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kittymamers's review against another edition
4.0
ma hindan "Swallows and Amazons" sarja eelkõige just nende lugude maaläheduse ja realistlikkuse pärast, nii et natuke pika hambaga võtsin ette ühe neist kahest raamatust, mis on selgelt laste endi fantaasia, mitte n-ö päriselt juhtunud lood (esimene oli "Peter Duck", kus lastekamp käis Kariibi mere saarel aardejahil, ja siin "Missee Lees" seilavad nad kuskil Hiina rannikul ja elavad seal üle laevahuku). tavaliselt nad purjetavad ikka Lake Districti järvedel või äärmisel juhul Inglismaa lõunarannikul, ja piraate peab neile mängima teine paatkond lapsi.
nojah, siin siis juhtubki hoopis nii, et laev läheb põlema ja päästepaatidega triivitakse sülle otseteed kurikuulsale Hiina mereröövlile Missee Leele. siiamaani üsna ettearvatav, aga seda, mis edasi saab, poleks küll elus oodanud - preili Lee on oma vähemmetsikus nooruses Inglismaal õppinud ja natukeseks isegi Cambridge'i ülikooli välja jõudnud, ja oh tema rõõmu, kui nüüd on käepärast tervelt seitse vangi (pluss ahvike pluss papagoi), kellele saab hommikust õhtuni ladina keele tunde anda.
vangid (neli Walkerite last, kaks Blackettite tütart ja ainsa täiskasvanuna kaasas olev onu Jim) suhtuvad sellesse projekti erineva entusiasmitasemega, aga eks nad muidugi kõik sõidaks parema meelega merd kui et käänaks verbe ja loeks Virgiliust. isegi Roger, kes on selle loo täielik must hobune, sest kes oleks võinud arvata või kuidas isegi on loogiline, et tema osutub kogu kambast kõige akadeemilisemaks tüübiks ja saab Missee Lee staarõpilaseks?
nii et vääramatul moel tüürib kogu see lugu ikkagi põgenemise ja kojupurjetamise poole, aga see, kuidas selleni välja jõutakse, ei ole ka kuigi ettearvatav. nii et päris meelelahutuslik lugemine.
eks on kurdetud selle üle, et tänapäeval see lugu enam päris poliitkorrektne ei tundu ja et vaeseid hiinlasi stereotüpiseeritakse siin hirmsal kombel ja et nende aktsendiga inglise keele üleskirjutamine ei ole ikka väga sobilik. aga ma ei tea, minu meelest siin kellegi kohta halvasti otseselt ei öeldud ja liiga ei tehtud, ja miks ma peaks arvama, et need piraadid eeskujulikku BBC inglise keelt rääkisid?
rohkem muidugi oleks tahtnud kuulda, kuidas see hiina mereröövlitütre Inglismaa akadeemiline karjäär ikkagi edenes ja kas teda seal kolmekümnendate Cambridge'is tõesti nii avasüli vastu oleks võetud. aga meenutame, et kogu see lugu ei juhtunud isegi omaenda fiktsionaalses maailmas päriselt, nii et las ta jääb :)
nojah, siin siis juhtubki hoopis nii, et laev läheb põlema ja päästepaatidega triivitakse sülle otseteed kurikuulsale Hiina mereröövlile Missee Leele. siiamaani üsna ettearvatav, aga seda, mis edasi saab, poleks küll elus oodanud - preili Lee on oma vähemmetsikus nooruses Inglismaal õppinud ja natukeseks isegi Cambridge'i ülikooli välja jõudnud, ja oh tema rõõmu, kui nüüd on käepärast tervelt seitse vangi (pluss ahvike pluss papagoi), kellele saab hommikust õhtuni ladina keele tunde anda.
vangid (neli Walkerite last, kaks Blackettite tütart ja ainsa täiskasvanuna kaasas olev onu Jim) suhtuvad sellesse projekti erineva entusiasmitasemega, aga eks nad muidugi kõik sõidaks parema meelega merd kui et käänaks verbe ja loeks Virgiliust. isegi Roger, kes on selle loo täielik must hobune, sest kes oleks võinud arvata või kuidas isegi on loogiline, et tema osutub kogu kambast kõige akadeemilisemaks tüübiks ja saab Missee Lee staarõpilaseks?
nii et vääramatul moel tüürib kogu see lugu ikkagi põgenemise ja kojupurjetamise poole, aga see, kuidas selleni välja jõutakse, ei ole ka kuigi ettearvatav. nii et päris meelelahutuslik lugemine.
eks on kurdetud selle üle, et tänapäeval see lugu enam päris poliitkorrektne ei tundu ja et vaeseid hiinlasi stereotüpiseeritakse siin hirmsal kombel ja et nende aktsendiga inglise keele üleskirjutamine ei ole ikka väga sobilik. aga ma ei tea, minu meelest siin kellegi kohta halvasti otseselt ei öeldud ja liiga ei tehtud, ja miks ma peaks arvama, et need piraadid eeskujulikku BBC inglise keelt rääkisid?
rohkem muidugi oleks tahtnud kuulda, kuidas see hiina mereröövlitütre Inglismaa akadeemiline karjäär ikkagi edenes ja kas teda seal kolmekümnendate Cambridge'is tõesti nii avasüli vastu oleks võetud. aga meenutame, et kogu see lugu ei juhtunud isegi omaenda fiktsionaalses maailmas päriselt, nii et las ta jääb :)
doxamully's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
trongary's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wenchpixie's review
3.0
Probably the most overtly racist of the Swallows and Amazons books- which are, although well written and a fun read, fairly mired in the social mores of the time in which they were written, with casual classism and misogyny on every page. Reader beware of that.
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
4.0
The Swallows and Amazons are sailing through the China Seas aboard the "Wildcat" with Captain Flint, when they are captured by pirates and made the prisoners of the pirate queen, Missee Lee.
This is my least favorite book in the Swallows and Amazons series, but it's still a good one! There's rollicking adventure, and plenty of humor. Mainly I just love the characters and their unique personalities. The plot takes a lot of twists and turns, with a beautiful setting and interesting development.
This is my least favorite book in the Swallows and Amazons series, but it's still a good one! There's rollicking adventure, and plenty of humor. Mainly I just love the characters and their unique personalities. The plot takes a lot of twists and turns, with a beautiful setting and interesting development.
katekat's review against another edition
3.0
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.
emmaparsnips's review against another edition
2.0
Probably my least favourite book in this series. The storyline is unbelievable and the dialogue is full of outdated clichés and racist remarks about Chinese people.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Missee Lee is the tenth book in the Swallows and Amazons series, and like Peter Duck, it is a deviation from the normal progression of the series. Whereas most of the time, Ransome’s characters have real-world adventures, this story is based on their imaginings about sailing to China. In this story, Captain Flint takes Nancy, Peggy, John, Susan, Titty, and Roger with him in the Wild Cat on a voyage around the world. Gibber the monkey accidentally sets the ship on fire, and when they finally escape in Swallow and Amazon, Captain Flint and his crew mistakenly wash up on the shore among Chinese pirates who inhabit the Three Islands. Captain Flint is immediately held for ransom, and the kids are also treated as prisoners. It is only when Miss Lee, the most powerful taicoon on the Three Islands, takes them in as her students that they see any hope of ever escaping and making it home to England once more.
As I mentioned in my Peter Duck review a little over a year ago, I find it jarring to read these stories that don’t actually take place within the overall arc of the entire Swallows and Amazons series. I am not good at suspending my disbelief, and I am not fond of the adventure genre once it ventures beyond the boundaries of the characters’ own backyards. That said, though, I enjoyed Missee Lee more than Peter Duck, and I found it easier to get lost in the world of the story.
Obviously, there are some issues with outdated and offensive portrayals of Chinese culture in this book, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them. The characters in the story - and especially Miss Lee herself - speak in stereotypical broken English, where the “L” sound is substituted for every “R.” The portrayal of Chinese culture in general also demonstrates a lack of understanding of Chinese society - which is probably an accurate representation of how English children might have viewed China in the early 1940s. Despite these problems, though, I was surprised to find that the overall story is much more progressive than I’d imagined. The most powerful character in the entire book is a female pirate, and she is not only revered and feared by her people, but she is also really smart, well-read and much more sensitive to the plight of her prisoners than either of the leaders of the other two islands. I thought it was very telling that the Walkers and Blacketts, as the authors of the story, would make this sort of character the heroine, and I liked that Ransome incorporated references to school and British life that would easily have come to the minds of the characters as they were inventing the tale of Missee Lee. In Peter Duck, I felt as though I didn’t know the characters quite well enough to have fun imagining them in new and far-off places. This time, the characters felt like old friends and I got a kick out of seeing Captain Flint caged like a monkey and Roger rising to the head of the Latin class in Miss Lee’s makeshift school.
Missee Lee was an enjoyable escapist read, and I don’t recommend skipping it if you’re reading the entire series. I think it is easier to appreciate the story if you’ve read at least a few titles about these characters beforehand, but even the uninitiated will enjoy all the excitement, suspense, and action of this satisfying and fun read.
Missee Lee is the tenth book in the Swallows and Amazons series, and like Peter Duck, it is a deviation from the normal progression of the series. Whereas most of the time, Ransome’s characters have real-world adventures, this story is based on their imaginings about sailing to China. In this story, Captain Flint takes Nancy, Peggy, John, Susan, Titty, and Roger with him in the Wild Cat on a voyage around the world. Gibber the monkey accidentally sets the ship on fire, and when they finally escape in Swallow and Amazon, Captain Flint and his crew mistakenly wash up on the shore among Chinese pirates who inhabit the Three Islands. Captain Flint is immediately held for ransom, and the kids are also treated as prisoners. It is only when Miss Lee, the most powerful taicoon on the Three Islands, takes them in as her students that they see any hope of ever escaping and making it home to England once more.
As I mentioned in my Peter Duck review a little over a year ago, I find it jarring to read these stories that don’t actually take place within the overall arc of the entire Swallows and Amazons series. I am not good at suspending my disbelief, and I am not fond of the adventure genre once it ventures beyond the boundaries of the characters’ own backyards. That said, though, I enjoyed Missee Lee more than Peter Duck, and I found it easier to get lost in the world of the story.
Obviously, there are some issues with outdated and offensive portrayals of Chinese culture in this book, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them. The characters in the story - and especially Miss Lee herself - speak in stereotypical broken English, where the “L” sound is substituted for every “R.” The portrayal of Chinese culture in general also demonstrates a lack of understanding of Chinese society - which is probably an accurate representation of how English children might have viewed China in the early 1940s. Despite these problems, though, I was surprised to find that the overall story is much more progressive than I’d imagined. The most powerful character in the entire book is a female pirate, and she is not only revered and feared by her people, but she is also really smart, well-read and much more sensitive to the plight of her prisoners than either of the leaders of the other two islands. I thought it was very telling that the Walkers and Blacketts, as the authors of the story, would make this sort of character the heroine, and I liked that Ransome incorporated references to school and British life that would easily have come to the minds of the characters as they were inventing the tale of Missee Lee. In Peter Duck, I felt as though I didn’t know the characters quite well enough to have fun imagining them in new and far-off places. This time, the characters felt like old friends and I got a kick out of seeing Captain Flint caged like a monkey and Roger rising to the head of the Latin class in Miss Lee’s makeshift school.
Missee Lee was an enjoyable escapist read, and I don’t recommend skipping it if you’re reading the entire series. I think it is easier to appreciate the story if you’ve read at least a few titles about these characters beforehand, but even the uninitiated will enjoy all the excitement, suspense, and action of this satisfying and fun read.