Scan barcode
lbooks's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dunder_mifflin's review
3.0
I liked enough of the stories that I can't rate it less than three stars, but not enough of the stories to rate it any higher. I'd like to read something else by Tove Jansson at some point.
bookwomble's review
4.0
There's often no point to Jansson's stories, at least, no explicit point. Her characters appear on the page, we follow them for a while, then they fade out. You make of them and their situations what you will, and I'm not always sure what I have made of them.
If there's generally no plot, what Jansson always provides is humanity, personness, relation. Even when I don't always 'get' Jansson's characters, I know that I've 'met them' in some way - she provides a connection between the reader and her characters and, ultimately, herself as the writer.
In this collection, there's a few of Jansson's cantankerous, willfull, wonderful old ladies; a woman who is death (she reminded me a little of [a:Mary Wilkins Freeman|14377064|Mary Wilkins Freeman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s Luella Miller, though without the malevolence); strange, solitary children, and; tortured artists. A couple of stories, also, that feature living in exile, whether self-imposed or otherwise.
Jansson's understated, quirky tales quietly teach us what it is to be human.
If there's generally no plot, what Jansson always provides is humanity, personness, relation. Even when I don't always 'get' Jansson's characters, I know that I've 'met them' in some way - she provides a connection between the reader and her characters and, ultimately, herself as the writer.
In this collection, there's a few of Jansson's cantankerous, willfull, wonderful old ladies; a woman who is death (she reminded me a little of [a:Mary Wilkins Freeman|14377064|Mary Wilkins Freeman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s Luella Miller, though without the malevolence); strange, solitary children, and; tortured artists. A couple of stories, also, that feature living in exile, whether self-imposed or otherwise.
Jansson's understated, quirky tales quietly teach us what it is to be human.
bartvanovermeire's review
3.0
Enkele goede verhalen ('The train trip', 'The pictures' en 'Emmelina') maar het geheel toch net iets te licht en vluchtig.
balancinghistorybooks's review
5.0
I could not resist ordering a newly translated collection of short stories by one of my absolute favourite authors when I first heard about it, and I dove in almost immediately. Tove Jansson's Letters from Klara is such a treat. Each tale was written whilst Jansson was in her seventies; one can see a marked shift between these contemplative pieces, and those of her younger years, which share an extremely perceptive vivacity. The stories within the collection are largely quiet and slowly paced, but they are all the lovelier for it. The blurb of Letters from Klara, in fact, describes them as 'subtle' and 'light-footed' stories, descriptions which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Letters from Klara provides a wonderful breather from the hectic modern world. Its stories are varied and quite diverse, but humanity is at the core of each. A lot of the stories are about ageing and death, clearly subjects which become more pressing and important during Jansson's literary career. Letters from Klara is neither her best, not her most memorable, collection, but it is absolutely filled to the brim with tiny gems, and gorgeously evoked slices of life which appeal to all of the senses.
Letters from Klara provides a wonderful breather from the hectic modern world. Its stories are varied and quite diverse, but humanity is at the core of each. A lot of the stories are about ageing and death, clearly subjects which become more pressing and important during Jansson's literary career. Letters from Klara is neither her best, not her most memorable, collection, but it is absolutely filled to the brim with tiny gems, and gorgeously evoked slices of life which appeal to all of the senses.
psr's review
3.0
While not as strong as 'Sculptor's Daughter' or 'Art in Nature', say, there was still an appeal to aspects of this uneven collection. It is Tove Jansson, after all... From my perspective, Jansson's last two volumes of short stories were her weakest, understandably, perhaps, as by the time 'Letters from Klara' was published she was 77 years old. And when you're the author of 'The Summer Book', you're entitled to have your off days. The best of the stories possessed an unsettling, Mittel-European atmosphere, 'The Pictures', for instance, and 'Emmelina' that elevated them above the other vignettes here. It got me thinking how strong a selection from her last three collections could be, truly reflecting her genius as an observer of charged moments and odd characters.
stephenrotzschthomas's review
3.0
Some of the stories are a little aimless, but isn't that the joy of reading Jansson anyway?
martha_is_reading's review
3.0
This collection of short stories was a total impulse buy - I liked the cover, the title had a kind of romance to it and I've heard good things about Tove Jansson. My trouble came when the title story was the one I liked the most, so we peaked at the start, and then it was just a bit...meh.
It might be the sort of collection that requires a slower, more attentive read; whereas I whizzed through it in a day. All of the stories are very subtle, there's no drama, and the "transformations" described in the blurb aren't always obvious unless you really think about it. The ones I did "get" were quite sweet.
This is a 2.5 stars, but rounded up to 3 because I feel like 2 would be unreasonably mean - I didn't dislike this, but I think I may forget I've read it...
It might be the sort of collection that requires a slower, more attentive read; whereas I whizzed through it in a day. All of the stories are very subtle, there's no drama, and the "transformations" described in the blurb aren't always obvious unless you really think about it. The ones I did "get" were quite sweet.
This is a 2.5 stars, but rounded up to 3 because I feel like 2 would be unreasonably mean - I didn't dislike this, but I think I may forget I've read it...
More...