One of the 'Swallows and Amazons' books, but it stands alone - though better for having read at least the first one in the series. 'Missee Lee' is a little surreal, featuring a Chinese lady tycoon (or 'taicoon') who rules three islands but would love to be studying Latin at Cambridge.

It's an exciting adventure story, one I read regularly as a child but hadn't dipped into for, probably twenty-five or thirty years. If the Chinese minor characters are a bit stereotyped (some of them rather bloodthirsty) others are realistic, and the whole is a product of its era - this was first published in 1941.

The main characters are distinct and believable, and although I remembered the outcome, I still found it difficult to put down at times, and am very glad I decided to re-read it after all these years.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/12/missee-lee-by-arthur-ransome.html ( )

Growing up the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome was one of my favorite series. When I decided to re-read it as an adult I was worried that it would not stand the test of time. I was delighted to find that in general found it just as enjoyable now as I did as a child. The characters, writing style and adventures are great and I truly enjoyed the series. ( )

Page after page of velly poolly lendered faux-Chinese accent does wear on the reader, but the character of Miss Lee redeems the book. Accomplished pirate, politician, Latin scholar, faithful Cambridge student, fearsome preceptress, and (so much admired by the Swallow and Amazons) superb sailor and navigator -- a female role model to admire. If only Ransome had actually bothered to listen to Chinese people speaking English before he wrote so many thousands of words of it. ( )

My first exposure to the Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazons series, this book is well into it. Aside from not knowing what led up to the adventure, and who exactly all these children were, I did not feel lost. I used the internet to answer those questions when I was well into the story. I enjoy the way Ransome incorporates geography, history, culture and sailing vocabulary and skills in his story. Very unobtrusive and part of the tale. I wish I had known about these when I was homeschooling my children, as they would have been a great addition to the curriculum. As it is, I enjoyed the read as an adult, except the bits about the monkey. But then I don't like monkeys. Also, I did not enjoy the long bits of dialog with the Chinese, because it was annoying to read words which randomly had the "R" replaced with an "L." I suppose it also reflected some of the prejudices and biases of the times, although not as pronounced as some books I've read from the era. ( )

One of my favorite Arthur Ransom books because it is a REAL adventure. The Swallows and the Amazons are sailing around the world with Captain Flint when a terrible accident sees the yacht at the bottom of the sea and the crew marooned in their two tiny sail boats. After becoming separated by a storm in the middle of the night, the Swallows wash up on a tiny island that houses only a temple and some schoolbooks! Roger draws in one and writes a cheeky verse which leads to some interesting developments. Meanwhile, the Amazons and Captain Flint have been captured by real Chinese pirates and the whole business leads them to come under the watchful eye of the famous Missee Lee, the most terrifying Chinese pirate alive! Can they escape? Will Captain Flint be executed? Will they ever get back to England alive? There are quite a few dated racist language conventions in this book but it should be remember that it was written 60 years ago! I have read this book 10 times and love every line in it. ( )