Swallows and Amazons (Godine Storyteller)
by Arthur Ransome
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Read in December, 2007
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 inspiration to CS Lewis for his Narnia books. Though they soon go off into a purely imaginative land, they begin in a world where a wardrobe can be a doorway to another world.) Swallows and Amazons is like that, about the way ...more
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 inspiration to CS Lewis for his Narnia books. Though they soon go off into a purely imaginative land, they begin in a world where a wardrobe can be a doorway to another world.) Swallows and Amazons is like that, about the way ...more
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Read in January, 1978
As a child these were my favourite books, I loved stories of adventure and my family holidayed in the English Lake District where these books are set so I knew the places they visited.
Whilst on holiday I would imagine meeting the Swallows and Amazons on every lake. At school my friends and I would play Swallows and Amazons. My best friend Sarah and I, being the only ones who were truly obsessed by the books would take charge and we would, of course, be the Amazons. Sarah was always Nancy and I...more
Whilst on holiday I would imagine meeting the Swallows and Amazons on every lake. At school my friends and I would play Swallows and Amazons. My best friend Sarah and I, being the only ones who were truly obsessed by the books would take charge and we would, of course, be the Amazons. Sarah was always Nancy and I...more
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recommends it for:
8 and up
I've read this book twice now, and I'll always remember it as a favourite childhood book. It's set in the early 1930's with four children on summer vacation with their mother in the Lake District of England. They discover a sailing boat in a boat house on the lake and are given permission to use it. After exploring the lake, they decide to camp out the rest of the summer on "Wildcat Island" the mysterious and wonderful small island they claim to have discovered. But they do not know th...more
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This otherwise excellent book leaves me with two pressing questions:
In the 1920s, would a middle-class navy mother really have allowed four children between 12 and 7 to camp out on an island and sail a boat all over creation completely unsupervised? We certainly ran wild all over our neighborhoods, and then later all over the countryside, but we had to be in for dinner, and later, for bed. Had the seven of us had access to a sailboat, an island, and a campfire, my parents would have been c...more
In the 1920s, would a middle-class navy mother really have allowed four children between 12 and 7 to camp out on an island and sail a boat all over creation completely unsupervised? We certainly ran wild all over our neighborhoods, and then later all over the countryside, but we had to be in for dinner, and later, for bed. Had the seven of us had access to a sailboat, an island, and a campfire, my parents would have been c...more
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2 comments
It's hard to comprehend now, when parents won't even let their kids play out in the front yard, that children at one time were allowed to roam free outdoors like this, sailing and camping and being resourceful, and letting their imaginations run wild. This a wonderful book that is too often forgotten and overlooked these days. Instead of buying marketing gimmicks like The Dangerous Book for Boys, do your kids a favor and let them read this.
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Read in May, 1993
recommends it for:
everyone
This is a children book with a few series, and I have read most of the series. Almost as thick as Harry Potter's, yet I couldn't take my eyes off each pages... I remember staying up sooo late, just couldn't wait how the story ended.
If you love Enid Blyton's books, you'll love this series much much more. Arthur Ransome, the author, died in 1967, but I think his Swallows and Amazons series will last forever. It's a classic!
If you love Enid Blyton's books, you'll love this series much much more. Arthur Ransome, the author, died in 1967, but I think his Swallows and Amazons series will last forever. It's a classic!
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Read in August, 2008
I have finally gotten around to reading this book and I think it 100% deserves it's reputation as a classic.
The marvellous sense of purpose and industry that inhabits all the play in the book, the practicalities and imaginative concerns of the story, the interplay between the siblings and their Island and the bygone era that the entire tale evokes make utterly compelling reading.
An essential summer read.
The marvellous sense of purpose and industry that inhabits all the play in the book, the practicalities and imaginative concerns of the story, the interplay between the siblings and their Island and the bygone era that the entire tale evokes make utterly compelling reading.
An essential summer read.
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Read in July, 2008
I can't believe I'd never read any Ransome before! Great stuff. In this first of a series, intrepid children have imaginative piratical adventures while camping and boating by themselves on an island. I don't think I was ever that brave (nor would my parents have let me sail a boat and camp alone on an island with my brother), but the captivating tale is nonetheless bathed in a nostalgic golden glow.
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An all-time favourite. I never get tired of re-reading this book. John, Susan, Titty, and Roger are as familiar to me as my own siblings are. Growing up as a Canadian child I found them very exotic -- all these adventures without any supervision. I didn't realize until much later that they were set in the Lake District in northern England, where I was born and lived until I was three.
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i wish that i had had this book when i was 10. even still, it's a great summer read, and i definetely reccommend it to anyone with children, share it with them, or with the child within! now i only need to find a sailboat, a lake and some amazons to do battle with. avast ye mateys! now, it's off to find the rest of the sequels...
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This is an excellent book for children and adults alike. This is right up there with The Secret Garden. The character's adventures were marvelous. I wish the story was from my own childhood. I also wish my children could experience what the characters in this book did. What I like best about this book is that it's wholesome.
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I grew up with Arthur Ransome. I can't read them without hearing my dad's voice in the living room of the house in England. It was Arthur Ransome who really taught me to read for pleasure. The stories, though simple plot-wise, are wonderfully told. Books for all time.
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Jennifer by:
Rosanne Lahrrecommends it for: 9-12 year olds to read to themselves
This was a cute book about a family of 4 siblings who spend the summer on a little island. My kids loved it. I thought it was a bit simplistic and the writing did not lend itself to a great read-aloud. I would recommend it for the 9-12 set to read to themselves.
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Read in January, 1984
What a great story. This is a fantastic story of imagination and adventure. It does not take long for you to lose yourself in the adventure. My Mom read this book(and the rest of the series) to my siblings and I. I am now reading it to my children.
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Oh my gosh!!! How did I not know about this book before!?!? It seems absolutely perfect for me--right down to the setting in the Lake District. I am ordering it immediately and hope it comes soon so I can enjoy it while summer is still young.
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8 comments
Read in December, 2007
recommended to Fiona by:
gemma
I am a sailor who loves kids books more than adult books, and this was a perfect children's novel. It kept me interested with sailing terms and character development, but it also had a jolly, light feel to it. One of my favorite books.
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Read in April, 2006
recommends it for:
anyone who likes classic children's literature
This is the first in one of my all-time favorite series of children's books. I read it out loud to Miles in April 2006 and he loved it; since then, we have read them all. A superb read, both quietly and out loud.
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Read in January, 2001
My favorite book from when I was little! This was the first "real" book I ever read. It follows the adventures of English school children on holiday in Canada. Charming and inspiring adventures ensue.
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Though this book is slow, it is a good pace. The adventures are made adventures by the adventurers. (Is that even a proper word?) It is a silly pure look at what childhood is/should be like.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
all pirates, retired or otherwise
More fantastic than any fantasy novel is this story of 4 kids whose mom lets them go on a week-long camping trip on a small island in Britain. I have serious mom envy after reading this.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.37 (222 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.37 (194 ratings) number of reviews: 39popular shelves
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