Much has been written by Nancy Drew historians about
the evolution of the teen
mystery series over the years. Our favorite crime-solving
heroine has been revised
and restyled in later editions to maintain appeal
to modern readers. This month, fred
flare’s resident amateurs in the
field, Keith and Lulu, review an episode from an
earlier era, 1933’s
edition of The Sign of the Twisted Candles.
Keith: Well, Lutricia, what did you think of our girl, all Old School?
Lulu: Lots of things have changed since the 30’s, but Nancy is always
amazing, and always fresh. This book was great! I loved the old-fashioned
setting. This version is
way more descriptive, too – over 200 pages – so
you really get a sense of Nancy’s
world back then. We rode the time
machine with our all-time favorite girl!
K: Totally. I loved the old-fashioned sayings, too. Nancy’s convertible
is called a
"roadster." The telephone, this kooky new device,
is the "wire." Instead of being
upset Nancy is "vexed!"
L: She’s vexed quite a bit in this episode, I’m afraid.
K: Yeah, she’s got trouble.
L: It all starts when Nancy, Bess and George are trapped in yet another
blinding
storm. Except here it’s called a "tempest." They
stop at a roadside inn, the Inn of the
Twisted Candles, for – you
guessed it! – a snack. Except here they call it "luncheon."
As
the resident Nancy Drew food critic, Keith, what is the first meal on the
menu?
K: Well, initially they plan to just have tea and cinnamon toast in
the spooky
candlelit lobby while waiting for the storm to pass. But, within
minutes they befriend
an orphaned girl named Sadie Wipple who is having
a secret birthday party, against
her guardian’s wishes, for a mysterious
100-year-old resident of the inn who lives
secluded in the Tower Room upstairs.
L: Nancy and her galpals always like to help those in need, particularly
if it involves
birthday cake, so they decide to stay and get their party
on!
K: Yes, they quickly add to their original order a feast of jellied
consommé, sliced
breast of chicken, hearts of lettuce with Roquefort
dressing, nut bread with sweet
butter, cheese and crackers and mocha layer
cake. They enjoy Sadie’s b-day
celebration in honor of the elderly
Mr. Asa Sydney, who we learn is the famed
inventor of the Inn’s namesake,
the Twisted Candle.
L: The fun doesn’t last for long, though.
K: True. Shortly after dinner, the girls return home to River Heights.
Nancy has tea
and cookies with Hannah and Dad and then receives a call
from Sadie asking to retain
her father’s legal services for old Asa.
This is where it starts to get complicated…
Something about a will
and a family feud. Did you follow all that?
L: Not exactly. It’s this whole drama that’s been going
on for over 50 years between
Asa and this other faction of his family,
the Boontons. To make matters worse, Bess
and George get caught in the
middle as they learn they are actually great-grandnieces
of old Asa, but
on the Boonton side. The two cousins are forbidden to talk to Nancy as
long as she and her father are working on this case.
K: That was a surprise I did not expect. Nancy’s dissed by her
homegirls!
L: I know! They wouldn’t even talk to her when she confronted
them about it.
K: Her dad gives great advice, though.
He says on page 107, "You
will have to accept the situation as one of life’s disappointments,
and trust to Time to set matters right."
L: Thankfully, Bess and George came to their senses!
K: How could you possibly stay mad at Nancy Drew? Our girl just has
a way of
bringing people together. She uncovers many secrets in this episode
that help the
entire family and – Hey Cinderella! – even reveals
that Sadie, the poor orphaned girl,
is Asa’s long-lost heir and a
cousin to Bess and George.
L: That discovery was so exciting!
It all comes back to those mysterious candles.
Asa had several documents written in invisible ink that would
clear up the feud and
reunite the family. Nancy figures out the way to
read them is to hold the papers up to
the flame of a twisted candle.
K: So Nancy saves the day, again! She solves The
Sign of the Twisted Candles,
reverses a poor girl’s fortune and is reunited with her
friends. Or, in this case, "chums."
L: Stay tuned for more adventures next month when we help Nancy solve
The
Password to Larkspur Lane!
04/2003
