Swallows And Amazons

Swallows and Amazons is a British family adventure film directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and written by Andrea Gibb, based on Arthur Ransome's.
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• Swallows and Amazons review – sadly lacking the magic of the original | Stage | The Guardian
• Swallows and Amazons review – sails on merrily, despite spy ballast
• Swallows and Amazons
• Frequently bought together

Moreover, the book is entirely charming quite apart from its qualities as child literature. This is rare; for, generally speaking, nothing makes drearier reading than the conscious juvenility of adults. Ransome has the same magical power that Lewis Carroll had of being the child in terms of himself. He never talks down; never finds it necessary to be patronising or sentimental. And sentimentality is the most terrible pitfall that besets those who venture into the world of play.

And the story of their adventures on a little island in the middle of an English lake is thrilling just because it is not fabulous. The series was directed by Peter Saunders. The film starred Virginia McKenna Mrs. The film was directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and written by Andrea Gibb. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article is about the novel. For other uses, see Swallows and Amazons disambiguation. Swallows and Amazons film. Retrieved 25 May Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint's Trunk ed. Retrieved 26 October Swallows and Amazons Episode 1 Sailing Orders". Retrieved 10 June Retrieved 18 May Retrieved 6 September Retrieved 24 January Daily Telegraph, December 8, ". Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. Coots in the North. TV, Swallows and Amazons Film, Retrieved from " https: Views Read Edit View history. In other projects Wikiquote.

This page was last edited on 8 September , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. First edition dust jacket cover Swallows and Amazons series. Children's , adventure novel. Wikiquote has quotations related to: Still going strong and finding the books just as wonderful! Because of these books, Logan started taking wilderness awareness classes, got a pocket knife for his birthday, and basically began taking an interest in physical and outdoor things more.

We've read many, many books, but I imagine these will be a big part of his memories of childhood reading. We've listened to all of these books in the car and she's got a wonderful reading style and does amazing, but not over-the-top, accents. We own all the paper books, but I am so glad we went with the audio books for this series.

They really give the flavor of the "Yawkshuh" environment. It has almost all the ingredients he likes: It reminded him of Swiss Family Robinson, which he has listened to at least twice, except with kids. He's almost 10 and I think would like to be able to have the independence that these kids, who range in age from 7 to about 13, have. They spend several nights without adults on a "desert island" in the middle of a lake, sailing back and forth to the mainland every morning to collect milk and eggs, cooking over an open fire, and generally getting along without supervision and constant advice.

I wish he could too. But he'd need a group of kids and I doubt very much that in this day of fear and anxiety that I could find any other parents willing to let their kids try that out. This book has inspired him to want to learn some survival skills and maybe together, we could try "roughing it" in the approved Swallows and Amazons way.

That's something I really like about these books. In a review of a different book, Eric Linklater wrote, "It is perhaps, Mr. Ransome's happiest gift to dress all his invention in good workmanlike clothes. He makes a tale of adventure a handbook to adventure. Ransome doesn't just say, "They made camp. And yet it's effortless, not boring or teacherly. We learned what "leading lights" are, so you can navigate into a harbor at night. We learned how to mark a trail. We learned that when you scrape the scales from a pike, they pop everywhere and get in your hair.

The level of detail is fascinating and I think one of the draws for Logan. He liked all the characters, but his favorite was Titty yes, Titty. You get used to it , who is the most imaginative and daring, without being as bossy as Nancy Blackett. The only thing this book was missing was a ship's cat. Can't wait to listen to the next book! Oct 10, MostlyDelores rated it it was amazing Shelves: I grew up reading Enid Blyton -- The Famous Five, The Various Happenings of Adventure, the boarding school stories like Hogwarts without the magic -- I loved the hearty, rosy-cheeked English children with their pluck and their tinned pineapple and potted meat sandwiches.

I was too young to notice or be bothered by all the casual racism and misogyny which makes Blyton mostly unreadable now. I never read Arthur Ransome until a few I grew up reading Enid Blyton -- The Famous Five, The Various Happenings of Adventure, the boarding school stories like Hogwarts without the magic -- I loved the hearty, rosy-cheeked English children with their pluck and their tinned pineapple and potted meat sandwiches.

I never read Arthur Ransome until a few years ago, but gosh would I have loved it back then. The Swallows and Amazons books are like Enid Blyton's adventures written by a much better writer, starring funnier kids, with parents that aren't appallingly neglectful. View all 3 comments.

Better drowned than duffers; if not duffers, won't drown In this first book of the series, the Walker children's father gives permission for them to spend the summer camping out and sailing in the Lake District of England. They expect to spend their time exploring, making maps, improving their sailing skills - and do not expect pirates or rivalry from others on the lake!

I recently tried to read this aloud to my nephew. I found that really did not work because there was too much nature and sail Better drowned than duffers; if not duffers, won't drown I found that really did not work because there was too much nature and sailing, and that made it hard to share my affection for the book. I will wait until he is older and can read it to himself. Mar 24, Kate rated it it was amazing Shelves: 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.

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Instead of buying marketing gimmicks like The Dangerous Book for Boys, do your kids a favor and let them read this. Jun 18, Jennifer Black rated it it was amazing. My husband read these books as a kid - I did not. He introduced them to me when we started dating, and we read them out loud together. Now we have a 10 year old and we are enjoying reading the series out loud with her as well. She claims they're her favorite books and to have unseated Harry Potter in that position is high praise from her indeed.

I do think they take a special kid or an adult with the right frame of mind to enjoy. Knowledge of sailing terminology is helpful. The plot doesn't move My husband read these books as a kid - I did not. The plot doesn't move quickly, the "action" is more realistic than fantastic and it won't grab and keep the attention of a kid who needs a faster pace. But the books are charming. The emphasize independence, friendship, imagination and kid adventure. They harken back to a day when kids could explore and run free without the watchful eye of a parent at all times.

Were they still looked after? Sure, but not in the same way kids today are. We have looked for other books with a similar sense of adventure and imagination and have not found anything else quite like these books. We've also looked for other books about kids and sailing and have not found any. So thank goodness for Arthur Ransome to have written this series. It's a favorite in my house. Se me atraganta la literatura juvenil actual. D Se me atraganta la literatura juvenil actual.

Novelas que en su momento fueron consideradas comerciales pero que ojos bien objetivos tienen prosas y tramas y caracterizaciones verdaderamente superiores. No creo que se trate de eso. Feb 26, Shiloah rated it really liked it Shelves: This was one of those "feel good" books, perfect for a tumultuous time in my life. Arthur Ransome wrote a sweet book here of his adventures of a short summer vacation living on an island in a lake off the English coast as children. I loved how his mother set it all up for the neighbors to keep watch on the kids without interfering.

I'm a much more fearful mother and was wondering throughout the whole book if I could let my kids do what they did. I loved the make-believe. I loved their knowledge This was one of those "feel good" books, perfect for a tumultuous time in my life. I loved their knowledge of seafaring terms and their experience with boats. And their confidence, but then most children are pretty confident in themselves when they want to do something. The creativity of the Leading Lights in the trees was lovely.

It got me to thinking about a wonderful performance and talk about leading lights and the song Lead Kindly Light. This is one of those books that isn't intense reading, but is rather enjoyable, easy to follow, and sweet. Some quotes I enjoyed: There may be land crabs, or alligators, or enemies of all kinds. The treasure may be buried deep in dead men's bones. We may be all our lives finding it And where were you improperly?

And we wanted to be allies at once, if only we hadn't promised to be home for lunch. They also put in the ship's library Titty took Robinson Crusoe. For to-night I shall sleep in the cold open field Along with the wraggle-toggle gipsies, O! Oct 20, Nente rated it liked it Shelves: Oh well, this bears out the idea that it's always difficult to write about happiness. The summer days of imagination and adventure are told here so matter-of-factly that nothing impresses or moves the reader. Several times I was expecting something to happen and was disappointed, and the only time that a thing does happen was told in quite an anticlimactic fashion.

Have I been reading too much sensational literature, do you think? What I liked was that the practical lessons about sailing, surviva Oh well, this bears out the idea that it's always difficult to write about happiness. What I liked was that the practical lessons about sailing, survival, etc. No didactism, no sermons, and the Walkers have the best parents ever.

Perhaps actual kids, bringing fresher imaginations to the task, would enjoy and appreciate this book better. I felt it didn't reach the mark set by books like Dandelion Wine , so sharply evocative that you feel like a child again even if the childhood they describe is nothing like what you had. View all 4 comments. Oct 22, Jenne rated it it was amazing Shelves: One of my favourite children's books of all time. Not so well known in the States, but a children's classic in Britain.

John, Susan, Titty and Roger have gone to stay in the Lake country for the Summer with their mother while their father is away at sea. When they discover an island on the lake, they beg their mother to allow them to camp on the island for the remainder of the Summer holidays. So sailing out in the boat named "Swallow" they soon find that the island is not as uninhabited as they One of my favourite children's books of all time. So sailing out in the boat named "Swallow" they soon find that the island is not as uninhabited as they thought, someone has camped there before, and means to come back.

Who sails in the other boat the Amazon?

And why did the man on the houseboat fire at the Amazon, and seem so made at them? This tale is full of adventure, pirates, Island life and buried treasure. A gem, not to be missed! Jan 13, Jane Williams rated it it was amazing. I first met this as an extract in a Ladybird book - I suppose I'd have been about 4 at the time, and this would have been one of the first "real" books I met. A few years later, I got the full thing from the library, and was hooked.

I read and re-read the series for years, and when we finally managed a visit to the Lake District, spent a lot of time exploring maps and lakes to find Wildcat Island and the rest of the places in the books. Now, revisiting it as an adult, I'm still delighted, enthral I first met this as an extract in a Ladybird book - I suppose I'd have been about 4 at the time, and this would have been one of the first "real" books I met. Now, revisiting it as an adult, I'm still delighted, enthralled, and impressed.

I'd forgotten enough of the plot details that I was genuinely interested to find out what happens next, but since I was now reading it with adult critical faculties, could appreciate some aspects even more and to some extent appreciate my own s childhood even more.

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The distinction between the children's real lives and fantasy lives is expressed beautifully, right from the start, as Roger tacks up the field to his mother. They're concerned with real, practical things, like how to get a tent to stay up, and eggs not to stick to the pan, but at the same time have rich fantasy lives that for the most part they distinguish from the mundane with no trouble at all, even when swapping between the two mid-sentence: A lot of reviews here put emphasis on the freedom the children had, and the risks they were allowed to take.

That wasn't something that struck me as odd as a child in the s, and doesn't much now, though I'm impressed by John's ability as a sailor. They had access to a boat, and a lake: I had a bike, and fields, and a town. No, I didn't stay out overnight alone at that age, but that was mainly due to lack of a tent, and anywhere sensible to use it. Away all day, completely alone?

Competent to look after myself, to do my own shopping, my own basic cooking, at eleven or so?

And, reading it again as an adult, I see how closely the local community were in fact keeping an eye on them. Reading it then, I missed it, just as the children did. The practical details all show an author who's done all this, not just read about it. How to pack a small boat, how to set up a tent, the problems of wet ropes, uncooperative plant life, and food that never cooks at the speed you want it to.

I don't know myself if the details of sailing are right, but there's no problem there with the intense flood of nautical terminology, each term is explained, either explicitly or by context. It's a gentle, subtle book, compared with more modern things. The children are polite - they don't scream and shout about their feelings. They go red, and walk away. They tell themselves firmly that the reason they can't see down the telescope is from looking too hard, wipe their eyes, and refuse to consider the possibility of tears due to loneliness. They may be competent mostly , but there's no Mary-Suism, they each have faults, and make mistakes.

I liked them when I was five, I liked them when I was 12, and I like them now, with Titty still being my favourite. They may be decades before my time, and have a lot more money than I did, but they're my sort of people - the sort to whom being called a liar is the worst insult possible, and to be a "duffer" is a complete disgrace.

Neither they nor I argue with the idea of "better drowned than duffers". Mar 14, D. Dutcher rated it really liked it Shelves: I wasn't expecting this to be as compelling as it was. Exotic to the point of being alien. Four children are on vacation with their mother. They've asked permission to take a boat out to a nearby island, and their absentee father grants it. The swallows, named after their ship the Swallow, set out and soon encounter a houseboat with a cranky "pirate," and another child-captained ship, the Amazon.

The two tomboys on it become friends and play-adversaries to the swallows over the seven days they sp I wasn't expecting this to be as compelling as it was. The two tomboys on it become friends and play-adversaries to the swallows over the seven days they spend on the island. It sounds dull, but is oddly engrossing. These kids are competent to a point where modern people couldn't believe. They literally sail a boat to an island multiple times, and camp their on their own of course, with occasional visits by the mother to check up on them. They spend most of their time there on their own, fishing, cooking, playing a war-game or two, and doing something that a lot of adult hikers couldn't do.

The way they talk about sailing and handling boats almost makes them seem to be too good to be true, but then you are reminded they are still kids with all the enthusiasm and forgetfulness children have. They have an autonomy few children would have today, but it's not an unrealistic autonomy.

The children are resourceful, but still are children. It's an amazing feat of writing. The mother of the children is a treasure, too. She's very droll and yet slips into the children's play-world when needed. She watches over them, and worries sometimes too, but never smothers. She'll think of things they need, but gives them room to make mistakes and take leadership first. She has some of the best scenes in the book, including a very poignant one. Titty, one of her daughters, is watching the camp when the other kids set off to mock-fight the Amazons. Her mother comes aboard, and at first the two play act Robinson Crusoe and Friday.

Swallows and Amazons

But then the mother and Titty begin talking just as mother and daughter, with Titty talking about life on the island, and listening to her mother tell tales of her youth in Australia. It's a very tender moment, and done without the least bit of cloying prose or sugary emotion.

I can't give it five stars because it's really not an action-packed book. It's more about a love of sailing and a character story into the minds of four adventurous children and two piratical tomboys. There's not enough play-fighting or conflict, but a lot of camping, sailing, and idyllic life. It also may be impenetrable to anyone who doesn't love sailing and the sea a little bit as the sheer amount of nautical talk is staggering. Seriously, these kids could probably be in the coast guard.

Frequently bought together

Still a great book, but perhaps for the right kind of parent and child. Jun 16, Isaac Moss rated it really liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fun to hear about the children's adventures, and how they captured the Amazons on the island. Mar 26, Ebookwormy1 rated it really liked it Recommended to Ebookwormy1 by: BBC Top List. This classic of English literature was read by most British children in the mid-twentieth century.

I liked the whimsical adventures of the children, though the nineteenth century style which favors description and character development amidst slowly unraveling plots was a little fatiguing for this busy contemporary mama. It was another book that brough This classic of English literature was read by most British children in the mid-twentieth century.

It was another book that brought me back. That reference inspired me to finish. My son, on the other hand, eagerly devoured this initial offering, and begged for all 12 volumes of the series! He liked the independence of the children combined with their fanciful play, and enjoyed learning about sailing, camping and the environments the children explore.

There is a pleasure in reading about the children's summer and Christmas holidays of playful discovery. Apparently, many British school children and future authors agreed, as the book has remained popular in the United Kingdom. I recommend the series to all voracious readers of late elementary through junior high age, and I hope it continues to be enjoyed throughout the English language world. For more in this vein, see the works of Ballantyne and Henty.

Lord of the Flies, Golding, https: If the Blackett sisters pirate allusions inspire you, follow their footsteps and read Robert Louis Stevenson's, Treasure Island, The Coral Island, Ballantyne, https: With Lee in Virginia, G. For a contemporary read in this genre, see the series about a group of American sisters, The Penderwicks, Birdsall, https: Feb 25, BookSweetie rated it liked it Shelves: The book is a relaxing, realistic fiction read though it is somewhat dated and rather slow-paced for readers from our fast-paced age of television, film, and technology.

Swallows is the name of a sailboat used by the Walker children John, Susan, Titty, and Roger , the main characters who are spending the summer at a large lake with their mother and toddler sister Victoria while their naval seaman father is away. Amazons is the name of the sailboat of two sisters Nancy Ruth and Peggy Blackett, who become friends with the Walkers.

The girls happen to be nieces of Uncle Jim Captain Flint , who lives on a houseboat with a talking parrot; Captain Flint is spending the summer writing a book from the journals he kept during his years of world sea travel and doesn't wish to be disturbed by the young people. The children's wholesome adventures camping out on Wildcat Island reveal a time of imaginative playacting interlaced with realistic details about sailing and camping and the ordinary life of the pre-World War II English lake district.

In the United States, the series is not particularly well-known, although readers browsing the shelves of children's public libraries may still occasionally stumble onto some of Ransome's titles in either hard cover or more recent paperback versions and some surely will become fans of this series.

Mar 19, Bam rated it really liked it Shelves: Set in the Lake District of England in August, , this timeless book of adventure features four children of the Walker family John, Susan, Titty and Roger who are given permission to sail to a small island and set up camp for a few days. They do everything by the book, writing the ship's articles and naming captain, first mate, etc. They make copious lists of supplies and mother makes the tents. The four intrepid sailors sail off in the Swallow and do quite well with some help from the 'natives'--those who live on the mainland--and a few visits from mother.

But soon they are attacked by two other sailors from the ship The Amazon who claim the island is theirs! And the war begins! A gentle read of adventure that I can't wait to read with my grandson someday.