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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I'm a little sad that the Swallows and Amazons adventures are done. In this one the gang is in Scotland where they find themselves protecting rare birds from a horrible collector who wants to kill them, stuff them and take their eggs. Ransome has some other books I'll have to check out too.
an ornithological detective story worthy of the master. Sadly, the last of the S&A stories.
fast-paced
The Swallows, Amazons and Ds are cruising in the Hebrides on the Sea Bear with Captain Flint. On an island in a loch, Dick discovers what he thinks are Great Northern divers nesting ... but the bird books say they don't nest in the UK. Innocently checking his facts with a bird expert, he discovers that the man is an egg-collector who wants to shoot the birds and 'blow' the eggs for his collection. The race is on. Can Dick photograph the birds on their nest without letting the egg-collector know where they are? Add mysterious Gaels complete with comic bagpipers and ghillies and you have an adventure to the last page.
The brilliant thing about Ransome is that he can enthrall even when taking a holiday from the plot. The scene in which the Sea Bear enters a bay in a thick mist is enormously exciting and could be cut without making any difference to the overall story. But it's great writing.
The brilliant thing about Ransome is that he can enthrall even when taking a holiday from the plot. The scene in which the Sea Bear enters a bay in a thick mist is enormously exciting and could be cut without making any difference to the overall story. But it's great writing.
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
although well written and a fun read, it is fairly mired in the social mores of the time in which it was written, with casual classism and misogyny on every page. Reader beware of that.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's a nice and adventurous story and I read the whole book in one sitting. I really liked the quest for the Diver.
I loved this book on so many levels! The writing is excellent as always. I love each and every character to distraction. The plot is full of suspense and surprises. It was wonderful to see Dick, the Ship's Naturalist, finally getting some credit and recognition! It was bittersweet to read this, knowing that it is the last book of the series, and now all the adventures are truly over. I wish the ending had been more drawn out; it ended abruptly, and I could have used at least a paragraph or two more wrapping everything up.
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.