I’ve heard about this classic children’s novel for a while and decided to finally pick it up!

Swallows and Amazons is the story of two groups of children who are both very good sailors. The book opens with the Walkers, who have received permission to sail to, and camp on, a nearby island for the rest of the summer. After the Walkers (who sail the Swallow) settle in, they meet with the Blackett sisters (who said the Amazon) and the two sides declare war and then form an alliance against Captain Flint. This is the story of summer hijinks and living on an island.

I’m not going to lie, the first part of the book really had me thinking of Blyton’s book The Secret Island, where a group of children run away to an island and live there, although Blyton’s book came out 8 years after Ransome’s. But in Swallows and Amazons, both groups of children have parents who are more or less aware of what their children is doing. In fact, I found it very refreshing how supportive the parents were – the Walker’s mother (who appears more as the book focuses more on them) manages to balance indulging in the children’s make-believe and providing practical support to them.

Still, this is a classic children’s model in the vein of Blyton and other authors of that period. The children feast several times and their meals always sound so delicious! It’s like going back to my childhood, when camping outdoors sounded fun rather than uncomfortable. I really had a blast reading this and pretty much sped through the book; Ransome has a talent for treating the children’s adventures with the seriousness they deserve rather than looking down on them or treating them too lightly.

The only thing that I can think would get in the way of the modern reader is the name of one of the Walkers – the younger girl is named Titty. However, I have to say that I quickly got used to the name and Titty is actually one of my favourite characters given how she saved the day on a few occasions!

I also appreciated that the children were drawn very realistically. It’s most obvious in their treatment of Captain Flint, who’s actually related to the Blacketts. While there are misunderstandings on both sides, the children have a rather childish view of how they see him and do make some gaffes when talking about him to the other adults. These aren’t miniature adults, they are children with a decent moral compass who occasionally misunderstand others.

Swallows and Amazon is a fun adventure for the young and the young at heart. It’s a very light hearted read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Honestly, I would be up to read about more adventures featuring the Walkers and the Blacketts.

P.s. I took the opportunity to try and make some squashed fly biscuits that were mentioned in the book. I don’t think I did it quite right because these were more pillowy than expected but they were still delicious!