Winter Holiday

I was prompted to venture down memory lane following a conversation with one of my colleagues after he had taken his daughter to see the new ‘Swallows and Amazons’ film, and what a jot it proved. I loved the Swallows and Amazon books forty odd years ago and was a little worried that the intervening years might have eroded my capacity to enjoy the book with the same fervour as before. This has, after all, happened with several books that I have revisited after several years.

It was, however, a delightful experience. The book is beautifully written, and is a paean to imagination: not just the writer’s feat of imagination in conjuring up such a heartening story, but the joy of children’s imagination, with all the young characters show more delighting in creating alternative fantasy explanations for the world around them.

The Swallows fond themselves back in the Lake District where they have been despatched to stay with the Jackson family for the last few weeks before they return to school while their mother has taken their baby sister Bridget out to visit their father who, as a naval officer, is currently based in Malta. Reunited with Nancy and Peggy, the Amazons, who live among the Lakes, they plan an expedition to find the North Pole. Meanwhile they encounter Dorothea and Dick Callum, who have also been sent to spend a few weeks away from home while their scholarly parents fulfil some academic commitments. Ransome’s handling of the meeting is beautifully done, viewed from the Callums’ perspective and capturing the simultaneous yearning to belong and a desire to remain aloof.

Was Ransome harking back to a golden age of childhood largely of his own imagining? Possibly, though I remember my own school holidays being spent rambling miles away from home, climbing trees, playing in streams and clambering over farm equipment, though rather than exploring the seven seas our games tended to be re-enactments of the Second World War (with particular reference to the Lofoten Raid for reason I cannot now explain).

Beautifully written and illustrated, this book remains a treasure. I think I might try Pigeon Post soon, too. show less

Perhaps my favorite of the Swallows and Amazons series. Dick is the person I can truly identify with - Dorothea (which I always want to shorten to Dot, but they don't seem to) is a bit too - airy-minded? She's always going off into stories, worse than Titty. But Dick is always aware of (some part of) his surroundings - though his focus is sometimes not quite where it ought to be. Nice dealing with getting to know one another - and it's interesting to get that from the D's view, rather than the children we already know from the previous books. And then, the emotional line in this book is perhaps the most active - hopes and despair following one after the other, over and over. The planned adventure is good - what actually happens is, as show more Nancy said, much better - much (much!) more exciting. And right on the edge of disaster, over and over - but never quite going over. It would be interesting (though painful) to see the same events from the grownup point of view - we just get the comment from Captain Flint (or rather, Uncle Jim) about calling off the search parties. show less

I picked this up on a whim during an Audible sale.

Coming to it as an adult reader with no past familiarity, I didn’t experience the thrill that other readers might, though it was pleasant enough. I wanted a light brain break, and it served that purpose, even if it felt a bit unengaging from an adult perspective.

The book beautifully captures how children imagine and create adventure, and I can easily see young readers being inspired and fully absorbed. It offers imaginative escapades and shows how to get up to harmless mischief safely, with far more trust and freedom than the modern health-and-safety–inspired infantilisation of children.

For kids, it’s a delightful read full of adventure and creativity; for adults, it’s a gentle, show more nostalgic diversion. show less

Good fun, though I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous Swallows and Amazons books. Maybe this is the fuddy-duddy grown-up in me talking, but I didn't care for how self-involved the children were at times (which, no matter how caught up they were in Nancy's mission, still seemed a bit of a stretch). And the new characters Dick and Dorothea kept rubbing me the wrong way, especially with how oblivious and reckless they behaved near the end of the story. It was nice to see the crew in a winter setting, though, and I applaud the spirit of self-reliance and adventure that runs throughout this entire series.

It's always unnerving when new characters are introduced to a series; thankfully there is nothing to worry about here. This S&A take on arctic exploration is a joy from beginning to end; it is the equal of the first two books and perhaps slightly better than the third.

Growing up the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome was one of my favorite series. When I decided to re-read it as an adult I was worried that it would not stand the test of time. I was delighted to find that in general found it just as enjoyable now as I did as a child. The characters, writing style and adventures are great and I truly enjoyed the series.

My favorite of the series. The worst part was that fearless leader Nancy (my favorite character) was mostly out of the picture due to mumps. The best part was the race at the end to the North Pole and the fantastic surprise awaiting them. Lots of fun to read!