Book Review: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

“Better drowned than duffers, if not duffers won’t drown.”

Arthur Ransome, Swallows & Amazons

Review:

I’d been unaware of this series until I watched the movie adaptation. I fell in love with the story and charming characters. Seeing that this was a decent-sized series, I wanted to give the books a go.

During a summer holiday, the Walker children set sail for a nearby island for a camping trip. For them, it’s much more than setting up tents and building fires. They are explorers. They adopt the island as their own, but soon come to realize they are not the only ones with a claim to it. 

I loved the characters’ imagination and the sense of adventure. That mindset was so nostalgic for me. I wish I’d known about this series when I was a kid because I would have loved it so much. The writing was grandiose, which got old after a while, but I can see kids loving it. It does capture the sense of adventure. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The nostalgia of being a kid getting lost in a world of imagination.
• Adventurous.

What I didn’t like:

• Doesn’t read as well as other children’s classics. The film adaptation did a good job of giving it a more modern feel without tarnishing the entire plot or time period.

Afterthoughts:

I’m undecided if I will continue the series. There are several books and I don’t know if I am dedicated enough to the characters and plot to take that on.

Where to buy the book: