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Swallows and Amazons #7
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea
In this latest adventure (following Pigeon Post, winner of the Carnegie Medal), the Walker family has come to Harwich to wait for Commander Walker's return. As usual, the children can't stay away from boats, and this time they meet young Jim Brading, skipper of the well-found sloop Goblin. But fun turns to high drama when the anchor drags, and the four young sailors find themselves drifting out to sea - sweeping across to Holland in the midst of a full gale! As in all of Ransome's books, the emphasis is on self-reliance, courage, and resourcefulness. We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea is a story to warm any mariner's heart. Full of nautical lore and adventure, it will appeal to young armchair sailors and season sailors alike.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
68 people are currently reading
1111 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Ransome
269 books274 followersArthur Michell Ransome (January 18, 1884 – June 3, 1967) was an English author and journalist. He was educated in Windermere and Rugby.
In 1902, Ransome abandoned a chemistry degree to become a publisher's office boy in London. He used this precarious existence to practice writing, producing several minor works before Bohemia in London (1907), a study of London's artistic scene and his first significant book.
An interest in folklore, together with a desire to escape an unhappy first marriage, led Ransome to St. Petersburg, where he was ideally placed to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. He knew many of the leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin, Radek, Trotsky and the latter's secretary, Evgenia Shvelpina. These contacts led to persistent but unproven accusations that he "spied" for both the Bolsheviks and Britain.
Ransome married Evgenia and returned to England in 1924. Settling in the Lake District, he spent the late 1920s as a foreign correspondent and highly-respected angling columnist for the Manchester Guardian, before settling down to write Swallows and Amazons and its successors.
Today Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of novels, (1931 - 1947). All remain in print and have been widely translated.
Arthur Ransome died in June 1967 and is buried at Rusland in the Lake District.
In 1902, Ransome abandoned a chemistry degree to become a publisher's office boy in London. He used this precarious existence to practice writing, producing several minor works before Bohemia in London (1907), a study of London's artistic scene and his first significant book.
An interest in folklore, together with a desire to escape an unhappy first marriage, led Ransome to St. Petersburg, where he was ideally placed to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. He knew many of the leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin, Radek, Trotsky and the latter's secretary, Evgenia Shvelpina. These contacts led to persistent but unproven accusations that he "spied" for both the Bolsheviks and Britain.
Ransome married Evgenia and returned to England in 1924. Settling in the Lake District, he spent the late 1920s as a foreign correspondent and highly-respected angling columnist for the Manchester Guardian, before settling down to write Swallows and Amazons and its successors.
Today Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of novels, (1931 - 1947). All remain in print and have been widely translated.
Arthur Ransome died in June 1967 and is buried at Rusland in the Lake District.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
August 12, 2016
Surely the best children's book ever written. Yes, dammit, this time I'm finishing the sentence. It is just superb.
I daresay there will be the usual bunch of reviewers moaning that it took too long to get going. But this was a book written in the time before young people had the attention span of a gnat, and actually everything in the first half of the book is important to the second half of the book. It's called construction.
This is probably (although I'm only halfway through the series so may have to change my mind) the most dramatic and the most emotional of the Swallows and Amazons books, but everything is beautifully put into perspective by Captain Walker. We last heard from him in the famous 'Better drowned than duffers' telegram that started the Swallows on their first adventure; now we get to meet him, and he is so sensible and matter-of-fact that suddenly we can see where Susan gets it from. He takes the Swallows' adventure in his stride, and that puts all the drama of the high seas back into its place - run of the mill for a man of the sea, rather than totally extraordinary.
While it's actually underway, of course, not Susan nor any of the Swallows would class what's going on as 'run of the mill' (Susan has every reason to think John is dead at one point, for a start). For the Swallows, and for the reader, it is a totally extraordinary journey; and at the end, the homecoming. Have a hankie handy.
I daresay there will be the usual bunch of reviewers moaning that it took too long to get going. But this was a book written in the time before young people had the attention span of a gnat, and actually everything in the first half of the book is important to the second half of the book. It's called construction.
This is probably (although I'm only halfway through the series so may have to change my mind) the most dramatic and the most emotional of the Swallows and Amazons books, but everything is beautifully put into perspective by Captain Walker. We last heard from him in the famous 'Better drowned than duffers' telegram that started the Swallows on their first adventure; now we get to meet him, and he is so sensible and matter-of-fact that suddenly we can see where Susan gets it from. He takes the Swallows' adventure in his stride, and that puts all the drama of the high seas back into its place - run of the mill for a man of the sea, rather than totally extraordinary.
While it's actually underway, of course, not Susan nor any of the Swallows would class what's going on as 'run of the mill' (Susan has every reason to think John is dead at one point, for a start). For the Swallows, and for the reader, it is a totally extraordinary journey; and at the end, the homecoming. Have a hankie handy.
October 9, 2020
"Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for a might-have-been."
The swallows finally graduate to sea, for real this time, and finds themselves in a quite a predicament.
It's hard not to miss Amazons but this eventful story will take one's mind off the calm lake that we're used to through a series of hectic events encountered by the Walker gang.
The swallows finally graduate to sea, for real this time, and finds themselves in a quite a predicament.
It's hard not to miss Amazons but this eventful story will take one's mind off the calm lake that we're used to through a series of hectic events encountered by the Walker gang.
May 25, 2022
Re-read 5/3/22: I took so long listening to this audiobook Audible started dropping hints: "Don't you want to listen to this?" "Are you sure you don't want to listen to this?" (Maybe not those exact words, but that was definitely the implication.) Things that stood out this time: it was essential to the story that Susan was the one who got seasick and not her older brother John, in part because this is in most ways his coming-of-age story and in part because the tension increases when she's not capable of helping. Looked at that way, it's less annoying that the girls look like helpless females.
Also, I was struck by how well the central mystery of what happened to Jim Brading, the adult who was supposed to supervise the kids, stayed mysterious. There's enough speculation on the kids' part to make his disappearance feel very stressful, not just because his absence means the kids are in danger, but also because I was worried about him despite him being a new character we barely get to meet. Good work.
I'm debating picking up some of the others of this series, having now listened to my three favorites. I remember liking Winter Holiday and being moderately bored by Swallowdale and really disliking the made-up ones like Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees, so I'm not sure what I'd pick.
Read 6/12/12: This is definitely one of my favorite of the Swallows and Amazons series. Having presumably exhausted the possibilities of fresh-water sailing, Ransome sets the Walker children accidentally afloat, and a-sail, on the ocean. It's a believable accident, and they deal with it well. I didn't like that it was the girls who ended up seasick and panicky, especially since Susan's character has always skimmed the edge of being stodgy and grown-up anyway; if it weren't for Captain Nancy and Mate Peggy from the earlier books, as well as Titty's seasickness rising from what's apparently a recurring migraine, this could imply an inherent weakness in the female character. Another thing I didn't care for is that the children didn't all get equal time in the story, and Titty in particular didn't have a lot to do. But that's really something I only think about afterward--while I'm reading it, I'm always caught up in the excitement and terror.
Also, I was struck by how well the central mystery of what happened to Jim Brading, the adult who was supposed to supervise the kids, stayed mysterious. There's enough speculation on the kids' part to make his disappearance feel very stressful, not just because his absence means the kids are in danger, but also because I was worried about him despite him being a new character we barely get to meet. Good work.
I'm debating picking up some of the others of this series, having now listened to my three favorites. I remember liking Winter Holiday and being moderately bored by Swallowdale and really disliking the made-up ones like Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees, so I'm not sure what I'd pick.
Read 6/12/12: This is definitely one of my favorite of the Swallows and Amazons series. Having presumably exhausted the possibilities of fresh-water sailing, Ransome sets the Walker children accidentally afloat, and a-sail, on the ocean. It's a believable accident, and they deal with it well. I didn't like that it was the girls who ended up seasick and panicky, especially since Susan's character has always skimmed the edge of being stodgy and grown-up anyway; if it weren't for Captain Nancy and Mate Peggy from the earlier books, as well as Titty's seasickness rising from what's apparently a recurring migraine, this could imply an inherent weakness in the female character. Another thing I didn't care for is that the children didn't all get equal time in the story, and Titty in particular didn't have a lot to do. But that's really something I only think about afterward--while I'm reading it, I'm always caught up in the excitement and terror.
August 14, 2021
There’s something so cosy and comfortable about Arthur Ransome’s “Swallows & Amazons” series. They are imaginative, adventurous, nostalgic - very much of another place and time, yet resonant with many of my own childhood experiences. I never sailed the Lake District with my siblings, or accidentally crossed the English Channel with them alone, or discovered my own secret dell - but there’s something of that in that childish anticipation of what might lie over the next hill, or the possibilities of a windy afternoon or a rambling forest with trees to climb and maybe even natives to spy on.
It’s lovely to glimpse the physical and cultural workings of a world that has passed, a world of shared decency and respect and the keeping of promises, of adult-sanctioned unsupervised risk, of telegrams and telephones and slack time uncluttered by technology.
Sure, the 50’s [CORRECTION: 30’s] weren’t all beer and skittles, but, hey, it’s childrens’ fiction! And it’s really nice to envelop yourself for a time in a tale intended for young people largely free of angst, psychological trauma or dystopia. It’s undemanding, genteel and charming. And, for a 54 year old, enduring and refreshing. Ransome’s illustrations add a naive, slightly lumpy thing which just draws me in. It’s like he’s done with a blank piece of paper and ink what the Walker children do with holidays and a lake and a boat - get out there and see what happens! 3 cheers for his publishers - all those years ago - for not going with a trained illustrator!
A little side note - Ransome’s world is technically precise - the nautical details are clearly accurate. In my ignorance of much of the sailing terminology I found myself just filling in the gaps at no real loss to the telling of the tale.
If you’ve not read the series, jump in with “Swallows and Amazons” and lose yourself in a gentle world of pemmican, fo’c’s’les, friendship and ships ahoy. If you get hooked and a fair wind fills your sails, there’s a host of adventures ahead! And around book 7, you might even find yourself drifting out of Harwich Harbour in a heavy fog bound for...who knows where!
It’s lovely to glimpse the physical and cultural workings of a world that has passed, a world of shared decency and respect and the keeping of promises, of adult-sanctioned unsupervised risk, of telegrams and telephones and slack time uncluttered by technology.
Sure, the 50’s [CORRECTION: 30’s] weren’t all beer and skittles, but, hey, it’s childrens’ fiction! And it’s really nice to envelop yourself for a time in a tale intended for young people largely free of angst, psychological trauma or dystopia. It’s undemanding, genteel and charming. And, for a 54 year old, enduring and refreshing. Ransome’s illustrations add a naive, slightly lumpy thing which just draws me in. It’s like he’s done with a blank piece of paper and ink what the Walker children do with holidays and a lake and a boat - get out there and see what happens! 3 cheers for his publishers - all those years ago - for not going with a trained illustrator!
A little side note - Ransome’s world is technically precise - the nautical details are clearly accurate. In my ignorance of much of the sailing terminology I found myself just filling in the gaps at no real loss to the telling of the tale.
If you’ve not read the series, jump in with “Swallows and Amazons” and lose yourself in a gentle world of pemmican, fo’c’s’les, friendship and ships ahoy. If you get hooked and a fair wind fills your sails, there’s a host of adventures ahead! And around book 7, you might even find yourself drifting out of Harwich Harbour in a heavy fog bound for...who knows where!
December 7, 2019
The title really says it all. The four Swallows find themselves in a storm in an unfamiliar sailboat and must take the long way around to get back. This was one of my favorites in this series and had the added charm of finally meeting the father of the flock who makes his appearance at the perfect moment.
April 28, 2021
I haven't read Arthur Ransome since Swallows and Amazons when I was a child and this book appealed to me with its local references, Pin Mill, Shotley, Felixstowe etc. I did find it all a bit too technical for me, the nautical references completely lost me and they were numerous. The four children manage to sail a small boat to Holland during a storm after it slips its moorings, without any adult guidance. It wasn't a bad story, but written in 1937, I have to wonder how much it would appeal to children today. I will re-read some of his other books as I recall them being quite exciting.
August 10, 2022
This is one of my favorites--perhaps even my favorite so far. No Amazons--just Swallows, and a new friend, and an unexpected adventure that ended up in unintentionally broken promises. But they really did do the best they could, and all ends well despite a few near scrapes.
February 23, 2011
I didn't like this as much as the others in the series so far, mostly because there is too much technical sailing jargon and discussion of sandbanks to really grab me, as a non-sailor.
Basically the action moves from the Lake District to the east coast - Harwich to be exact. The Walker children meet a young boat skipper, Jim, and (after their mother has checked his background) they're allowed to spend the night on his boat, the Goblin, as long as they remain in the harbour.
The title is a bit of a giveaway, and the tale is of what happens when the Walker children, without Jim for reasons that only become apparent right at the end of the novel and against their wishes, cross the North Sea to Holland.
Reading this now it's really very difficult to shut up the "it's PC Gone Mad" inner Daily Mail reader in you: these days Mrs Walker would have the Police after Jim for being a potential child-snatching paedophile, they would have been arrested for stealing the boat and as suspected illegal immigrants on arrival in Holland, and again on their re-arrival in England. There's the animal smuggling charge to be levelled against them too. The children would probably sue Jim for damages for the trauma they have suffered during the unwanted voyage.
But even so. It's a ripping yarn and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Basically the action moves from the Lake District to the east coast - Harwich to be exact. The Walker children meet a young boat skipper, Jim, and (after their mother has checked his background) they're allowed to spend the night on his boat, the Goblin, as long as they remain in the harbour.
The title is a bit of a giveaway, and the tale is of what happens when the Walker children, without Jim for reasons that only become apparent right at the end of the novel and against their wishes, cross the North Sea to Holland.
Reading this now it's really very difficult to shut up the "it's PC Gone Mad" inner Daily Mail reader in you: these days Mrs Walker would have the Police after Jim for being a potential child-snatching paedophile, they would have been arrested for stealing the boat and as suspected illegal immigrants on arrival in Holland, and again on their re-arrival in England. There's the animal smuggling charge to be levelled against them too. The children would probably sue Jim for damages for the trauma they have suffered during the unwanted voyage.
But even so. It's a ripping yarn and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 29, 2016
Might be my favorite -- so far, at least --in the old-fashioned 1930s British Swallow and Amazon series in which the setting shifts away from the lake country to the salty coast.
The Walker children are paired up with a new sea-going vessel the GOBLIN owned by a competent young man Jim Brading. Things, however, go terribly wrong -- and John faces his most challenging commander role yet with help from Susan, Titty, and Roger.
As per usual the children are caring of one another, cautiously brave, competent young sailing explorers, and inventive. The Walker children's father finally makes more than a cameo appearance. The relationship of father to children is a comforting one filled with mutual respect that adds a more complete dimension to the memorable Walker family.
Suspenseful. Salt water sailing. Stayed up much too late reading to learn how this one would all turn out. Dense fog. Wild winds. Night storm with seasick-size waves. Real danger.
Naturally, these books have mishaps, but never tragedy. Whew! It's hard not to feel good reading this adventure series.
I do recommend reading the books in the series in order. I would not give such a high star rating for this book without considering it as part of the series -- and a strong part of the series at that.
The Walker children are paired up with a new sea-going vessel the GOBLIN owned by a competent young man Jim Brading. Things, however, go terribly wrong -- and John faces his most challenging commander role yet with help from Susan, Titty, and Roger.
As per usual the children are caring of one another, cautiously brave, competent young sailing explorers, and inventive. The Walker children's father finally makes more than a cameo appearance. The relationship of father to children is a comforting one filled with mutual respect that adds a more complete dimension to the memorable Walker family.
Suspenseful. Salt water sailing. Stayed up much too late reading to learn how this one would all turn out. Dense fog. Wild winds. Night storm with seasick-size waves. Real danger.
Naturally, these books have mishaps, but never tragedy. Whew! It's hard not to feel good reading this adventure series.
I do recommend reading the books in the series in order. I would not give such a high star rating for this book without considering it as part of the series -- and a strong part of the series at that.
August 12, 2020
I've read this book at least 10 times and every single time I end up reading the whole thing in one go.
Now I'm older I can recognise how perfectly paced this book is, as well as how close it skirts the line between children's adventure novel and horror. The scene where the anchor starts dragging and they're drifting through the fog is the single most terrifying thing I've ever read: the confusion, panic and terror are palpable, and I love the kid's reactions. John tries to stay stoic, Roger doesn't understand what's happening while Susan has a near breakdown.
The tension doesn't really let up for the next 200 pages, with one frightening episode after another, with each of the kids getting their turn in the spotlight. Afterwards, you realise how unlikely everything was, but at the time each event feels like a natural follow-up to the last, all culminating in a lovely, well-earned happy ending.
Now I'm older I can recognise how perfectly paced this book is, as well as how close it skirts the line between children's adventure novel and horror. The scene where the anchor starts dragging and they're drifting through the fog is the single most terrifying thing I've ever read: the confusion, panic and terror are palpable, and I love the kid's reactions. John tries to stay stoic, Roger doesn't understand what's happening while Susan has a near breakdown.
The tension doesn't really let up for the next 200 pages, with one frightening episode after another, with each of the kids getting their turn in the spotlight. Afterwards, you realise how unlikely everything was, but at the time each event feels like a natural follow-up to the last, all culminating in a lovely, well-earned happy ending.
October 7, 2024
It’s hard to imagine a better children’s author than Ransome. The stories are great (here, misadventure during fog while anchored near the mouth of a river leads to the boat on which they are guests going a lot further than anyone had anticipated) and the characters are entertaining and believable (even if — my only niggle for this book — Susan gets a bit whiny, which was largely dramatically unnecessary). Like the best children’s books they are great for adults to enjoy, too. There is drama, peril, bravery, human foibles, subtle relational dynamics, all leavened with humour and wonderful descriptions of nautical scenery and activity.
The sheer volume of sailing jargon drove me to look at diagrams of cutters at one point, along the way discovering that ‘sheets’ and ‘shrouds’ are ropes and not (bits of) sails!
These kids knew how to live. It’s not that pre-TV and smartphones everyone had an idyllic childhood, of course, far from it, but few wasted them on anxiety and the empty digital world in quite the same way — there was real physical matter to engage with along with constructive fantasy.
The sheer volume of sailing jargon drove me to look at diagrams of cutters at one point, along the way discovering that ‘sheets’ and ‘shrouds’ are ropes and not (bits of) sails!
These kids knew how to live. It’s not that pre-TV and smartphones everyone had an idyllic childhood, of course, far from it, but few wasted them on anxiety and the empty digital world in quite the same way — there was real physical matter to engage with along with constructive fantasy.
December 1, 2018
A sentimental read, as I enjoyed this book 40 years ago. Still reads well; Ransome is a very concrete realist writer, so expect specific descriptions ("the charts were rolled up, above Roger's bunk" etc). Lots of eating spam from tins and drinking tea. A plethora of nautical terms, halyards, painters and so on, with no glossary. Quite boring until the mist rolls in, then very exciting indeed.
All good fun. The book is of it's time - no mobile phones, you just waved at mother on the pier, used flag signalling, telegrams, or perhaps, Morse code. Of course the children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) get in a terrible fog and drag and then lose their anchor, and then sail through inclement weather to Holland, in fact Flushing, a charming place with windmills, cows, clogs and bicycles (today it would all be Marks and Spencers and Bodyshop). The big reveal is the famous 4 run into their Dad, on a ferry, and he sails home with them. The difference in the conveyed passage of time sailing over (storm, sea sickness, uncertainty, fear) and sailing back (tea, calm seas, Dutch snacks, and Dad the sailor) is the absolute best. I loved it.
All good fun. The book is of it's time - no mobile phones, you just waved at mother on the pier, used flag signalling, telegrams, or perhaps, Morse code. Of course the children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) get in a terrible fog and drag and then lose their anchor, and then sail through inclement weather to Holland, in fact Flushing, a charming place with windmills, cows, clogs and bicycles (today it would all be Marks and Spencers and Bodyshop). The big reveal is the famous 4 run into their Dad, on a ferry, and he sails home with them. The difference in the conveyed passage of time sailing over (storm, sea sickness, uncertainty, fear) and sailing back (tea, calm seas, Dutch snacks, and Dad the sailor) is the absolute best. I loved it.
January 1, 2020
Arthur Ransome’s books are a great favorite in my family. Every child wants an adventurous summer like the children had in We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea. A summer spent on or in water sailing on to uncharted waters is a childhood dream. Ransome’s characters are so real that one becomes part of their group as they sail through their series of misadventures. In his books I find the adults keep a backstage role and give responsibility to their children at very early ages, something lacking in today’s society. From the oldest to the youngest child they all had their roles and eagerly accepted responsibility even in summer playtime adventures. I would like to learn to sail, sleep on a boat, and sail to uncharted seas. I enjoyed the appearance of the parents at just the right time to experience the adventure with their children but yet not take away the thrill of their accomplishment of sailing through rough waters under their own steam. Ransome’s own childhood was reminiscent of his imaginary children and one can see the fondness he had for the nautical life that he shares with his readers.
November 30, 2024
2016: After spending three days with my family on a yacht of very similar size to Goblin, I felt obliged to re-read this. And I think it makes a difference knowing exactly what's happening when he writes stuff like 'loosen the topping lift'.
2024: I once again haven't the foggiest idea how to loosen a topping lift.
2024: I once again haven't the foggiest idea how to loosen a topping lift.
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September 10, 2011One of my go to titles when I need reassurance! Arthur Ransome, Dick Francis, J.K. Rowling, Robin McKinley, you never fail me!
May 15, 2020
I tend to pick up old 1970s editions of the Swallows & Amazons books from 2nd-hand bookshops when I see them, mainly to relive the escapism I felt on first reading them as a child, but this one was different in that I had not actually read it before. The Walker children's adventure at sea is referenced in plenty of the other later Ransome books, but this was the first time I'd actually experienced their dangerous, nearly disastrous, voyage in a borrowed boat across the North Sea. It actually did a much better job than most of the other books in the series at conveying the adventure through the eyes of the children; instead of a jolly romp in the safe hills and lakes of Cumbria, this time they struggle to cope with the reality of the situation in which they find themselves, trying to make decisions that they know carry real life-or-death consequences. It's also the first I've read where the parents play a larger role, which I think provides an added layer of interest for a now adult reader. As a result, I enjoyed this far more than I expected, and should really seek out any other unread entries in the series (as soon as the shops are open again).
November 27, 2022
Lovely to finish reading while staying near to Harwich as this was set in the area. An exciting story which moves quickly.
abandoned
March 10, 2024DNF - not my cup of tea 🍵
June 30, 2024
Another excellent instalment in the Swallows and Amazons series, though there are only Swallows in this one! Ransome pulls you into the story and I found it very hard to put down. The children are very sensible and work together so well to support each other in a very challenging situation. This book has the added bonus of being set around Harwich, where my mum’s family comes from, so I was able to picture a lot of the places :)
December 28, 2016
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
In We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, the Walker children and their mother are waiting at Pin Mill for Daddy to arrive home when they meet a young sailor named Jim Brading. Jim promises to sail the kids around to a few of the nearby ports, giving Mrs. Walker his word that he will not take John, Susan, Titty, and Roger to sea. He doesn’t anticipate the fact that he will run out of petrol, or that a heavy fog will descend over his boat, The Goblin. Nor does he guess that the tide will turn and the Walkers will drift out to sea in his boat, heading for Holland with no captain and no idea how they will get home.
My big frustration with the last book, Pigeon Post, was that I had trouble buying into the make-believe adventures of the Walkers and the Blacketts. For the first time, imagined adventure didn’t seem like enough. I’m so glad that this seventh book in the series finally allows these characters to experience something real. I was a bit disappointed, at first, that the Blacketts do not appear in this book, but even their absence was somewhat refreshing. Without Nancy to call the shots, the other characters are forced into leadership roles, which provides a lot of really nice character development for both John and Susan. Even Titty and Roger show signs of growing up as the story progresses.
What really impressed me the most about We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea is that Ransome manages to keep things exciting for the duration of the book, despite the fact that 90% of it takes place on board the same boat. Weather, seasickness, and passing ships provide the required drama to propel the story forward even when all the characters are doing, essentially, is waiting to reach port and agonizing over what their mother will say when she learns they disobeyed. Ransome’s writing is never dull, and the ending of this story, when they finally find a way home, is one of the most satisfying endings of the entire series. It almost feels like a finale, and though I have started the next book and I’m enjoying it, I still think We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea could have served as the perfect conclusion to the Walkers’ stories. It is the perfect culmination of all their training as sailors and in some ways, the full realization of the fantasy constructed in Peter Duck.
I can’t name many authors whose writing is consistently wonderful over the course many books, but Ransome is such an author. I like the way his stories continue to expand upon the vast universe he has created, and I enjoy the way he tempers every moment of high stress and danger in his stories with a warm moment of comfort among family and friends. We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea ranks high on my list of favorites in this series, right beside Swallowdale and Winter Holiday.
In We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, the Walker children and their mother are waiting at Pin Mill for Daddy to arrive home when they meet a young sailor named Jim Brading. Jim promises to sail the kids around to a few of the nearby ports, giving Mrs. Walker his word that he will not take John, Susan, Titty, and Roger to sea. He doesn’t anticipate the fact that he will run out of petrol, or that a heavy fog will descend over his boat, The Goblin. Nor does he guess that the tide will turn and the Walkers will drift out to sea in his boat, heading for Holland with no captain and no idea how they will get home.
My big frustration with the last book, Pigeon Post, was that I had trouble buying into the make-believe adventures of the Walkers and the Blacketts. For the first time, imagined adventure didn’t seem like enough. I’m so glad that this seventh book in the series finally allows these characters to experience something real. I was a bit disappointed, at first, that the Blacketts do not appear in this book, but even their absence was somewhat refreshing. Without Nancy to call the shots, the other characters are forced into leadership roles, which provides a lot of really nice character development for both John and Susan. Even Titty and Roger show signs of growing up as the story progresses.
What really impressed me the most about We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea is that Ransome manages to keep things exciting for the duration of the book, despite the fact that 90% of it takes place on board the same boat. Weather, seasickness, and passing ships provide the required drama to propel the story forward even when all the characters are doing, essentially, is waiting to reach port and agonizing over what their mother will say when she learns they disobeyed. Ransome’s writing is never dull, and the ending of this story, when they finally find a way home, is one of the most satisfying endings of the entire series. It almost feels like a finale, and though I have started the next book and I’m enjoying it, I still think We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea could have served as the perfect conclusion to the Walkers’ stories. It is the perfect culmination of all their training as sailors and in some ways, the full realization of the fantasy constructed in Peter Duck.
I can’t name many authors whose writing is consistently wonderful over the course many books, but Ransome is such an author. I like the way his stories continue to expand upon the vast universe he has created, and I enjoy the way he tempers every moment of high stress and danger in his stories with a warm moment of comfort among family and friends. We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea ranks high on my list of favorites in this series, right beside Swallowdale and Winter Holiday.
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November 28, 2011This is one of my favourites from the Swallows and Amazons series. As a young teenager I read all of them, (even thought they had been bought for my brother!) but when it comes to re-reading this came out more than most of the others! The books are all about a group of children who have adventures together, most of them revolving around sailing. In this story, four of them, the Walker family brothers and sisters have an amazing adventure when the boat they are sleeping on drifts out to sea and they have to navigate their way through a storm, alone.
It is a very well-paced book, a good build up and then plenty of excitement through the most adventurous parts. It was nail-biting stuff the first time I read it! Will they survive? Will they get home? What will their mother say?! It is a real adventure, not pretending adventures in the Lake District (which is the basis of the other books), but actual danger and a huge sea that they have to deal with all on their own.
As well as being an adventure this book has great characters. We get to know the Walkers over the whole series, but in this story they grow and develop more than in any of the others. Each of the children reacts differently to the situation, they individually deal with the excitement, the responsibility, the guilt and the fear that this situation places them in. The tensions between them and their dependency on each other to survive heighten their relationships and feelings towards each other. Susan is trying to fulfil the mother role and coping with sea sickness! John is feeling guilty about involving the others in these circumstances and disagreeing with Susan as how best to deal with things now they are alone at sea. These are all very real brother and sister tensions in what has to be a very unreal setting.
This is a state of affairs that feels like it could never happen today, and yet it is so enthralling that it is perfectly believable. Ransome makes you feel that this could just happen and that these children just might be able to deal with it!
Verdict: An exciting read for an older child, an interest in sailing is definitely not mandatory!
Helen
Rating 4.5/5
http://bigbooklittlebook.blogspot.com
It is a very well-paced book, a good build up and then plenty of excitement through the most adventurous parts. It was nail-biting stuff the first time I read it! Will they survive? Will they get home? What will their mother say?! It is a real adventure, not pretending adventures in the Lake District (which is the basis of the other books), but actual danger and a huge sea that they have to deal with all on their own.
As well as being an adventure this book has great characters. We get to know the Walkers over the whole series, but in this story they grow and develop more than in any of the others. Each of the children reacts differently to the situation, they individually deal with the excitement, the responsibility, the guilt and the fear that this situation places them in. The tensions between them and their dependency on each other to survive heighten their relationships and feelings towards each other. Susan is trying to fulfil the mother role and coping with sea sickness! John is feeling guilty about involving the others in these circumstances and disagreeing with Susan as how best to deal with things now they are alone at sea. These are all very real brother and sister tensions in what has to be a very unreal setting.
This is a state of affairs that feels like it could never happen today, and yet it is so enthralling that it is perfectly believable. Ransome makes you feel that this could just happen and that these children just might be able to deal with it!
Verdict: An exciting read for an older child, an interest in sailing is definitely not mandatory!
Helen
Rating 4.5/5
http://bigbooklittlebook.blogspot.com
March 20, 2021
I read this first when I was about ten and now I am reading the book to my kids (8 & 6) who are enjoying it immensely.
The book starts by a good exposition, and then progresses to the main crisis. No sailing experience necessary, yet, I would recommend, get a copy with a map so that you can follow at least a little bit (you can also google for a map).
The language is adequate to the child reader, no problems there. It is not required to read the prequels, there are few enough connections.
The book starts by a good exposition, and then progresses to the main crisis. No sailing experience necessary, yet, I would recommend, get a copy with a map so that you can follow at least a little bit (you can also google for a map).
The language is adequate to the child reader, no problems there. It is not required to read the prequels, there are few enough connections.
August 9, 2014
It's very odd coming back to a book after a gap of, perhaps, 40 years, and seeing whether it still works (and how much you can remember!) I loved it then and enjoyed it just as much this time round, but it was a different experience reading it as an adult (have I turned into Susan?) It's full of sailing terminology which can be a bit off-putting if you don't sail, but part of the point of reading books which are outside your own experience is to expand your horizons and knowledge, and these books certainly do that. I loved all the Arthur Ransome books as a child, but although my son enjoyed "Swallows and Amazons" he seemed to get bored very quickly with the second one and I abandoned them some time ago with him. However he seemed to enjoy this one very much, often asking for more, so I'd say it still works for children (although I had to do quite a bit of explaining of nautical things, some of which I'm not very sure of!) We have just been staying by the sea (after finishing the book) and within sight of our hotel room were buoys with lights at night and a lighthouse flashing in the dark, so parts of the book came to life. The whole aspect of children/adults/potential future officer material is interesting, particularly in the reactions of the children's father (who is nearly always absent from the children's lives, but in a way which inspires and strengthens them). As an adult, I found some of the near-misses quite a lot more exciting (in a bad way) than I did as a child. Great, anyway. Wondering where to go next with reading them with son! Perhaps the straight chronological approach doesn't work as well, I just need to choose another exciting one ...
May 1, 2020
I read this book again this weekend for three reasons: 1) I needed some fiction, 2) I have been in some tough weather scrapes recently with my little boat and 3) I wanted to remember how John and his siblings handled their weather situations.
This is an amazing book. Arthur Ransome sets up the story so well and gets the reader into the minds of his characters so much so that one begins thinking what Susan and Roger and Titty and John are thinking. The timeline for the story is only a handful of days and so the action ends up being quite intense.
This is one of the stories in which we get a sense of John growing up as he takes charge, makes decisions and, in the end, has them all validated by those much more experienced than he. We also see the wisdom of his father when Commander Ted appears on the scene and gently takes charge of some aspects (primarily provisions) and leaves Skipper John to sail and run Goblin as he sees fit.
This is one of Ransome's best. Yes, it is fiction, but I think it shows how much we pamper our children these days while exposing them to so little that they would truly gain from.
This is an amazing book. Arthur Ransome sets up the story so well and gets the reader into the minds of his characters so much so that one begins thinking what Susan and Roger and Titty and John are thinking. The timeline for the story is only a handful of days and so the action ends up being quite intense.
This is one of the stories in which we get a sense of John growing up as he takes charge, makes decisions and, in the end, has them all validated by those much more experienced than he. We also see the wisdom of his father when Commander Ted appears on the scene and gently takes charge of some aspects (primarily provisions) and leaves Skipper John to sail and run Goblin as he sees fit.
This is one of Ransome's best. Yes, it is fiction, but I think it shows how much we pamper our children these days while exposing them to so little that they would truly gain from.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2021
Another sailing adventure with the Swallows. John, Susan, Titty and Roger are crewing for Jim in the sailing yacht Goblin near Harwich under strict orders from Mummy to stay in the river and not to pass the Beach End buoy which marks where the sea begins. But when Jim goes ashore for petrol the ship drags its anchor in a fog and before they know it the children are out at sea, on their own, in a storm.
This is my favourite Swallows and Amazons adventure. There are repeated moments of enormous tension (like the bit where they turn ... and the bit with John reefing ... and the bit with the steamer ... but I'm not spelling them out because that would spoil things) and some real tear-gulping bits at the end (like the bit where the pilot shouts 'Nodings' ... and the bit in the cafe ... and the bit with the customs officers ... but again I'm keeping shtum).
Some great moments:
"It was as if she had swallowed an apple whole and the apple was trying to get back and finding her throat too narrow for it." (Ch 11)
"Lonely? It was as if he was outside life altogether and wouldn't be alive until he got back." (Ch 12)
"Can't go far wrong with soup and steak ... You never know what you get when you try something with a fancy name." (Ch 23)
It is difficult to imagine a more perfect adventure story.
This is my favourite Swallows and Amazons adventure. There are repeated moments of enormous tension (like the bit where they turn ... and the bit with John reefing ... and the bit with the steamer ... but I'm not spelling them out because that would spoil things) and some real tear-gulping bits at the end (like the bit where the pilot shouts 'Nodings' ... and the bit in the cafe ... and the bit with the customs officers ... but again I'm keeping shtum).
Some great moments:
"It was as if she had swallowed an apple whole and the apple was trying to get back and finding her throat too narrow for it." (Ch 11)
"Lonely? It was as if he was outside life altogether and wouldn't be alive until he got back." (Ch 12)
"Can't go far wrong with soup and steak ... You never know what you get when you try something with a fancy name." (Ch 23)
It is difficult to imagine a more perfect adventure story.
August 25, 2025
After a gentle start (there are seven chapters of preparation before anything out of the ordinary happens), this turns into an exciting story, in which four children aged about 9 to 14 find themselves unintentionally sailing a yacht across the North Sea, at night and in bad weather.
There are no baddies in this story: its heroes battle against the elements and their own limitations. But it’s quite an epic struggle in which they’re at real risk of death.
Readers should be warned that this is a sea story written by a sailing enthusiast: non-sailors may find that the blow-by-blow account tells them more than they wanted to know about sailing.
Also note before reading that it dates from 1937, so it's somewhat old-fashioned in general. The world before the Second World War was significantly different from the world we know now.
A story like this couldn’t plausibly be set in modern times, because at least two of the children would have mobile phones, which would wreck the whole plot.
There are no baddies in this story: its heroes battle against the elements and their own limitations. But it’s quite an epic struggle in which they’re at real risk of death.
Readers should be warned that this is a sea story written by a sailing enthusiast: non-sailors may find that the blow-by-blow account tells them more than they wanted to know about sailing.
Also note before reading that it dates from 1937, so it's somewhat old-fashioned in general. The world before the Second World War was significantly different from the world we know now.
A story like this couldn’t plausibly be set in modern times, because at least two of the children would have mobile phones, which would wreck the whole plot.
January 5, 2015
Did you ever do something that was forbidden, but what's worse you did not intend to do it?
This book is set in England. The main characters is group of siblings, that once meet a boy with sailing boat and become friends with him. They persuade him to take them on boat while they are waiting for their father to come back from business trip in Netherland. He agrees but with the back luck fortune, on the day of start of the sail the boy gets separated from the children as he hits his head and end up unconscious in hospital. The children are on the boat alone and they are slowly but surely going to end up on an open sea. How will they survive in the upcoming storm?
One thing I liked about this book was that the children were independent and managed to survive to their own.
However, I found this book a little bit boring.
I would recommend this book for people that enjoys 'cute' stories about kids, and people finding interest in sailing kind of stuff.
This book is set in England. The main characters is group of siblings, that once meet a boy with sailing boat and become friends with him. They persuade him to take them on boat while they are waiting for their father to come back from business trip in Netherland. He agrees but with the back luck fortune, on the day of start of the sail the boy gets separated from the children as he hits his head and end up unconscious in hospital. The children are on the boat alone and they are slowly but surely going to end up on an open sea. How will they survive in the upcoming storm?
One thing I liked about this book was that the children were independent and managed to survive to their own.
However, I found this book a little bit boring.
I would recommend this book for people that enjoys 'cute' stories about kids, and people finding interest in sailing kind of stuff.
March 25, 2019
This book is a welcome break from the usual formula. It's only the Swallows (no Amazons at all) and they are supposed to crew a boat up the river under the captainship of a friendly young seaman. He goes ashore to get some gas for the engine and gets clonked on the head. The Swallows are left hanging...literally...until the tides rise so high that their boat slips its anchor. A massive storm descends and they are faced with a dreadful choice: either let the boat bang around near the rocks of shore when they can't control it or head out to the open sea. Well, you can guess what happens from the title. But I wouldn't dream of ruining the adventure by telling you what happens after that. Only to say that I think Susan should have gotten a lot more credit because she has to take her turn at the tiller just the same as John. But, really, for such old books, Ransome is remarkably respectful and promoting of the female characters and I think that is one reason they've aged so well.
June 25, 2020
I first read this when I was at primary school and in 1997 I bought a copy hoping that my ten year old daughter might like it. Sadly she did not. Twenty three years later with the libraries closed I have been re-reading the seven books by the author which I own.
This book was first published in 1937 and features the four Walker children (the Swallows) who are on holiday in Pin Mill on the river Orwell in Suffolk. Due to an unfortunate, but entirely believable, series of events they find themselves adrift on a sailing cutter in a thick fog heading towards the North Sea. Then to cap things off there is a terrible storm. It's an exciting story but for me it somehow does not have the charm of the other stories in this series. It has motivated me to buy the other five books in the series though!
This book was first published in 1937 and features the four Walker children (the Swallows) who are on holiday in Pin Mill on the river Orwell in Suffolk. Due to an unfortunate, but entirely believable, series of events they find themselves adrift on a sailing cutter in a thick fog heading towards the North Sea. Then to cap things off there is a terrible storm. It's an exciting story but for me it somehow does not have the charm of the other stories in this series. It has motivated me to buy the other five books in the series though!
February 5, 2024
It's one of the best stories I've ever read! The narrative is outstanding from beginning to end. The momentum never slows with this tale of the high seas. This volume takes you by surprise since the previous books are more on the tame side. This scary, risky undertaking is all the more riveting since it begins unintentionally by accident. The kids are on their own and fully aware of the life-threatening dangers through a series of harrowing conditions. The kitten rescue fits nicely into the story and is the cherry topper. I'm not sure this would have quite the same impact as a stand alone, so it's probably advised to first read at least a couple others in the series to be familiar with the characters and tone. A truly good read!
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