The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse (A Nancy Clue Mystery)
2 journalers for this copy...
I'd read and enjoyed Maney's A Ghost in the Closet, in which she fondly and hilariously parodied the Hardy Boys books. When I spotted this fair-condition trade paperback at the local Used Book Superstore I had to give it a try. [I preferred the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift Jr., Ken Holt, Rick Brant, etc. to Nancy Drew, but I did read many of her books; I didn't read any Cherry Ames, but I enjoyed the "Cherry Aimless" character in this book anyway. Though "Cherry Clueless" would have been more appropriate!]
The back cover sums it up rather nicely: "When nurse Cherry Aimless lands in San Francisco in search of Nancy Clue and a flock of missing nuns, the earnestly whitegirl 50s meet the oh-so-queer 90s in a delightful parody of both girl detective novels and lesbian romantic fiction." But that doesn't convey the charm of the book, which kept me giggling all the way through; what fun!
There's an actual mystery plot, secret passageways, endearing characters, and more not-so-sub-subtext than you could shake a rainbow flag at. Whether it's Cherry's mother fretting over Cherry's brother Charley, an interior designer in New York ("Why, he and Johnny had even bought a house together! She had warned them that someday one of them would marry, and then where would the other one be? But Charley had just laughed and told her not to worry"), or a conversation in a gay bar where Cherry meets an unnamed-but-recognizable actress ("'What's Rock really like?' she asked, knowing that her brother Charley would want to know about his favorite star. The actress laughed. 'He's at the Stud; you could catch him there."), it's a very gay little story!
Cherry is surprisingly open-minded for someone as naive as she seems to be; when she finally figures out that Midge and Velma are a couple - after meeting them in what the reader recognizes at once as a gay bar - she accepts it quite easily, asking how they met and warbling over how sweet a couple they are. And when she finds herself the target of another woman's advances... well, the book fades to black at a suitable point, but it's very clear what's happened.
There is one plot element that I found a bit off-key; a surprisingly dark family secret having to do with the reason why "Nancy Clue" has been so hard to find. It's certainly a justifiable incident - happens too often in real life - but it didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the book.
But, that aside, I really loved this. Lines like "Midge's eyes lit up. 'I almost forgot - I've got handcuffs in my pocket!'" or "Suddenly, Cherry felt much gayer" just make me chortle!
The back cover sums it up rather nicely: "When nurse Cherry Aimless lands in San Francisco in search of Nancy Clue and a flock of missing nuns, the earnestly whitegirl 50s meet the oh-so-queer 90s in a delightful parody of both girl detective novels and lesbian romantic fiction." But that doesn't convey the charm of the book, which kept me giggling all the way through; what fun!
There's an actual mystery plot, secret passageways, endearing characters, and more not-so-sub-subtext than you could shake a rainbow flag at. Whether it's Cherry's mother fretting over Cherry's brother Charley, an interior designer in New York ("Why, he and Johnny had even bought a house together! She had warned them that someday one of them would marry, and then where would the other one be? But Charley had just laughed and told her not to worry"), or a conversation in a gay bar where Cherry meets an unnamed-but-recognizable actress ("'What's Rock really like?' she asked, knowing that her brother Charley would want to know about his favorite star. The actress laughed. 'He's at the Stud; you could catch him there."), it's a very gay little story!
Cherry is surprisingly open-minded for someone as naive as she seems to be; when she finally figures out that Midge and Velma are a couple - after meeting them in what the reader recognizes at once as a gay bar - she accepts it quite easily, asking how they met and warbling over how sweet a couple they are. And when she finds herself the target of another woman's advances... well, the book fades to black at a suitable point, but it's very clear what's happened.
There is one plot element that I found a bit off-key; a surprisingly dark family secret having to do with the reason why "Nancy Clue" has been so hard to find. It's certainly a justifiable incident - happens too often in real life - but it didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the book.
But, that aside, I really loved this. Lines like "Midge's eyes lit up. 'I almost forgot - I've got handcuffs in my pocket!'" or "Suddenly, Cherry felt much gayer" just make me chortle!
I'm adding this to ealasaidmae's GBLTQ bookbox, which will be on its way to BCer kanaye44 in Connecticut today. Enjoy!
[NOTE: the 2010 BookCrossing Unconvention in Boston is coming up soon, August 13-15; if interested in attending, this forum post has information and a link to the convention web site. And even if you can't attend, watch for lots of BC books to be released in the Boston area that weekend!]
[NOTE: the 2010 BookCrossing Unconvention in Boston is coming up soon, August 13-15; if interested in attending, this forum post has information and a link to the convention web site. And even if you can't attend, watch for lots of BC books to be released in the Boston area that weekend!]
Taken from the GLBTQ bookbox. Looks amusing.
