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