Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome > Reviews > Swallows And Amazons - not for Duffers

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Good
Characters	Good
Listenability	Pretty compelling but not addictive

Advantages:	Heart warming, endearing, beautiful descriptive writing
Disadvantages:	Younger readers could struggle with long description and technical sailing terms

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

~~~Setting~~~
Swallows and Amazons was written in 1930, an adventure story aimed at children and the first of a series of 12 novels for which their author is most well known. Set in the Lake District, it follows the adventures during one summer holiday of the Swallows (brothers and sisters John, Susan, Titty and Roger) as they camp on an island of adventure, make enemies and then friends with the Amazon pirates (Nancy and Peggy), solving mysteries and chasing thieves. It is a very tame, but very charming novel, seemingly enjoyed by children and adults alike.

I bought and read it earlier this year after visiting a permanent exhibition on Arthur Ransome in the Museum of Lakeland Life in Kendal. It is so evocative of the Lake District that it is a pleasure to read for this alone.

~~~The Plot~~~
Having been granted permission by their absent father via telegram, John, Susan, Titty and Roger sail in the Swallow to the island that they name Long Island.

Their enjoyment is spoiled when they encounter the Amazons who lay claim to their island. They soon call a truce, though, agreeing to a challenge, the result of which will settle their dispute. They soon become firm friends.

There are a couple of adventures along the way, the main one being a theft for which the children are prime suspects, but mostly the story ambles gently along describing in detail their sailing expeditions, eating in the open air, swimming and fishing, exploring and sleeping under the stars. A truly idyllic summer holiday!

~~~My View~~~
This is a really wholesome, but tame read. I somehow missed out on it as a child, of which I am sorry, because I can see how it would appeal to young people. The children are left to camp, sail and explore largely without adult intervention. They revel in the responsibility they are given and they take it very seriously, especially John, the eldest and therefore the Captain, and Susan who is First Mate and responsible for provisions and cooking. The older children have the respect of the younger ones and care for them also, there is very little bickering. It is, therefore, as idyllic for parents who would love their children to have fun like this but also to behave so well as it is for kids who would love to have this freedom. The book is so far from modern day reality that it is as much an escape because it is so free from the dangers of today's society as it is because the Swallows and Amazons create a world of piracy and adventure. The exchanges between mother and children are so gentle, with so much mutual respect, it really is heart warming, and so far from the fevered and noisy exchanges in our house! Oh to be like this family!

The prose is very enjoyable. The descriptions of Lakeland are truly evocative, so if you have a love of this part of the world, as did the author, you will enjoy reading it as much as I did. The detail applied to these descriptions and those of the minutiae of the sailing and camping and the planning process that the children go through that you really are transported into their world. I've pasted below an extract from the book - the first paragraph that shows how this detailed and careful prose invites you into the world of the Swallows. The book features real lakes and islands (all renamed to become the Swallows and Amazon world), even the boats are based on real boats (one of which you can visit, see the Other Stuff section below). It's quite extraordinary that a story that is so heavily based on reality can seem so other worldly, so very far from the daily grind of modern life.

Some younger children would probably struggle with this lengthy descriptive prose, particularly where technical terms are used for sailing and it is quite a long book (416 pages in my edition). I know it's beyond my 7 year old, so I'd say it's probably suitable for 9 years and up. Adults of any age will enjoy it, so long as they are prepared for a mild and heart warming story, with minimal action and not the tiniest shred of violence or cynicism.

~~~Extract: the opening paragraph~~~
Roger, aged seven, and no longer the youngest of the family, ran in wide zigzags, to and fro, across the steep field that sloped up from the lake to Holly Howe, the farm where they were staying for part of the summer holidays. He ran until he nearly reached the hedge by the footpath then turned and ran until he nearly reached the hedge on the other side of the field. Then he turned and crossed the field again. Each crossing of the field brought him nearer to the farm. The wind was against him, and he was tacking up against it to the farm, where at the gate his patient mother was awaiting him. He could not run straight against the wind because he was a sailing vessel, a tea-clipper, the Cutty Sark. His elder brother John had said only that morning that steamships were just engines in tin boxes. Sail was the thing, and so, though it took rather longer, Roger made his way up the field in broad tacks.

~~~Conclusion~~~
A thoroughly enjoyable, utterly harmless, but quite disarming read. Great for kids and adults alike. Dated, and yet a timeless classic.

I'd thoroughly recommend reading it, but beware: not an awful lot happens, but stick with it, when it does, you're so caught up in the Swallows' world that you are utterly rooting for them all the way and it seems as important to you as it must be for them!

Probably going to be tough for younger readers and they'll have to wade through some long descriptions and some technical terms, but if they can, the rewards will be well worth it. It such wholesome fun that this really has to be a good thing in this modern, cynical, harsh world, both as an escape and as an example of how good things really could be.

~~~Other Stuff~~~
It was announced earlier this month (October) that BBC Films (Notes on a Scandal, Billy Elliot, Miss Potter) are making film version of Swallows and Amazons working with Harbour Pictures (Calendar Girls). No release date mentioned yet as far as I'm aware, but this should be a good reason to read the book first if you haven't already and one to look out for if you are already a fan.

Visit www.arthur-ransome.org for lots more info about the author, the book, the setting, the boats and more.

Visit the Ransome Room, a permanent exhibit at the Museum of Lakeland Life: Abbot Hall, Kirkland, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL, England - www.lakelandmuseum.org.uk/

Visit the original Amazon boat that was part of the inspiration for the story at the Windermere Steamboat Museum at Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria - check that it's open before you go, as it was closed recently for refurbishment.
www.steamboat.co.uk/