Other editions of book The Picts & the Martyrs: Or Not Welcome at All

Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless su?ering from exhaustion) has gone o? sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. Shes also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (a.k.a. G.A.) hears of their abandonment, shes horri?ed and o? on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined, but now theyll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherds cottage where theyll be forced to live o? the land like savages (ergo The Picts), while theyll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano-forte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo The Martyrs). Not much stretch here; no one dares tri?e with the G. A. As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say shes sorry. The Picts & the Martyrs Stands out in triumph. The Times Literary Supplement

It was going to be a great summer for the Amazons until their great aunt came to stay. She’s decided the Blackett sisters need to act more like ladies—and that makes adventures a little bit more of a challenge!The Amazons’ mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She’s also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when the redoubtable Great Aunt hears of their abandonment, she’s horrified and off on the next train.The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined but now they’ll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd’s cottage (where they’ll be forced to live off the land like the ancient Celtic, “Picts”) while the Blackett sisters will be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano, and recite reams of poetry aloud (therefore “The Martyrs”).Friendship and resourcefulness, dangers and excitement: 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. The Picts & the Martyrs (originally published in 1943) is the eleventh title in the Swallows and Amazons series, books for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure, exploration, and imagination.

Jibbooms and bobstays! Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She's also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (aka G. A.) hears of their abandonment, she's horrified and off on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined but now they'll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd's cottage (where they'll be forced to live off the land like savages, ergo "The Picts") while they'll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the pianoforte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo "The Martyrs"). Not much stretch here; no one dares trifle with the G.A. As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable maiden aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say she's sorry. This is the eleventh title in a beloved series that have endeared themselves to three generations of readers, books as credible today as when Ransome penned them on the shores of his beloved Lake District in the 1930s.

It was going to be a great summer for the Amazons until their great aunt came to stay. She’s decided the Blackett sisters need to act more like ladies―and that makes adventures a little bit more of a challenge!The Amazons’ mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She’s also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when the redoubtable Great Aunt hears of their abandonment, she’s horrified and off on the next train.The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined but now they’ll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd’s cottage (where they’ll be forced to live off the land like the ancient Celtic, “Picts”) while the Blackett sisters will be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano, and recite reams of poetry aloud (therefore “The Martyrs”).Friendship and resourcefulness, dangers and excitement: 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. The Picts & the Martyrs (originally published in 1943) is the eleventh title in the Swallows and Amazons series, books for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure, exploration, and imagination.

The dreaded Great Aunt has invited herself to stay with Nancy and Peggy just as their friends Dick and Dorothea arrive for the Summer holiday. Nancy and Peggy have to become Martyrs, wearing dresses and reading poetry (but breaking out at night), while Dick and Dorothea become Picts, secret inhabitants of the country who must never let themselves be seen. It's a desperate gamble to keep everyone out of trouble - but can it possibly work against the eagle eyes of the fearsome Great Aunt?

It was going to be a great summer for the Amazons until their great aunt came to stay. She’s decided the Blackett sisters need to act more like ladies―and that makes adventures a little bit more of a challenge!The Amazons’ mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She’s also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when the redoubtable Great Aunt hears of their abandonment, she’s horrified and off on the next train.The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined but now they’ll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd’s cottage (where they’ll be forced to live off the land like the ancient Celtic, “Picts”) while the Blackett sisters will be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano, and recite reams of poetry aloud (therefore “The Martyrs”).Friendship and resourcefulness, dangers and excitement: 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. The Picts & the Martyrs (originally published in 1943) is the eleventh title in the Swallows and Amazons series, books for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure, exploration, and imagination.

Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless su?ering from exhaustion) has gone o? sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. Shes also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (a.k.a. G.A.) hears of their abandonment, shes horri?ed and o? on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined, but now theyll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherds cottage where theyll be forced to live o? the land like savages (ergo The Picts), while theyll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano-forte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo The Martyrs). Not much stretch here; no one dares tri?e with the G. A. As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say shes sorry. The Picts & the Martyrs Stands out in triumph. The Times Literary Supplement

Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She’s also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (a.k.a. G.A.) hears of their abandonment, she’s horrified and off on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined, but now they’ll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd’s cottage where they’ll be forced to live off the land like savages (ergo “The Picts”), while they’ll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano-forte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo “The Martyrs”). Not much stretch here; no one dares trifle with the G. A. As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say she’s sorry. The Picts & the Martyrs “Stands out in triumph.” — The Times Literary Supplement

Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She’s also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (a.k.a. G.A.) hears of their abandonment, she’s horrified and off on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined, but now they’ll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd’s cottage where they’ll be forced to live off the land like savages (ergo “The Picts”), while they’ll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano-forte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo “The Martyrs”). Not much stretch here; no one dares trifle with the G. A. As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say she’s sorry. The Picts & the Martyrs “Stands out in triumph.” ― The Times Literary Supplement