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Swallows and Amazons #12
Great Northern? A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & Amazons
The Swallows, Amazons, and the Ds are all on a sailing cruise with Captain Flint when they spot a mysterious bird nesting on an island in a loch. Their curosity soon lands them all in tremendous danger.
While exploring in the Outer Hebrides, the adventurers spot a mysterious bird nesting on an island in a loch. Could it be a great northern diver, never known to nest in the British Isles? They tell their discovery to a local expert who secretly collects birds’ eggs and stuffed skins of birds. The collector sets off with a gun―and the children set off to stop him.
Friendship and resourcefulness, dangers and Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series has stood the test of time. More than just great stories, each one celebrates independence and initiative with a colorful, large cast of characters―and children are the heroes. Great Northern? (originally published in 1947) is the twelfth and final completed title in the Swallows and Amazons series, books for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure, exploration, and imagination.
While exploring in the Outer Hebrides, the adventurers spot a mysterious bird nesting on an island in a loch. Could it be a great northern diver, never known to nest in the British Isles? They tell their discovery to a local expert who secretly collects birds’ eggs and stuffed skins of birds. The collector sets off with a gun―and the children set off to stop him.
Friendship and resourcefulness, dangers and Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series has stood the test of time. More than just great stories, each one celebrates independence and initiative with a colorful, large cast of characters―and children are the heroes. Great Northern? (originally published in 1947) is the twelfth and final completed title in the Swallows and Amazons series, books for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure, exploration, and imagination.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
29 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Ransome
281 books277 followersArthur Michell Ransome (January 18, 1884 – June 3, 1967) was an English author and journalist. He was educated in Windermere and Rugby.
In 1902, Ransome abandoned a chemistry degree to become a publisher's office boy in London. He used this precarious existence to practice writing, producing several minor works before Bohemia in London (1907), a study of London's artistic scene and his first significant book.
An interest in folklore, together with a desire to escape an unhappy first marriage, led Ransome to St. Petersburg, where he was ideally placed to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. He knew many of the leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin, Radek, Trotsky and the latter's secretary, Evgenia Shvelpina. These contacts led to persistent but unproven accusations that he "spied" for both the Bolsheviks and Britain.
Ransome married Evgenia and returned to England in 1924. Settling in the Lake District, he spent the late 1920s as a foreign correspondent and highly-respected angling columnist for the Manchester Guardian, before settling down to write Swallows and Amazons and its successors.
Today Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of novels, (1931 - 1947). All remain in print and have been widely translated.
Arthur Ransome died in June 1967 and is buried at Rusland in the Lake District.
In 1902, Ransome abandoned a chemistry degree to become a publisher's office boy in London. He used this precarious existence to practice writing, producing several minor works before Bohemia in London (1907), a study of London's artistic scene and his first significant book.
An interest in folklore, together with a desire to escape an unhappy first marriage, led Ransome to St. Petersburg, where he was ideally placed to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. He knew many of the leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin, Radek, Trotsky and the latter's secretary, Evgenia Shvelpina. These contacts led to persistent but unproven accusations that he "spied" for both the Bolsheviks and Britain.
Ransome married Evgenia and returned to England in 1924. Settling in the Lake District, he spent the late 1920s as a foreign correspondent and highly-respected angling columnist for the Manchester Guardian, before settling down to write Swallows and Amazons and its successors.
Today Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of novels, (1931 - 1947). All remain in print and have been widely translated.
Arthur Ransome died in June 1967 and is buried at Rusland in the Lake District.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
October 19, 2020
"Jibbooms and bobstays!" exclaimed Nancy. "Peewits and Puffins, I mean..."
"Great Gannets and Guillemots!"
"Great Auks and Albatrosses!"
"Don't be a thundering galoot. Listen!"
Finally down to the last book of Swallows and Amazons. The author manages to bring one of the best of all to wrap the series, and I can't help but feel a bit sad that all of it comes to an end. But it's only depressing until you remember that you can just go through the entire series again anytime you want.
It was great to have the entire squad for this last adventure, and to have a perfect ending, at least to this story. I was a bit bummed out to see how soon the story ended, without even hinting that this is the final story. Almost felt as though there could've been more later on.
"What a dogmudgeonly brute," said Roger.
"Dogmudgeon's a good word," said Nancy.
"Isn't it?" said roger. "I'll lend it if you like."
Living in the amazing world of Swallows and Amazons in the last few weeks, this is undoubtable one of the best books series I have ever read. The main characters are so fascinating and, regardless in what age you are in, you will fall in love with each and every one of them. My personal favorites were Nancy, Titty and Dot, but they are all quite amazing. Hopefully, Swallows and Amazons will always have a place in my Annual-Read-Shelf.
"Native trouble," said Titty. "Just what we've got to keep out of. But anyhow we've been beautifully stalked."
"Great Gannets and Guillemots!"
"Great Auks and Albatrosses!"
"Don't be a thundering galoot. Listen!"
Finally down to the last book of Swallows and Amazons. The author manages to bring one of the best of all to wrap the series, and I can't help but feel a bit sad that all of it comes to an end. But it's only depressing until you remember that you can just go through the entire series again anytime you want.
It was great to have the entire squad for this last adventure, and to have a perfect ending, at least to this story. I was a bit bummed out to see how soon the story ended, without even hinting that this is the final story. Almost felt as though there could've been more later on.
"What a dogmudgeonly brute," said Roger.
"Dogmudgeon's a good word," said Nancy.
"Isn't it?" said roger. "I'll lend it if you like."
Living in the amazing world of Swallows and Amazons in the last few weeks, this is undoubtable one of the best books series I have ever read. The main characters are so fascinating and, regardless in what age you are in, you will fall in love with each and every one of them. My personal favorites were Nancy, Titty and Dot, but they are all quite amazing. Hopefully, Swallows and Amazons will always have a place in my Annual-Read-Shelf.
"Native trouble," said Titty. "Just what we've got to keep out of. But anyhow we've been beautifully stalked."
March 1, 2019
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.
December 16, 2019
Captain Flint, the four Swallows, two Amazons, and the two D’s are finishing up a sailing trip around Scotland when Dick makes a natural history discovery that changes everything. There are some humorous and some very suspenseful moments here, but, no offense to Captain Flint, I prefer the stories where the children are off on their own adventures.
October 20, 2025
The final book in this series was a lovely ending. My 16yo and I have read the entire series aloud together and it was a little sad having it come to an end. As we reminisced about the series and how we began it in ignorance, I thought if this quote from book 12
“This was the best day of the whole cruise, “ said Titty.
“I know why,” said Dorothea. “It’s because it wasn’t planned.”
I never planned to read this entire series. We only started the first one because I saw it on a list of best childhood books. A few books into it and my daughter and I were sailors ourselves and that made me enjoy the books even more. I am so thankful for the childhood we got to enjoy together through these books.
“This was the best day of the whole cruise, “ said Titty.
“I know why,” said Dorothea. “It’s because it wasn’t planned.”
I never planned to read this entire series. We only started the first one because I saw it on a list of best childhood books. A few books into it and my daughter and I were sailors ourselves and that made me enjoy the books even more. I am so thankful for the childhood we got to enjoy together through these books.
December 5, 2015
"Here, you look....what's the matter?"
"Nothing, nothing," said Titty impatiently, scrumpling her handkerchief into a ball. It really was dreadful, the way her eyes would weep when there was nothing whatever to weep about...quite the contrary.
A great end to the series. On this one the Swallows and Amazons, Dick and Dorothea, and Captain Flint are all out to save a rare type of bird from an egg collector in Scotland. And the McGinty tribe think they are up to no good. There were parts that I found a bit monotonous and still not quite as interesting as some of the others. A book I recommend to young and old readers alike. Arthur Ransome wrote characters that are fascinating and enjoyable.
I wonder what it would be like to read a book of all these characters as adults?
"Nothing, nothing," said Titty impatiently, scrumpling her handkerchief into a ball. It really was dreadful, the way her eyes would weep when there was nothing whatever to weep about...quite the contrary.
A great end to the series. On this one the Swallows and Amazons, Dick and Dorothea, and Captain Flint are all out to save a rare type of bird from an egg collector in Scotland. And the McGinty tribe think they are up to no good. There were parts that I found a bit monotonous and still not quite as interesting as some of the others. A book I recommend to young and old readers alike. Arthur Ransome wrote characters that are fascinating and enjoyable.
I wonder what it would be like to read a book of all these characters as adults?
January 9, 2020
The end - the last adventure of the Swallow, Amazons and Ds. This one is set in Scotland and is rather different from the other books, but picks up the themes of birdwatching, egg collectors and photography. Dick sees a pair of Great Northern divers nesting, although they are supposed not to nest in Britain. He inadvertently betrays them to what he thinks is another birdwatcher but turns out to be a wealthy egg collector and killer of birds. The race is on to prove the facts and to save the birds and their eggs from the collector. This is quite exciting, as the situation becomes complicated when the local ghillies misunderstand what they are doing and think they are part of a gang driving the deer away.
It all ends abruptly with the main conclusion covered but we don't see what happens in the end to the wicked egg collector or conclude matters with the laird and the local men, other than the final illustration of the boat sailing away watched by the kilted boy.
It all ends abruptly with the main conclusion covered but we don't see what happens in the end to the wicked egg collector or conclude matters with the laird and the local men, other than the final illustration of the boat sailing away watched by the kilted boy.
October 26, 2022
3.5 stars
June 6, 2013
Loon.
Loon = Great Northern Diver and that's the centerpiece of the FINAL and TWELFTH volume of the wonderful Swallows and Amazons outdoor juvenile adventure series.
Oh, how sad it is to say farewell to the fictional characters whose lives and adventures wrap up in Scotland.
The Walkers, the D's, and the Blacketts along with Captain Flint (Nancy and Peggy Blackett's uncle) have one final adventure together, though Dick and his natural history curiosity and scientific knowledge anchor the plot.
Dick has sighted a nesting pair of birds -- but how could they be Great Northern Divers? That bird does not nest in Britain, according to the guidebooks; Dick needs to investigate further, and if the birds are indeed making scientific "history," he feels compelled by his scientific nature and sense of duty to get photographic evidence for the larger scientific community.
Unfortunately, an unscrupulous ornithological egg-collecting fame-seeker in a boat called the Pteradactyl wants to kill and stuff the birds and carry off the eggs for his private collection.
The whole gang must work together in order for Dick to find the nest, identify the birds, and take the photographs. Meanwhile, not only are the birds and the gang in danger from the wicked collector, Dick and the others have also unwittingly stirred up the wrath of the locals.
Most of the action for this one happens on land in a new setting, yet the familiar characteristics of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons outdoor adventure series are clearly evident.
Fans won't be disappointed with this book as a stand-alone, but they may very well feel let-down that this book ends the series with no hints about the future of all these wonderful characters.
Loon = Great Northern Diver and that's the centerpiece of the FINAL and TWELFTH volume of the wonderful Swallows and Amazons outdoor juvenile adventure series.
Oh, how sad it is to say farewell to the fictional characters whose lives and adventures wrap up in Scotland.
The Walkers, the D's, and the Blacketts along with Captain Flint (Nancy and Peggy Blackett's uncle) have one final adventure together, though Dick and his natural history curiosity and scientific knowledge anchor the plot.
Dick has sighted a nesting pair of birds -- but how could they be Great Northern Divers? That bird does not nest in Britain, according to the guidebooks; Dick needs to investigate further, and if the birds are indeed making scientific "history," he feels compelled by his scientific nature and sense of duty to get photographic evidence for the larger scientific community.
Unfortunately, an unscrupulous ornithological egg-collecting fame-seeker in a boat called the Pteradactyl wants to kill and stuff the birds and carry off the eggs for his private collection.
The whole gang must work together in order for Dick to find the nest, identify the birds, and take the photographs. Meanwhile, not only are the birds and the gang in danger from the wicked collector, Dick and the others have also unwittingly stirred up the wrath of the locals.
Most of the action for this one happens on land in a new setting, yet the familiar characteristics of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons outdoor adventure series are clearly evident.
Fans won't be disappointed with this book as a stand-alone, but they may very well feel let-down that this book ends the series with no hints about the future of all these wonderful characters.
September 14, 2021
Over fifty years since I took We Didn’t Mean to go to Sea out of Ulverston library I finally finish the whole series. If I’d had my druthers I would have finished them 49 years ago but times were hard and friends were few in those days.
Ransome is a master of plotting and has collected an inspirational set of characters. This one isn’t my favourite but all of them could be; it is where the subjective comes in; objectively they are all excellent. (My favourite is actually Coot Club but I’m looking forward to reading them all again and am sure I’ll rattle through them with a greater haste than first time around.
For my money, and this is purely subjective, he is the best writer of children’s stories we have produced. I’m a fan of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, Anne Fine, Betsy Byers and many more but Ransome has given me more pleasure than any of the rest of them. I don’t consider myself to be in the category of those who would be reckoned to be Ransome fans. I loved the outdoors as a child but I was rather solitary which could be why young Dick Callum is probably my favourite character. Like him I was a bird spotter and was always a little bit on the outer of any group activity. Perhaps why I had already become a reader when I picked up my first Swallows and Amazons book and why I am a reader still.
This series has been one of the reading pleasures of my life. Add to them Old Peter’s Russian Tales and some extraordinary journalism and you can see why Arthur Ransome retains special place on my hero wall.
Ransome is a master of plotting and has collected an inspirational set of characters. This one isn’t my favourite but all of them could be; it is where the subjective comes in; objectively they are all excellent. (My favourite is actually Coot Club but I’m looking forward to reading them all again and am sure I’ll rattle through them with a greater haste than first time around.
For my money, and this is purely subjective, he is the best writer of children’s stories we have produced. I’m a fan of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, Anne Fine, Betsy Byers and many more but Ransome has given me more pleasure than any of the rest of them. I don’t consider myself to be in the category of those who would be reckoned to be Ransome fans. I loved the outdoors as a child but I was rather solitary which could be why young Dick Callum is probably my favourite character. Like him I was a bird spotter and was always a little bit on the outer of any group activity. Perhaps why I had already become a reader when I picked up my first Swallows and Amazons book and why I am a reader still.
This series has been one of the reading pleasures of my life. Add to them Old Peter’s Russian Tales and some extraordinary journalism and you can see why Arthur Ransome retains special place on my hero wall.
June 21, 2020
I first read this when I was at primary school and many years later when I saw that my local library was selling off an old copy I bought it (and some of the author's other books) thinking that my ten year old daughter might like to read it. Sadly she did not but I read it again and quite liked it. Now twenty three years later living on my own and looking for something to read I was pleased to see that I had kept this.
This is the final book in the series and was first published in 1947. The Swallows and Amazons and Dick and Dorothea are sailing around the Hebrides with the Amazons' Uncle Jim. Dick thinks he has seen a pair of birds nesting (the Great Northern of the title) which do not nest as far south as Scotland. Unfortunately when trying to research what he has seen he alerts an unscrupulous collector who wants to kill and stuff the birds and display them with the blown eggs in his collection. Dick wants to document his sighting by taking photographs of the nesting birds but how can he get back to the island without being followed by the collector. Just to complicate matters further the local laird is very suspicious about what all these strangers are doing on his land.
This does not seem much of a plot but this is an exciting read and I got quite emotional at the end.
This is the final book in the series and was first published in 1947. The Swallows and Amazons and Dick and Dorothea are sailing around the Hebrides with the Amazons' Uncle Jim. Dick thinks he has seen a pair of birds nesting (the Great Northern of the title) which do not nest as far south as Scotland. Unfortunately when trying to research what he has seen he alerts an unscrupulous collector who wants to kill and stuff the birds and display them with the blown eggs in his collection. Dick wants to document his sighting by taking photographs of the nesting birds but how can he get back to the island without being followed by the collector. Just to complicate matters further the local laird is very suspicious about what all these strangers are doing on his land.
This does not seem much of a plot but this is an exciting read and I got quite emotional at the end.
August 5, 2015
I found this the least satisfying. Almost as though Ransome had got tired of writing the stories.
In this last, although there was a part written story, the Swallows, Amazons and Scarabs reform on a cruising holiday with Captain Flint around the Scottish coast.
A bit of a one trick pony about a nasty egg collector attempting to steal the eggs of a protected bird, the Great Northern of the title and them trying to stop him. That's it.
I found none of the charisma of the previous books and the characters come across as being very flat, shame.
Having recently retread this I realised why I never liked it even as a child.
I knew this was the last in the series and I looked forward to it being a story of slightly improbable happenings, Missee Lee, Peter Duck, or back to basics home adventures, Pigeon Post, Winter Holiday, etc.
It was neither.
At the end of GN I knew it was all over. Not only would Ransome never write about them again, but they would never have any further adventures that I could make up myself.
In his last book I felt Arthur Ransome had let me down.
In this last, although there was a part written story, the Swallows, Amazons and Scarabs reform on a cruising holiday with Captain Flint around the Scottish coast.
A bit of a one trick pony about a nasty egg collector attempting to steal the eggs of a protected bird, the Great Northern of the title and them trying to stop him. That's it.
I found none of the charisma of the previous books and the characters come across as being very flat, shame.
Having recently retread this I realised why I never liked it even as a child.
I knew this was the last in the series and I looked forward to it being a story of slightly improbable happenings, Missee Lee, Peter Duck, or back to basics home adventures, Pigeon Post, Winter Holiday, etc.
It was neither.
At the end of GN I knew it was all over. Not only would Ransome never write about them again, but they would never have any further adventures that I could make up myself.
In his last book I felt Arthur Ransome had let me down.
June 29, 2008
As a child these were my favourite books, I loved stories of adventure and my family holidayed in the English Lake District where these books are set so I knew the places they visited.
Whilst on holiday I would imagine meeting the Swallows and Amazons on every lake. At school my friends and I would play Swallows and Amazons. My best friend Sarah and I, being the only ones who were truly obsessed by the books would take charge and we would, of course, be the Amazons. Sarah was always Nancy and I, Peggy. Whichever of our other friends were roped in would be the Swallows. We would tack our imaginary boats across the Lake (the playground) and camp on Wild Cat Island (a mound at one end of the playground with two large elm trees on it).
I still read these occasionally and can't wait till my own daughters are old enough for them!
Swallows and Amazons for Ever!
Whilst on holiday I would imagine meeting the Swallows and Amazons on every lake. At school my friends and I would play Swallows and Amazons. My best friend Sarah and I, being the only ones who were truly obsessed by the books would take charge and we would, of course, be the Amazons. Sarah was always Nancy and I, Peggy. Whichever of our other friends were roped in would be the Swallows. We would tack our imaginary boats across the Lake (the playground) and camp on Wild Cat Island (a mound at one end of the playground with two large elm trees on it).
I still read these occasionally and can't wait till my own daughters are old enough for them!
Swallows and Amazons for Ever!
June 16, 2016
An excellent last book in the Swallows and Amazons series. I read a few of these as a child and they remain firm favourites of mine. I love the details of the sailing and how the children build their own imaginative worlds, always on the search for adventure. As a child, circumstances were such that I couldn't get my hands on the whole series - so I bought the lot a few years ago and have treated myself to one a year. It's a bittersweet moment now, reading the last of the series, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The drama, as Dick and the others struggle to save the Great Northern Diver from the nasty egg-collector, is tremendous (as they might say!) ... Jib-booms and Bobstays, Swallow and Amazons forever!
February 21, 2018
A complete change of scenery and tonality for the final entry into the Swallows and Amazons. This book sees the Swallows, Amazons, Ds and Cptn Flint on their final days of a sailing trip to the Hebrides of Scotland.
The book is a masterclass in taking a very simple plotline and unravelling it for four hundred pages. When boiled down very little happens, but it never drags or feels forced. In fact the book ends rather abruptly, which leaves the reader feeling slightly melancholy that this final chapter in the lives of the Swallows and Amazons et al did not end in some great climactic feast and rousing ending.
The book is a masterclass in taking a very simple plotline and unravelling it for four hundred pages. When boiled down very little happens, but it never drags or feels forced. In fact the book ends rather abruptly, which leaves the reader feeling slightly melancholy that this final chapter in the lives of the Swallows and Amazons et al did not end in some great climactic feast and rousing ending.
January 11, 2015
Well, except for the two more fantasy books in the series (Missy Lee and Peter Duck), we've listened to the entire series, read by the wonderful Alison Larkin. I wish I'd read these as a kid. I would have loved them in a different way from how I love them now, with the shared experience with my 10-year-old son. It would have added another layer. But anyway, to young or old I can recommend the whole series.
November 13, 2020
I can't believe we're done!! So sad! I honestly would get a little teary eyed thinking about what was coming for these children with WW2 and growing up and all the pain they would face after this idyllic childhood.. Yes, I realize these are fictional people, but I couldn't help thinking of all the people who faced that reality in real life. Just loved these children, fictional or not.
August 23, 2015
Dick takes center stage in this wonderful final chapter in the lives (as we know them) of the Swallows, Amazons, and Scarabs (D's). I shall miss these explorers, pirates, artist, writers, and scientist, sailors all.
March 5, 2012
I think it is one of the best in the series, it was fun to read.
July 18, 2019
What an amazing, thrilling ending to not only a wonderful book but a wonderful series of books. I'm sad that it's now over... why can't there be 12 more???
November 30, 2024
Bird watching has never been hotter (or more boring)
August 21, 2017
This is the final Swallows and Amazons book that Arthur Ransome completed before his death, and it seems fitting that this includes all of the central characters - the Swallows, Amazons, Dick, Dorothea and even Captain Flint.
This story takes the actions to the Scottish Highlands, where Dick discovers some nesting birds with eggs, which he believes to be the rare Great Northern diver. They discover that a naturalist, Mr. Jemmerling, has moored his boat nearby, so Dick takes him a hand-drawn picture of the birds to get a second opinion.
It turns out, however, that Mr. Jemmerling is an egg collector, and - in his desire for personal glory - decides he wants to steal the eggs and get the birds stuffed because apparently this is the only way that he can prove their existence.
Dick is outraged by this, and the rest of the book is about the characters' efforts to ensure that Mr. Jemmerling does not find the birds' nest. However, there is also the issue of the "gaels" whose land the birds are nesting on, not taking kindly to their presence.
The whole story leads up to an exciting finale, and one sequence is told more than once, but from the points of view of different characters, so you'll read a narrative about one group of characters, before being told what another character has been doing throughout this time, and you see the same events through their eyes. It was a plot device that I thought worked well.
I thought this was an enjoyable book overall, and liked the fact that Ransome gave my favourite character (Roger) a lot to do, although some characters (particularly John) were almost forgotten about towards the end.
The subsequent book, Coots in the North was unfinished, but would have presumably been a sequel to Coot Club and The Big Six and revolved around Dick, Dorothea and Tom Dudgeon. Apparently, you can get the bits that Ransome got round to writing as part of a bigger compilation of short stories, that I might consider reading at some point.
This story takes the actions to the Scottish Highlands, where Dick discovers some nesting birds with eggs, which he believes to be the rare Great Northern diver. They discover that a naturalist, Mr. Jemmerling, has moored his boat nearby, so Dick takes him a hand-drawn picture of the birds to get a second opinion.
It turns out, however, that Mr. Jemmerling is an egg collector, and - in his desire for personal glory - decides he wants to steal the eggs and get the birds stuffed because apparently this is the only way that he can prove their existence.
Dick is outraged by this, and the rest of the book is about the characters' efforts to ensure that Mr. Jemmerling does not find the birds' nest. However, there is also the issue of the "gaels" whose land the birds are nesting on, not taking kindly to their presence.
The whole story leads up to an exciting finale, and one sequence is told more than once, but from the points of view of different characters, so you'll read a narrative about one group of characters, before being told what another character has been doing throughout this time, and you see the same events through their eyes. It was a plot device that I thought worked well.
I thought this was an enjoyable book overall, and liked the fact that Ransome gave my favourite character (Roger) a lot to do, although some characters (particularly John) were almost forgotten about towards the end.
The subsequent book, Coots in the North was unfinished, but would have presumably been a sequel to Coot Club and The Big Six and revolved around Dick, Dorothea and Tom Dudgeon. Apparently, you can get the bits that Ransome got round to writing as part of a bigger compilation of short stories, that I might consider reading at some point.
April 2, 2022
Together with my son, after finishing this book, we have now read all the Swallows and Amazons series. Considering we are on book twelve, I thought perhaps this one wouldn't be as good, but actually I think this one is up there with some of the best of the series.
Set in Scotland, sailing in the Sea Bear, the whole crew (Swallows, Amazons, D's and Captain Flint) come across an island in the Outer Hebrides, where they think they spot a bird nesting that has never before been spotted doing so in the British Isles. They are then rapidly involved in an adventure of trying to protect the eggs from an evil collector and their interactions with the local Scottish Highlanders who think they are there to cause trouble.
It is an exciting tale that rattles along with a bit more jeopardy and violence than some of the other books but still allows all of the characters to come through, particularly Dick who acting as the ship's scientific officer drives the efforts to both prove the existence of, and protect the birds. Overall it is a lot of fun and we enjoyed it very much.
As it is the last in the series, I might add a bit more on the whole thing. My son and I very much enjoyed reading the whole Swallows and Amazons series. The combination of characters children can identify with is great, outdoor adventures in boating, camping and mountaineering have inspired us to go as a family to the Norfolk Broads and the Lake District, and the plot of lots of the stories is really good. That is not to say it isn't dated in parts, that there aren't some sections which are cringingly racist, and not all the books are as good as each other (the ones that are kind of dreams of characters are good). But as a whole, we are glad we read them, and would recommend them to other children of a similar age, maybe 8-12.
Set in Scotland, sailing in the Sea Bear, the whole crew (Swallows, Amazons, D's and Captain Flint) come across an island in the Outer Hebrides, where they think they spot a bird nesting that has never before been spotted doing so in the British Isles. They are then rapidly involved in an adventure of trying to protect the eggs from an evil collector and their interactions with the local Scottish Highlanders who think they are there to cause trouble.
It is an exciting tale that rattles along with a bit more jeopardy and violence than some of the other books but still allows all of the characters to come through, particularly Dick who acting as the ship's scientific officer drives the efforts to both prove the existence of, and protect the birds. Overall it is a lot of fun and we enjoyed it very much.
As it is the last in the series, I might add a bit more on the whole thing. My son and I very much enjoyed reading the whole Swallows and Amazons series. The combination of characters children can identify with is great, outdoor adventures in boating, camping and mountaineering have inspired us to go as a family to the Norfolk Broads and the Lake District, and the plot of lots of the stories is really good. That is not to say it isn't dated in parts, that there aren't some sections which are cringingly racist, and not all the books are as good as each other (the ones that are kind of dreams of characters are good). But as a whole, we are glad we read them, and would recommend them to other children of a similar age, maybe 8-12.
August 8, 2024
ei sattunud mu lemmikute hulka sellest sarjast - kuidagi venis see lugu (mis ometi ju toimub omas ajas kolme päevaga, aga mul läks lugemiseks ikka palju kauem). muidu iseenesest ju huvitav setup, lapsed (seekord kogu kamp, Walkerid ja Blackettid ja Callumid) satuvad Šotimaal purjetamisretkel haruldase linnu pesitsuskoha peale, reedavad selle kogemata kurjale linnumunakollektsionäärile ja peavad siis probleemi lahendama ja lindude ellujäämise tagama.
heas lasteraamatus ma olen laste poolt, siin olin tugevalt ainsa vastutava täiskasvanu poolt, kes jumala mõistlikult otsustas alguses, et tuleb lihtsalt minna ära koju ja siis pole kollektsionääril ühtegi niidiotsa, kust lindu otsima hakata. aga siis muidugi õnnestub rikkuril lihtne mees raha pakkumisega nii välja vihastada, et ohjad antakse lastele üle ja kõik on muidugi järgneva seiklusega jube rahul, aga linnupesa ise satub ikkagi päris tugevalt ohtu, kus tal üldse pole vaja olla.
aga noh, eks see on lugu omast ajast, tähtsat teaduslikku avastust prioritiseeritakse siin tegeliku looduskaitse ees (lapsed süüdistavad selles kollektsionääri, aga ise teevad täpselt sama!) ja suured loodusesõbrad ei vaevu isegi oma limonaadipudeleid puutumatult mägismaalt tagasi tooma, vaid uputavad need mingisse lompi (ja võileivapaberid matavad mätta alla). excuse me?!
natuke liiga palju tegelasi saab ka kokku, kui kõik need kaheksa last korraga möllama lubatakse. sarja kogenud lugeja jaoks pole see probleem, mina teen neil suht hästi vahet, aga ilma eelneva põhjaliku treeninguta (vähemalt kolm-neli eelmist osa) ma sellele siin küll peale ei soovitaks lennata.
väidetavalt on see sarja viimane osa ja vb oli Ransome lihtsalt väsinud selleks ajaks.
see lind, keda nad siin taga ajavad, on muide jääkaur. Eestis eksikülaline.
heas lasteraamatus ma olen laste poolt, siin olin tugevalt ainsa vastutava täiskasvanu poolt, kes jumala mõistlikult otsustas alguses, et tuleb lihtsalt minna ära koju ja siis pole kollektsionääril ühtegi niidiotsa, kust lindu otsima hakata. aga siis muidugi õnnestub rikkuril lihtne mees raha pakkumisega nii välja vihastada, et ohjad antakse lastele üle ja kõik on muidugi järgneva seiklusega jube rahul, aga linnupesa ise satub ikkagi päris tugevalt ohtu, kus tal üldse pole vaja olla.
aga noh, eks see on lugu omast ajast, tähtsat teaduslikku avastust prioritiseeritakse siin tegeliku looduskaitse ees (lapsed süüdistavad selles kollektsionääri, aga ise teevad täpselt sama!) ja suured loodusesõbrad ei vaevu isegi oma limonaadipudeleid puutumatult mägismaalt tagasi tooma, vaid uputavad need mingisse lompi (ja võileivapaberid matavad mätta alla). excuse me?!
natuke liiga palju tegelasi saab ka kokku, kui kõik need kaheksa last korraga möllama lubatakse. sarja kogenud lugeja jaoks pole see probleem, mina teen neil suht hästi vahet, aga ilma eelneva põhjaliku treeninguta (vähemalt kolm-neli eelmist osa) ma sellele siin küll peale ei soovitaks lennata.
väidetavalt on see sarja viimane osa ja vb oli Ransome lihtsalt väsinud selleks ajaks.
see lind, keda nad siin taga ajavad, on muide jääkaur. Eestis eksikülaline.
November 11, 2024
he Swallows & Amazons series was first written in 1930, and the first book was set then. This is the final book, published after the end of WW II, yet in the internal chronology of the series happening somewhere around 1934 or so. It's the twelfth in the series, but one always wishes there could be more. Somehow I'd never read this one before, though I've read some of the earlier ones at least half a dozen times, going back over 60 years.
It has all the things I loved in the earlier books, a tight plot, well-rounded characters, and a celebration of free-range kids and of sailing and of the natural world. This time, instead of sailing in the English Lakes District or in Norfolk (two areas Ransom knew well) they're sailing in the Hebrides. The plot turns on finding rare Great Northern Divers there, birds closely related to the American loon. The tension comes from the question of whether they should just be observed and photographed or whether they should be shot, stuffed, and put in a museum. Our heroes of course are for the former. My only quibble with the plot is I'm not sure that our heroes' triumph will permanently stop the bad guys. (I looked for a final wrap-up chapter or epilogue, but it just wasn't there.)
It has all the things I loved in the earlier books, a tight plot, well-rounded characters, and a celebration of free-range kids and of sailing and of the natural world. This time, instead of sailing in the English Lakes District or in Norfolk (two areas Ransom knew well) they're sailing in the Hebrides. The plot turns on finding rare Great Northern Divers there, birds closely related to the American loon. The tension comes from the question of whether they should just be observed and photographed or whether they should be shot, stuffed, and put in a museum. Our heroes of course are for the former. My only quibble with the plot is I'm not sure that our heroes' triumph will permanently stop the bad guys. (I looked for a final wrap-up chapter or epilogue, but it just wasn't there.)
December 4, 2020
Well, that's it. We have completed the entire Swallows and Amazons series. I admit there was a tear in my eye at the conclusion. The story, Great Nothern?, concluded with a tear or two but the end of the series was a poignant event as well. I cannot imagine a better series for kids. I am considerably older than that and I loved it! Loved it! I wish I had read them as a 10-year-old. They would have been life-changing. I will re-read several of them. The first, of course, Swallows and Amazons, can be read again and again and again. It is as perfect a children's tale as I could ever imagine. Missee Lee and Peter Duck, being the two meta stories in the series, could easily be read again and again. Since they never really happened to the characters anyway, why not? And I particularly loved Coot Club and We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea - they may get re-read as well. They all have something to recommend them. Did I prefer the water-borne tales as opposed to the land-based ones, yes, I think most do, but I loved Pigeon Post and that hot, dry summer, and the intrigues in The Picts and The Martyrs, or Not Welcome At All had me on the edge of my seat. Thank you, Arthur Ransome. Thank you!
January 1, 2020
Great Northern was a great read for any budding child ornithologist or child needing adventure. Ransome again puts a group of children together that exhibit great creativity and responsibility. As in other Ransome books the parents stay in the background while the children embark on exciting adventures such as saving a pair of rare loons from a dastardly egg collector who showed no sense of caring for the environment. This timeless book is good for all ages and helps instill ideals into children that are currently lacking in our modern world. I brought this book to a book club for adults and recommended they step into Ransome’s world, at least for a few hours. We could use more authors like Ransome that inspire and encourage today’s youth to greater heights of responsibility and adventure. Ransome’s book encourage one to leave the electronics behind and step out into a real adventure while perhaps getting to see life birds and being a protector of our environment at the same time.
November 4, 2021
2021 has been the year of Swallows and Amazons for me, and what a year it's been. Revisiting these characters (despite only having read the first book as a child) has been an absolute joy, and this book felt like a pretty satisfying end to the series.
I am not a huge fan of the Ds, Dorothea is a bit too wet and Dick is a bit too geeky. But, it was nice having all the characters reunited and off voyaging around the Scottish islands.
The adventure in this book is based less on sailing, and much more on birds and egg collectors, and the peril was very well established and drawn out. I loved having the duel enemies on land and on sea, but I felt some elements were pretty rushed. Ian and Rogers feud, what happened after the return of the eggs - it felt a little less drawn together at the end than some of the others. Also, possibly because there were so many children, and other characters to deal with, I felt Titty (my favourite) got a little less time than I would have liked.
Anyway, Nancy is at her absolute best in this book, and for her alone it's worth 4*
I am not a huge fan of the Ds, Dorothea is a bit too wet and Dick is a bit too geeky. But, it was nice having all the characters reunited and off voyaging around the Scottish islands.
The adventure in this book is based less on sailing, and much more on birds and egg collectors, and the peril was very well established and drawn out. I loved having the duel enemies on land and on sea, but I felt some elements were pretty rushed. Ian and Rogers feud, what happened after the return of the eggs - it felt a little less drawn together at the end than some of the others. Also, possibly because there were so many children, and other characters to deal with, I felt Titty (my favourite) got a little less time than I would have liked.
Anyway, Nancy is at her absolute best in this book, and for her alone it's worth 4*
May 28, 2021
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.
February 16, 2019
Ransome's final Swallows and Amazons novel brings all the children together, fittingly, in an adventure in the Scottish wilds, replete with Gaelic lairds, hinds and evil egg collectors. The spotlight turns to Dick, the naturalist, engineer, and all-around Boy Scout. Has he found a Great Northern nesting in a place where the bird is not supposed to nest? How can he prove it without tipping off the location to the wicked egg-collecting industrialist who is hard on his heels? And why are the locals so angry with them? It's hard to let go of this splendid series of children's stories from another era, especially because the mirror they hold up to our own era is so revealing. I hope children will continue to read these books so that they can understand a little better that it is possible to grow up without an Internet, hyperconnectivity, and helicopter parenting -- and still thrive.
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