<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Not my favorite S&A, but...
Review: ..not at all bad. SECRET WATER finds our heroes & heroines very much in the process of Growing Up, with the inevitable tensions that late adolescence brings. Here we find the Swallows grimly determined to carry out a mapping task that their father has set them, and confronting the Amazons, who would rather ally themselves with local children who have their own "game" of tribal warfare among the marshes of the East Coast. There is a lot of good stuff here & some high adventure, and the book reads very "true" to the series. My daughter Clare regards it as one of the best, and I doubt that anyone will be disappointed with either the plot or the outcome.
Rating:
Summary: Not my favorite S&A, but...
Review: ..not at all bad. SECRET WATER finds our heroes & heroines very much in the process of Growing Up, with the inevitable tensions that late adolescence brings. Here we find the Swallows grimly determined to carry out a mapping task that their father has set them, and confronting the Amazons, who would rather ally themselves with local children who have their own "game" of tribal warfare among the marshes of the East Coast. There is a lot of good stuff here & some high adventure, and the book reads very "true" to the series. My daughter Clare regards it as one of the best, and I doubt that anyone will be disappointed with either the plot or the outcome.
Rating:
Summary: An unassuming little gem
Review: After the excitement of "We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea", Arthur Ransome's eighth story in the Swallows and Amazons series returns to more comfortable and comforting territory. Set very shortly after the children's ordeal at sea in the previous volume, "Secret Water" finds the Walker children "marooned" on an island in the tidal area of Hamford Water, Essex. Here they spend a week or so, camping and surveying the low-lying islands, tortuous channels and tidal flats, whilst also having to deal with the quandary of whether to make friends with (or wage war upon) the local savage tribesmen. Once, of course, the small matter of one of their number being taken for a human sacrifice has been resolved! This story is something of an attempt to return to the simple style of tale that worked so well with both "Swallows and Amazons" and "Swallowdale": a tale of children building a world of their own creation and at the same time learning to deal successfully with the real world in which they find themselves. After some of the more exciting later volumes in the S&A series, though, some readers may find the results just a little flat. As always, though, Ransome weaves his tale through the deftest handling of prose and most adults at least should find this tale as charming as any the others in the series. It is nice, too, to see that the young Bridget is now able to start participating in the activities of her siblings.
Rating:
Summary: Secret Water
Review: After the excitement of "We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea", Arthur Ransome's eighth story in the Swallows and Amazons series returns to more comfortable and comforting territory. Set very shortly after the children's ordeal at sea in the previous volume, "Secret Water" finds the Walker children "marooned" on an island in the tidal area of Hamford Water, Essex. Here they spend a week or so, camping and surveying the low-lying islands, tortuous channels and tidal flats, whilst also having to deal with the quandary of whether to make friends with (or wage war upon) the local savage tribesmen. Once, of course, the small matter of one of their number being taken for a human sacrifice has been resolved! This story is something of an attempt to return to the simple style of tale that worked so well with both "Swallows and Amazons" and "Swallowdale": a tale of children building a world of their own creation and at the same time learning to deal successfully with the real world in which they find themselves. After some of the more exciting later volumes in the S&A series, though, some readers may find the results just a little flat. As always, though, Ransome weaves his tale through the deftest handling of prose and most adults at least should find this tale as charming as any the others in the series. It is nice, too, to see that the young Bridget is now able to start participating in the activities of her siblings.
Rating: 
Summary: The series that begins with Swallows and Amazons
Review: Arthur Ransome¹s books are the perfect evocation of a British childhood between the wars.Set, to begin with, in the Lake District of England they follow the adventures of the Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy and the Walker children; John, Susan, Titty (presumably Letitia, we are never told) and Roger as they fight wars, endure hardships, discover treasure and force the hapless Captain Flint to walk the plank. Though quite old now, these books will never be dated because they talk to children in their own language, the language of desperate acts and dashed hopes, unexpected reversals and stunning victories. These pages are crammed with the joy of summer holidays, far from the drudgery of school and the unwanted solicitousness of anxious parents.Later in the series the action moves from the Lake District to the Fens, to Scotland, to the Caribbean and even to pre-Communist China. Throughout the series Arthur Ransome manages to introduce wildly diverse characters without ever losing the original threads that make these books so entertaining. If you buy nothing else for your eight year old reader this year, start him or her on this series with Swallows and Amazons
Rating:
Summary: Great family values
Review: Naval Commander Walker, with the complete cooperation of his wife, their mother, maroons his five children on a tidal island on the coast of England. Of course, the children, ranging from the eldest, John, to the youngest, Bridget, are even more enthusiastic than their parents. It's summer vacation time again and the family is looking forward to a time camping and exploring the island. Then Commander Walker's bosses, the Lords of the Admiralty, decree his presence is required in London. All is gloom until Walker persuades his wife that these kids have demonstrated their responsibility and can be left alone for a time. This is the eighth in an excellent sailing/adventure/camping series from this author. Like the others, Secret Water, is a careful chronicle of the Walker children's adventures. Along the way readers are treated to practical advice about camping, sailing, and dealing with tides and mud. This book also introduces new characters and reunites the Swallows and The Amazons. All of it is impeccably written with style, verve, great pace, a mystery or two and the sensitivity of the author to the attitudes and perceptions of children of various ages. This is a book that can be read by children of every age. A bonus is the large number of pen and ink illustrations, done by the author.
Rating:
Summary: Secret Water
Review: Secret Water is a great book!!! I'm a 10 year old boy and I love it. My favorite part is when they gather with their savage friends and have a big feast. Anybody would like it just as much as I did.
<< 1 >>
|
