Swallows and Amazons (Swallows and Amazons, #1)
The first title in Arthur Ransome's classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on WildMore The first title in Arthur Ransome's classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett. Less
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Jo Woolfardis rated it really liked it
Read as part of The Infinite Variety Reading Challenge. based on the BBC's Big Read Poll of 2003.
Swallows and Amazons. despite it being a popular old-fashioned children's book that almost every adult in England would have read, has never been on my radar and I don't think. Read full review
Jan-Maat added it ∙ review of another edition
This was a book that I never took to as a child. The sailing, the fantasy of being an explorer, making camps on islands or lake shores were appealing, but maybe too alien and unreal for an inner city child who occasionally got to go out on the row boats in London parks, o. Read full review
Kaethe rated it did not like it
about 3 years ago
Recommended to Kaethe by: Top 100 Children's
I wrote a review of this and it disappeared. It was a good review, too, nicely scathing about the tedium and the kids playing with matches and ending with a reference to Heart of Darkness as a metaphor for British colonialism.
That it disappeared only solidifies in my mind. Read full review
Manny rated it it was ok
over 2 years ago
They sail around in boats and have jolly good fun.
I am amazed how little I remember about this book, which I know I read when I was about nine. Some of the things I read then I can recall in fair detail, and for many others there are still key scenes or plot elements tha. Read full review
Althea Ann rated it really liked it
about 3 years ago
I feel like I heard about this book throughout my childhood [I believe that the author wrote the introduction to one of my favorite childhood books, The Far-Distant Oxus, which was heavily influenced by this book], but I never came across a copy. I finally got around to r. Read full review
Miriam rated it really liked it
about 7 years ago
This is a superficially simple tale about four siblings spending a week camping on a small island. They meet two local sisters and play pirates with them. I'm sure if I had read it as a child myself I would have loved the concept. As an adult I found it a little hard to g. Read full review
Penny rated it it was amazing
about 2 years ago
The book that truly made me fall in love with books. How I longed to be part of that little gang with freedom, boats, picnics, adventures etc.
I vividly recall passing my 11+ exam (those of you of a certain age will understand) and my parents buying me a 'proper' typewrite. Read full review
Tim rated it it was amazing
over 3 years ago
My daughter Arwen always loved this book, and I found her a copy from 1939 this year for Christmas. So of course I read it.
It's among the most charming childrens' books I've ever read. It has a marvelous blending of real life and imagination (and I'm sure it was an inspir. Read full review
Sam rated it it was amazing
about 4 years ago
This book is somewhat magical - it takes you back to a time when not only childhood was more innocent and carefree but life and the world itself more wholesome and adventurous. If I could choose any decade in which to live, the 20s would probably be first or second choice. Read full review
MostlyDelores rated it it was amazing
I grew up reading Enid Blyton -- The Famous Five, The Various Happenings of Adventure, the boarding school stories (like Hogwarts without the magic) -- I loved the hearty, rosy-cheeked English children with their pluck and their tinned pineapple and potted meat sandwiches. Read full review