Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Nancy Drew Mysteries since I was 8. I've had to have read over 200 of the various series.

This book is a wonderful tribute to the character of Nancy and Carolyn, the pen name for the books.

The book spans almost a hundred years and goes into the life of Edward Stratemeyer and have s family and the ghostwriter Mildred.

I'm sure there will be some folks disappointed that this isn't Nancypalooza straight out the gate but it certainly is a cracking good piece of historical fiction.

As an avid reader of all the books that were written by these authors, I had no clue about what was happening in the background. The research put into this must have been like being in one of the Nancy Drew stories and finding new clues all the time! Very interesting to read about all that happened behind the scenes to get these classics out. I love books like this one where I not only enjoyed the read but also learned something as well. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

This is such a good, interesting novel! The characterizations of the main characters were outstanding! We really felt we knew them! I really enjoyed the "biographies!". Wonderful! !

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a review copy of this book.

In middle school at one point my entire (almost, anyway) reading comprised of Nancy Drew. The library that I went to back then had all the different series--the original books, the files, even the Dana Girls books, and I would issue a couple (or more) each time I went. As a child I had also read the Bobbsey Twins. And later I also was hooked onto the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermysteries that featured both. So of course, when I saw this book on NetGalley, I knew I simply had to read it. This book is basically a fictionalised account of the Stratemeyer Syndicate which created a number of series of juvenile (children’s and teen) fiction from the early 1900s onwards, and whose titles continue to be published to this day. The book begins with the founder and brains behind the syndicate, Edward Stratemeyer, whose endless ideas gave birth to many many stories, and moves on to his daughters, Harriet Adams and Edna, essentially Harriet who took on the reins of the company after Stratemeyer’s sudden death and carried on the business. It also tells the stories of some of the numerous ghostwriters who wrote these stories, based off of the outlines that Stratemeyer and later Harriet provided them, but the focus amongst these is Mildred Wirt Benson who wrote many of the initial Nancy Drew stories besides other books for the syndicate, as well as many others under her own name. We enter into their lives, get a glimpse of their personalities, of course their work, and the question of which of them could claim to be the real Carolyn Keene. The story is anchored around litigation that took place in the 1980s between Harriet Adams and Grosset and Dunlap, the publishers over their contract to publish the syndicate’s titles.

As someone who enjoyed not only Nancy Drew but some of the other series that the Syndicate brought out, I really enjoyed reading this book. Edward Stratemeyer was a real genius and a fascinating person to read about. One can only be in awe at the sheer amount of ideas that his mind generated. It is also intriguing to see how he was so forward thinking in some ways and yet conservative in others, but overall I found him to be very likeable. Admiration and awe combined with some liking and sympathy are feelings that come into mind over Mildred Wirt Benson as well, who was a pioneer in many ways, intrepid, ready to take on challenges, and one who wrote articles for the paper where she worked and could fly a plane till her dying day (when she was all of 96!!!). Harriet Adams was also worthy of admiration (this word is coming in a lot in this review, isn’t it?) for the way she took charge of and ran the company, facing various challenges, including from her own family, even though she wasn’t in the same mould as her father. But while I did admire her, even feel a little sympathy for her at places, I didn’t really take to her or her sister (as adults). I enjoyed reading how all their stories played out, and in them how some of our favourite stories came into being. While I had a general idea about the Syndicate and that they used ghostwriters including Benson to write their various titles, I had no idea before reading the book just how many books and series they were responsible for. This was a really interesting read, which led me to discover a couple of really fascinating personalities as well!

As a fan of Nancy Drew since middle school, I was intrigued by this book. It provided background information on the writers who crafted this famous series. Although I knew the books were written by a cadre of authors, I did not know much about their lives or personalities. This book filled in the gaps.

A wonderful historical novel (based on a true story), 'Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up' is an insightful story about the publishing industry in the early 1900s. When reading this book I was taken back to an earlier time in history. I felt the attitudes of the times. I love traveling through time while reading and this book allowed me to do so. Although, at times the book moved slowly, I found it a good read.

I grew up a fan of Nancy Drew books, and I still read them today as an adult. This is an interesting read based on the history behind Nancy Drew and her creators. I recommend the book to fans of Nancy Drew.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.