Intriguing Nancy Drew Characters:
Eloise & Effie
Eloise & Effie
When it comes to characters in the Nancy Drew classics, who are some of your favorites? Two of mine aside from the regulars are Nancy's Aunt Eloise and the comical Effie Schneider!
Eloise Drew is Carson Drew’s sister, a retired school teacher who lives in New York City and who Nancy resembles. Nancy often visits Aunt Lou during a case or travels with her to exciting places. She has a cabin in the Adirondacks and at Mirror Bay near Cooperstown. She also sometimes watches Togo for Nancy when Nancy is off having adventures. Sometimes danger is close to home for Eloise, like the time a villain leaves a firecracker bomb in her oven in #38 The Mystery of the Fire Dragon.
Effie Schneider is Hannah Gruen’s dingy niece that pitched in when needed to help with housework or even barricade the Drew’s out of their house—by accident of course. In The Clue in the Old Attic, an annoyed Nancy tells the terrified girl, “Buck up, Effie.”Jenn:)
11 comments:
Was Aunt Eloise retired? I remember her going off to teach in the mornings, like in Fire Dragon.
I wish I had a single aunt with a place I could stay in New York City and in the Adirondacks!
Effie was funny, especially in the OT Larkspur Lane, and Old Attic. She added some levity and personality to the stories.
MK
I loved Aunt Eloise! I've been meaning to read ony the books she's in for awhile.
Troi Hackett
I liked Aunt Eloise--a smart, professional woman and wonderful, caring aunt for Nancy. I never liked the dingy characters in the Carolyn Keene books, Effie, or Cora Apple in the Dana Girls. Too much comic relief!
Sometimes minor characters can be interesting, too! I will have to go back and reread these texts and pay more attention to the lesser known characters. :)
I didn't know that Aunt Lou was retired. I always thought she was probably in her 40's. I gather she may have been a lot older than Carson. Aunt Lou always seemed like a great role model for Nancy. Effie was good comic relief in the books.
I always loved Aunt Eloise ... I pictured her as very classy and 'hip'.
Nancy
I don't think I ever picked up on the "retired" part; I always thought of Aunt Eloise as being in her thirties or forties. Maybe that's because she reminded me of my own aunt. How many books was she in?
As to the retired issue--some of the books have her being retired--I can't remember if any had her not retired but will check my notes again. Stay tuned...
I thought for a minute I'd lost my mind but yes, she was a former school teacher by Leaning Chimney :) In Old Album she was first introduced and noted as being a teacher. I noted she retired but I suppose she might have just quit and didn't go through retirement. She was referred to as middle aged in Old Album and Leaning Chimney.
Apparently she came out of retirement b/c she's noted as being a school teacher in Ski Jump, Fire Dragon, and Mirror Bay.
She also rents and or owns a lot of summer homes and cabins ;)
Jenn:)
I checked Fire Dragon and in that book she is definitely still active in the teaching profession--she goes to a teachers' meeting, and is going to work. Heck, she's only middle aged, too young to be retired! LOL
MK
One of the reasons for the discrepancy in Leaning Chimney is probably due to the ghostwriter change--but either way she was described as middle-aged in the books early on--didn't realize describe her age later on after that that I recall.
Jenn:)
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