The Secret of the Old Clock – ND1.7

SPOILER ALERT!

The Secret of the Old Clock – ND1.7

7:45 pm 19 October 2017

The Secret of the Old Clock - Russell H. Tandy, Sara Paretsky, Carolyn Keene

The Secret of the Old Clock - Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew Project continued: Reading the 1930 & 1959 versions of The Secret of The Old Clock simultaneously, comparing differences in the story and characters, and pondering dated plot points. Spoilers: full plot description below.

1930 (Ch18-20) vs. 1959 (Ch 14-15)

After Nancy and Jeff Tucker tell their stories to the town marshal, Nancy leads the police on a chase to catch the robbers, having seen and recognized their tire marks in the dirt on the way back. When the road forks, Nancy and the police separate, with Nancy promising to notify police if she sees the criminals along the road. 1930 Nancy is definitely a speed demon, opening the throttle wide enough to worry Jeff Tucker and several times having to wait on the police after having left them behind, eating her little roadster’s dust. 1959 Nancy is less of a daredevil (or lawbreaker), keeping pace with the police.

1930 Nancy spots the robbers having a “drinking orgy” at a sleazy roadhouse, and breaks into their truck to find Josiah Crowley’s clock. 1959 Nancy spots the robbers “eating voraciously” in a rundown inn, and breaks into their truck to find Josiah Crowley’s clock. In both books, thrilling moments ensue as Nancy just barely hides herself before the ruffians return, once again behaving like Tolkien’s quarrelsome trolls. Nancy takes the clock apart and finds a notebook belonging to Josiah Crowley.

Noteworthy – Jeff Tucker’s character cleanup continues in this chapter. The 1930 verbal exchange between them would be cute, if it weren’t for the racist stereotyping. As Nancy burns up the road into town, Jeff advises her to slow down, as the persnickety town marshal has jailed him before. “For speeding?” she asks. No, he says, just for enjoying himself. Having been a frequent guest, he can give directions to the town jail, which, he says, is his favorite. The 1959 (Hee-Haw) Jeff Tucker of indeterminate race is entirely bland in every way, without criminal history, snappy dialogue, or a taste for drama and excitement.

...To be continued.

Index of posts for The Secret of the Old Clock: