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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
I was not at all enthusiastic going into this because I normally do not like Moominpapa as a character, but it quickly became my favourite (so far) in the series. We get to know a ton of new characters and learn about the origins of Snufkin and Sniff. Little My makes her first appearance and immediately starts causing mayhem. It's just such a fun, lighthearted adventure story.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Interesting to contrast this with later books in the series like November or Moominpappa at Sea -- this is a much more joyful and zany book, and while it's one of the few Moomin stories that feels directly satirical, it's also one of the most child friendly. Most of what I love about it, I remember from my experience as a child -- the Island Ghost, the treasure hunt for eggs, the advent of Little My, the chase for clouds, the Niblings. The drawings are fantastic: lively, evocative and graceful, the bring the characters to life. I found reading this very comforting, although it isn't as emotionally resonant as some of the other books.
I had a vague childhood memory of reading a Moomin book and finding it more than a little tedious. I was therefore very pleasantly surprised to find an absolutely charming tale with some genuinely funny episodes (the ghost was a particular favourite) and written in a sweet, readable style (and the illustrations were as lovely as always).
Delightful, quirky characters And nonsense that I will be pleased to return to.
Delightful, quirky characters And nonsense that I will be pleased to return to.
adventurous
Todella riemastuttava pieni kirja Muumipapan nuoruusvuosista! Piirretyn tv-sarjan katsomisesta on kulunut jo sen verran aikaa, että osa näistä tapahtumista ja hahmoista on päässyt unohtumaan, mutta tässä kirjassa ne kertautuivat hyvin. Kirja oli täynnä mitä hassuimpia otuksia ja voi vain ihmetellä, miten loistava mielikuvitus Tove Janssonilla on ollut. Ja ei, hänen kirjoitustyylissäänkään ei ole mitään moitittavaa, päinvastoin. Suosittelen ihan jokaiselle ikään ja sukupuoleen katsomatta!
An ill, bedridden Moominpappa must find something to do to stave off the boredom so when Moominmamma suggests he write down his life history he seizes the opportunity and puts pen to paper. He may be the designated Patriarch of the house now but it wasn't always this way. Moominpappa began his life as a orphaned baby deposited outside a home for foundlings and this is his story.
Frustrated by the restrictive control of the Hemulen in charge at the home, a very young Moominpappa escapes and heads off into the wild world. Fortunately, he meets up and makes friends with the amiable and deeply knowledgeable Hodgkins. Noticing that both had the same spirit of adventure within them, they agree to set off in order to discover the world together along with Hodgkins' nephew, Muddler and their friend, Joxter.
All four set upon a series of adventures each tale of which is then read aloud in the present and to Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin (the children of these adventurers). I loved the fact that this is the book in which we meet Little My and Mymble (the latter of which was, amongst Tove's friends a codeword for making love). The memoirs close, as they open, on a stormy night in which Moominmamma is plucked from the raging sea (a wonderful image in both words and picture).
Memoirs (or Exploits depending on your version) was one of the most redrafted of all of Jansson's stories. The last moomin saga to be penned during the 40s, the autobiographical element was inspired by a similarly structured autobiography by Tove's favourite artist and sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini. In his own work, written in the 16th century, he reflected on how when one reaches the age of 40, one is old enough to write about your life and the adventures within. So the seed is sown for Moominpappa's own memoirs; a series of stories in which genre and viewpoint are interchangeable and memories are aplomb with fantasy and questionable authenticity.
Interestingly, it was Tove who always wanted the title to be Memoirs, but the publishers thought the term too sophisticated for the young audience and chose Exploits instead since it alluded to that sense of adventure: in time she would get her way. As a burgeoning writing of prose, Jansson enjoyed the idea that as Moominpappa wrote, he began to find his writerly identity; this mirrored her own journey through the process.
Frustrated by the restrictive control of the Hemulen in charge at the home, a very young Moominpappa escapes and heads off into the wild world. Fortunately, he meets up and makes friends with the amiable and deeply knowledgeable Hodgkins. Noticing that both had the same spirit of adventure within them, they agree to set off in order to discover the world together along with Hodgkins' nephew, Muddler and their friend, Joxter.
All four set upon a series of adventures each tale of which is then read aloud in the present and to Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin (the children of these adventurers). I loved the fact that this is the book in which we meet Little My and Mymble (the latter of which was, amongst Tove's friends a codeword for making love). The memoirs close, as they open, on a stormy night in which Moominmamma is plucked from the raging sea (a wonderful image in both words and picture).
Memoirs (or Exploits depending on your version) was one of the most redrafted of all of Jansson's stories. The last moomin saga to be penned during the 40s, the autobiographical element was inspired by a similarly structured autobiography by Tove's favourite artist and sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini. In his own work, written in the 16th century, he reflected on how when one reaches the age of 40, one is old enough to write about your life and the adventures within. So the seed is sown for Moominpappa's own memoirs; a series of stories in which genre and viewpoint are interchangeable and memories are aplomb with fantasy and questionable authenticity.
Interestingly, it was Tove who always wanted the title to be Memoirs, but the publishers thought the term too sophisticated for the young audience and chose Exploits instead since it alluded to that sense of adventure: in time she would get her way. As a burgeoning writing of prose, Jansson enjoyed the idea that as Moominpappa wrote, he began to find his writerly identity; this mirrored her own journey through the process.