Swallows and Amazons Forever
My first introduction to the world of the ruthless Amazons and their friends, the sailors of the Swallow, came in the form of a read-aloud at lunchtime. I was thrilled by the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons. I cannot name any other book in the world that starts off with a description of a young boy pretending to be a tea-clipper.
We first heard of the Ransome books from a friend of ours,who had read and enjoyed the books for a long time. We eventually laid hands on a copy of the first book, and our mother read it to us during our lunch. It was a popular book with us–so popular, that when there was just one more chapter left of the book, which was due to the library the next day, we persuaded our mother to finish it.
Based on the quality of the Arthur Ransome books that I have read, I think that I would still recommend those that I have not read,
although each book had a minor issue in them. The Swallows and Amazons adventures continue on for a dozen books, some of which chronicle the adventures of the Coot Club. The Coot club is in a different part of England, but there are two young and rather tame adventurers, Dick and Dorothea, or the D’s,that travel in between the two bands.
While the two sets of adventurers are connected by the D’s, it is quite possible to miss that fact by reading the many books out of order, (which I did), in which case, it is likely that many will not be fully able to appreciate the Coot Club books. The series can be enjoyed by almost anyone who reads them, although children younger than six will not be able to get as much out of them. The series has such depth to it that adults I know read and enjoy it.
The books are a mix of adventure blended with some mystery and a spice of suspense. Unfortunately there are some unsavory elements, for instance, in Swallowdale, the Blacketts Great-Aunt is making a general nuisance out of herself, making sure the Amazon Pirates are on time for tea and so forth, so young Titty takes things in hand. Titty, having heard stories of witchcraft, attempts some of her own. She makes a candle-grease image of the Aunt, and attempts to melt it over the campfire, not exactly the behavior you would expect of a model child, and definitely not what you would want your children to learn. Adult swearing is rare, but the children use mild English swearing, and there is a very fair smattering of situational ethics that you would want to take with a grain of salt.
If I had to name my favorite three books out of the many (and they are legion) I would choose: Secret Water, The Picts and the Martyrs, and Winter Holiday.
Secret Water is the story of the Swallows and Amazons mapping the islands and marshes of an area near the North Sea. In the process they meet and become friends with a local tribe called The Children of the Eels, or the Eels, who help them to finish the map before the last day of their stay.
The Picts and the Martyrs deals with the Amazon's Great-Aunt’s sudden and unexpected arrival at the Blackett’s house, during the vacations when Dick and Dorothea, are visiting. Meanwhile, Mrs. Blackett is on a cruise off in some far sea to repair her health, and the great aunt does not approve of the Blackett girls having visitors while their mother is away. Therefore, to keep the Great-Aunt from sending a nasty letter to their mother, the Amazonshave to hide the two visitors out of sight of the Great Aunt for almost the entire book.
Winter Holiday, which comes before the two listed above, chronicles the meeting of the D’s and the Swallows and Amazons. The book describes the adventures of discovering the "North Pole", a piece of land at the head of the lake. One of their biggest difficulties is that Nancy, the Terror of the Seas, has gone and gotten mumps and is in quarantine by her mother. In the latter part of the book a communication error on the part of Nancy sends the D’s on a crude iceboat through a shrieking, swirling blizzard to attempt the discovery of the North Pole.
Basically, I have never met an Arthur Ransome that I didn’t enjoy reading. He writes of things formerly unknown to me, and now someday, when I hear a real bittern, I will think of think of Dick Callum lying in bed at night, and be able to fully understand what he heard.
Books By Arthur Ransome
Swallows and Amazons
Swallowdale
Peter Duck
Winter Holiday
Coot Club
Pigeon Post
We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea
Secret Water
The Big Six
Missee Lee
The Picts and the Martyrs
Great Northern?
Coots in the North & Other Stories
Racundra’s First Cruise
Rod and Line (fishing essays)
Old Peter’s Russian Tales
The War of the Birds and the Beasts