Posted by Jonathan Labaree on May 27, 2004 at 14:05:58 from 207.5.234.19 user JLabaree.
In Reply to: Swallowdale review in (Manchester) Guardian 26-05-04 posted by Ian E-N on May 27, 2004 at 08:48:31:
What a fascinating take on SD. I agree completely about the fantasy part. While there are very real aspects to Ransome’s books, they are very much set apart from normal experience. Most of the settings of the books do seem a world apart. One of the reasons I like CC&BS so much is that that isn't as true. The events are tied closely to the world outside the main characters’ narrow sphere. The influence of adults and natives play a much bigger role in the Broads books.
I tie this somewhat to Ed’s question below: why weren’t the Amazons allowed to camp earlier? I like Jeremy’s theory a lot, but I also wonder if this isn’t just a little dose of realism – most children aren’t allowed to camp for weeks on end, but rather a few nights at most. That seems very real to me (and matches my own experience as a kid).
I can see why the reviewer says SD has no plot, but for those of us involved in the series, a great deal does happen. There is tremendous growth in many of the characters – John’s shipwreck. Titty’s walk through the fog. These events take greater meaning seen in the larger context of the whole series. The books run together so much in my mind that I can’t, without reading SD again, separate out various events in each book. But that sort of underlines my point.