But as an adult I can appreciate the brilliance of the writing. But new adventures always beckon: they climb Kanchenjunga, get lost in fog and race Amazon against the mended Swallow.Īs a kid all I wanted was the adventure: other children allowed to camp and sail and climb by themselves. Meanwhile the crew of the Amazon, Nancy and Peggy, are also out of action because their Great Aunt has come to visit and they have to become Ruth and Margaret and wear frilly dresses and recite poetry and be on time to meals. Deprived of the opportunity to camp on Wild Cat Island and desperate not to ruin their holiday they camp ashore in Swallowdale. On only their second visit to the lake, John, Susan, Titty and Roger wreck their dinghy Swallow and have to swim ashore. I first read it nearly 50 years ago and I returned to it having read Arthur Ransome and Capt Flint's Trunk this January. Swallowdale is one of the least well known of the dozen Swallows and Amazons books but it deserves its place high up in the canon.
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