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. ( )

Just like the adventure, the story was slow starting but worth persevering with. Its good to have all the central characters in the final book.

A reread. The plot of this had completely left my memory, but then it's probably ten to fifteen years since I last read it. Nancy is still my favourite, but Dick is definitely the hero of GN (which gets quite intense at the end!). ( )

Great Northern, great story! The Swallows, Amazons and D's have almost reached the end of a Hebridean sailing cruise with the Amazon's Uncle, Captain Flint when Dick, "ships naturalist", spots a breeding pair of Great Northern Divers - and Great Northerns "nest abroad". Puzzled he visits the motor yacht of a fellow birdman only to discover the man's an egg collector. Now he has to persuade Captain Flint to take the Sea Bear and her crew back to the nest site so Dick can take photographs to prove the birds are nesting, without giving away the location to the egg collector and without alerting the local Gaels. Some regard this one as metafiction within the S&A canon, but it again is packed with realism and a strong theme of conservation! ( )

This was the last book in his Swallows and Amazons series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. John, Susan, Titty, Roger, Nancy, Peggy, Dick, and Dorothea are on a voyage in the Shetlands when they find both the nests of a rare bird and an egg hunter who wants to kill the birds for the eggs... and you'll need to read it to see how the children's conservationism plays out. ( )