This book is somewhat magical - it takes you back to a time when not only childhood was more innocent and carefree but life and the world itself more wholesome and adventurous. If I could choose any decade in which to live, the 20s would probably be first or second choice and Swallows & Amazons is testament to that. The whole novel is a mix of childhood delight in the power of imagination and the timeless appeal of the great outdoors. I think a lot of its charm comes from the fact that this is not just a book written in the era of sailing boats and genuine global exploration, it is a book written from the child's perspective of these exciting things, thus romanticising it all the more. It's only when you think that the kids in the book would all be in their early 90s now that you realise those times aren't all that far away - there are people alive that will have grown up like this. Thereby making it all the more agonising that such antics just don't seem achieveable these days. Camping out alone on an island alone, in charge of a sailing boat and being allowed to charge about pretending to be pirates...fantastic.

This is a kid's book but lord knows how they're expected to get through 418 pages while keeping their attention span. In a way though the length is the only deviation from the fact that this isn't principally aimed at adults. For instance, in terms of the language, sentences are sometimes unintentionally humourous with their non-sequiters - it is isn't unusual for a chapter to end with a random utterance from a character like "'I'm tired', said John". I don't know if kids these days would 'get' the language and terms of reference so in a way, Swallows & Amazons has almost become a book that is best read by adults. I hasten to add though, that this is truly a shame because it is an absolutely splendid immersive experience.

All in all, it makes one ache for not only the simpler times of childhood but the simpler times of the early 20th century. The fun had by the characters in this book is, I'll wager, a thousand times greater than any 'contemporary' young fiction. Must read.