Perhaps this may be true of some authors but certainly not Jansson. I’ve always been rather intimidated by Scandinavian writers, having the impression that their writing style was stark and rather brutal.

Flawed characters are so much more loveable, a lesson that Sophia learns in a chapter entitled “The Cat.” Both characters can be delightful, but they are both flawed and far more likeable than their more perfect counterparts that appear in similar (and infinitely lesser) novels. The short vignettes dealing with the adventures, games, and minor dramas of six-year-old Sophia and her elderly grandmother are simple but beautifully expressed, capturing the spirit and selfishness of youth as well as the exhaustion and bluntness that comes with age. Below the veranda, the vegetation in the morning shade was like a rain forest of lush, evil leaves and flowers…(p. The bare granite steamed, the moss and crevices were drenched with moisture, and all the colors everywhere had deepened. It was an early, very warm morning in July, and it had rained during the night. It’s a magical yet still realistic place, the kind you know exists somewhere and would love to find yourself:

But I can’t complain: wouldn’t you rather spend your summers on a Finnish island, exploring and discovering the world around you?įrom the opening lines, Jansson paints a vivid picture of life on the island that continues throughout and one can almost smell and feel the scene she creates. In fact, as we stumble headlong into August having seen more hail and rain than sun, this seems like the only summer I might experience this year. The NYRB Classic edition of The Summer Book by Tove Jansson is described on the back cover as “the essence of summer” and, after reading this delightful slim volume, I can’t disagree.

The summer book tove jansson review