Date Finished: 04/10/2012
My Rating: 5/5
I have made absolutely no secret that I really enjoy kids books, and it has been an absolute pleasure to have the excuse to read some of them either for the first time, as is the case with Swallows and Amazons, or for the hundredth time, as will be the case when I get to Anne of Green Gables.
I cannot believe that I had never read Swallows as a child. I actually feel like I missed out on something, as it truly is a magical book. Ransome has captured exactly how the imagination works, and how exciting and fun it can be to play make-believe. In fact, it made me at almost 33 years old, just want to go and play.
It is the story of four siblings, John, Susan, Titty (yes, you read that right) and Roger who are on holiday with their mother and baby sister and have asked permission to camp on a small island in the middle of the lake. They receive a telegram from their dad, who is on a Navy ship somewhere, and so set sail the next morning, and the rest of the book is about the adventures that they have. John, as the eldest, is the captain of the ship Swallow, with Susan as the mate, Titty as able-seaman and Roger is the ship's boy.
This isn't fantasy… the adventures don't really happen in the strictest sense, but with their imaginations they have the most wonderful time. Pitching their tents as explorers, conversing with natives and savages, at war with the Amazon pirates, joining forces against retired pirate Captain Flint. It is exciting and innocent and all those wonderful things about childhood that we sometimes forget nowadays in the midst of videogames and the fear of letting your children out of your sight.
Swallows and Amazons has placed itself firmly as one of my all-time favourite books. It made me so happy when I was reading, and I was really sorry when it came to an end. Not because it has a sad ending, but I was reminded of the feeling I got as a kid at having to go home at the end of a holiday, or of going back to school after the summer break. I just wanted more fun, and the subsequent books have definitely gone on my 'must-read' books for when I have finished this challenge.
So, who should read this book? Well, this is another great book for girls and boys of all ages. If you have, or ever have had, a sense of adventure, then put some time aside and pick this book up. It's really beautiful.
Next book: The BFG, Roald Dahl
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