An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland.
As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears,whims and yearnings,a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself. Written in a clear,unsentimental style,full of brusque humour,and wisdom,The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story.
Tove Jansson captured much of her own life and spirit in the book,which was her favourite of her adult novels. This new edition,with a Foreword by Esther Freud,sees the return of a European literary gem - fresh,authentic and deeply humane.
Publisher: Sort of BooksISBN: 9780954221713Number of pages: 192Weight: 224 gDimensions: 196 x 128 x 34 mmEdition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Her writing is all magical deception,her sentences simple and loaded; the novel reads like looking through clear water and seeing,suddenly,the depth. As Philip Pullman so succinctly puts it,Tove Jansson was a genius.'- Ali Smith
'Tove Jansson was a genius. This is a marvellous,beautiful,wise novel,which is also very funny.'- Philip Pullman
'This is a wonderful,life-affirming,spirited book. Reading it was a tonic.'- Chris Stewart author,Driving Over Lemons
'Eccentric,funny,wise,full of joys and small adventures. This is a book for life.'- Esther Freud
Tove Jansson
Known primarily as the creator of the Moomins,Finnish authorTove Jansson was a novelist,painter and illustrator,part of a minority Swedish-speaking community in Finland. As well as creating the Moomin books for children,which began with The Moomins and the Great Flood,she also wrote six novels including The Summer Book,The True Deceiver and the semi-autobiographical Sculptor's Daughter and five collections of short stories for adults,some of her most popular stories in translation are collected in A Winter Book.
Visit the Tove Jansson author page
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