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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Only ok. I liked the idea of short vignettes about summer on a remote island off the coast of Finland, but I was just kinda bored. The characters had an interesting dynamic but I didn't really like either of them, nor see their merit. I did like the Grandmother's methods of imparting wisdom but I thought Sophia was just a brat. Maybe should re-read.
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A tender, quiet novel told in a series of vignettes about a grandmother and granddaughter spending summer on a small Finnish island. Jansson captures the rhythms of nature, the prickliness and love in family bonds, and the subtle shifts of the season. The prose is beautiful, but the pacing is slow — I learned not to read it at night or I’d lose the thread. It reminded me of my own summers on my grandparents’ island in Lake Nipissing, where lessons came in unexpected forms: from my Finnish grandmother’s steady presence to my grandfather, paralyzed from an accident, who taught me CB radios, Robert Service’s poetry, and the storytelling of country and western music. Quiet, contemplative, and best read when you have space to savour it.
Finland is on my to visit list, lovely book about relationships and connecting with the environment around you
Perfect book to read at the cottage. So many similar feelings.
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
A beautiful series of vignettes about a grandmother and her young granddaughter on a remote island in Finland over the course of one summer. A meditation on nature and growing up and getting old and death and what it means to love someone and to love and deeply know a place.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No