Swallows and Amazons
As you may have guessed my first good book of the year is Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. I read it a long time ago now and realising how close I was to falling behind with my reading I snatched it from the shelf and re-read it. It’s changed. The tale of the young Walkers has become very much shorter than I recalled. It seemed such a big book when I last thumbed its pages.
Just in case you haven’t visited with the Walkers yourself, Swallow and Amazons is the tale of four young children who camp on an island in a lake. I suppose I could call it the lake as it forms for the duration of the story the entire world. Everything and everyone outside of the children’s narrative is suspiciously referred to as ‘native’. Although mother is rather well regarded, despite being herself a native.
Upon finishing it I see that it is more of a good story than literature, so perhaps I will have to read another book to keep up with myself. Despite this I do not count the time wasted as I have thoroughly enjoyed the jaunt through my own sailing memories and look forward eagerly to next week’s literary treat.
Word of the day: Flocculent
-adjective
1 – like a clump or tuft of wool
2 – covered with a soft, wooly substance
3 – flocky
4 – consisting of flocs and floccules (chemistry)
