraudulent sanatorium. Bess is very brave to help Nancy because of her fear. (George is not chosen because she sprained her ankle).
In the original story, Helen is the "nurse" who enters Larkspur Lane with Nancy. It was entertaining to read about Nancy's shopping trip where she purchased, to Helen's puzzlement, appropriate clothes for an old lady and a nurse.
Helen, as a new bride, has a supporting role in the revised story. She brings mystery to Nancy via her grandparents who are frightened by a sinister wheel of blue fire appearing after dark near their home. Nancy investigates and discovers this wheel is connected to her other mystery.
It is always wonderful to see Effie Schneider, a well-meaning, but clumsy girl who sometimes helps Hannah as a maid at the Drew home. Effie provides comic relief, but is not as annoying as Cora, the household maid in the Dana Girls series.
I enjoy both versions of both stories, favouring the original text books over the revised ones.
In Twisted Candles, Bess and George were more than one-dimensional characters. In this story, they experienced realistic feelings - their friendship with Nancy was in jeopardy because of the girl dectective's involvement with the Sidney case. The cousins had very human-like characteristics of jealously and hurt. Of course, it was wonderful when the girls friendship was repaired.
The comment Ned makes in the revised text about Bess being as "friendly as an ice cube" (page 114) is odd. I didn't understand until I was adult reader that he meant she was cold.
Hannah has a great role in the revised book since she accompanies Nancy to the Inn. I found it, odd, however, that she flipped the "back of her skirt over her head" when she and Nancy were attacked by bats. I kept wondering how she could see!
I enjoyed both versions of Larkspur Lane. Helen Corning has a strong role in this original book where as Bess and George have this role in the revised story. I enjoyed the part in the revised book where Bess disguises as a nurse to get Nancy, dressed as an elderly woman, into the gates of the fraudulent sanatorium. Bess is very brave to help Nancy because of her fear. (George is not chosen because she sprained her ankle).
In the original story, Helen is the "nurse" who enters Larkspur Lane with Nancy. It was entertaining to read about Nancy's shopping trip where she purchased, to Helen's puzzlement, appropriate clothes for an old lady and a nurse.
Helen, as a new bride, has a supporting role in the revised story. She brings mystery to Nancy via her grandparents who are frightened by a sinister wheel of blue fire appearing after dark near their home. Nancy investigates and discovers this wheel is connected to her other mystery.
It is always wonderful to see Effie Schneider, a well-meaning, but clumsy girl who sometimes helps Hannah as a maid at the Drew home. Effie provides comic relief, but is not as annoying as Cora, the household maid in the Dana Girls series.
I think Nancy looks like film noir star Gloria Grahame on the 2nd cover of Twisted Candles, something that also seems true for Clock, Bungalow, and Red Gate, but Twisted Candles is especially noiry looking, it would make a great movie poster! http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6093310549_91f2accfe5.jpg
I'm looking at my PC copy of Larkspur Lane (OT), on the back is Nancy by the tree, it lists to 'The Mystery of the Fire Dragon', blue endpapers, and no interior lists whatsoever. Is this an early yellow spine printing?
You have the first picture cover printing. There was just one Larkspur Lane printing in picture cover listing to Fire Dragon on the back cover.
What a nice surprise! A neighbor who was about 12 years older than me gave me her 3 Nancy Drews, and most of a hardcover set of the Little House books, when her family moved away in the early 70's.
Loved both of these volumes. Found it hard to believe that Millie Wirt didn't write them since I enjoyed them so much. LOVE the scene in Larkspur Lane with Nancy dressing as an old lady to get into the institution and getting caught there. I wasn't overly excited about the Morgan sub-plot in the RT, but I was glad they kept a lot of the same elements. I'd like to see this mystery updated, and, instead of carrier pigeons, Nancy recieves the e-mail, "Bluebell will be Singing Horses," because her e-mail just happens to be one character away from the e-mail at the Tooker estate.
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