Swallowdale (Red Fox Older Fiction) [Paperback]

The book has all of the fine qualities that make its predecessor such an excellent read for children (and adults) of all ages. Ransome's prose is a delight throughout, his characters engaging and the events that befall the children entirely believable. As in all of the other books of this series, simple pen and ink drawings by the author add considerably to the enjoyment. If only the world (and the Lake District!) was still like this!

Incidentally, although this was the second of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazon" books to be published, it is best read after the third volume, "Peter Duck", because it is set chronologically after the events of that book, and makes occasional back reference to it. You will enjoy "Peter Duck" much more if you read it BEFORE you read "Swallowdale". And if you enjoyed "Swallows and Amazons" you will certainly enjoy this.

Children who love the previous book will definitely want to spend more time in the company of the Walkers and the Blacketts (better known as the Swallows and the Amazons) and that is exactly what Swallowdale offers. It's not simply more of the same, though. Both sets of children are beset by their own crises, which conspire to keep them off the water throughout the bulk of the story. Even Captain Flint is "grounded" by these events, which make the adventures more land-based and more furtive: the children are explorers (and prisoners!), not sailors.

Having re-read this as an adult, Swallowdale doesn't have quite the same amazing freshness and sense of excitement that Swallows and Amazons still delivers. I think this might be because the characters who seem to face the worst challenge (Amazon Pirates Nancy and Peggy) hardly ever have the story told from their point-of-view; Ransome seems far more interested in showing the world through the eyes of the Swallows (which is strange, because Nancy was reportedly his favourite character: he even named his own boat after her).

Having said that, I still recall how Swallowdale delighted me thirty-odd years ago, and I have no hesitation in commending it to any child who has finished Swallows and Amazons, and who wants to find out what happened in the summer holiday of the following year.

A final note: I recommend reading these in the published order, rather than reading Peter Duck first as suggested in another review. To do otherwise is to miss the emergence of Mr Duck from "imaginary friend" to "living breathing character". And, buried somewhere in the rest of the series is an explanation of how this can have happened!

The book has all of the fine qualities that make its predecessor such an excellent read for children (and adults) of all ages. Ransome's prose is a delight throughout, his characters engaging and the events that befall the children entirely believable. As in all of the other books of this series, simple pen and ink drawings by the author add considerably to the enjoyment. If only the world (and the Lake District!) was still like this!

Incidentally, although this was the second of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazon" books to be published, it is best read after the third volume, "Peter Duck", because it is set chronologically after the events of that book, and makes occasional back reference to it. You will enjoy "Peter Duck" much more if you read it BEFORE you read "Swallowdale". And if you enjoyed "Swallows and Amazons" you will certainly enjoy this.