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ceallaighsbooks 's review for:
Moominsummer Madness
by Tove Jansson
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Oh dear me,” she said. “What a terribly hot and sooty day. Volcanoes are such a nuisance.”
“If it only wasn’t quite so far away,” said Moominpappa. “Then one could find a paperweight of real lava,” he added longingly.
TITLE—Moominsummer Madness
AUTHOR—Tove Jansson
TRANSLATOR—Thomas Warburton
PUBLISHED—1954
GENRE—middle grade
SETTING—Moominland
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—family, new friends, old friends, challenges of life, meaning of life, summer
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—A lovely summer read!
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Flee!” cried Moominmamma. “The police are here!” She didn’t know what her Moomintroll had done, but she was convinced that she approved of it.
What a cute story! I’ve come to really love both Jansson’s voice and her illustrations so much in her books for younger audiences. In this story I particularly liked the character of Misabel and how Jansson contrasted the lighthearted elements of the tale with some unsettling and somewhat disastrous occurrences. It felt very Finnish to me, which is appropriate I’m sure, but idk how *I* would know that. 😂 I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
“Of course we’ll manage,” replied Moominmamma. “We’re only waiting for our new home. Only bad people fare badly.”
“Not always,” said Whomper. “I know villains who have never even fallen in the water.”
“What a poor life,” said Moominmamma wonderingly.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Further Reading—
- the rest of the Moomin books—TBR
- The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson
- Terry Pratchet—TBR
Favorite Quotes…
“Oh dear me,” she said. “What a terribly hot and sooty day. Volcanoes are such a nuisance.”
“If it only wasn’t quite so far away,” said Moominpappa. “Then one could find a paperweight of real lava,” he added longingly.
“The big world is dangerous. Where there’s no one who knows you—or who knows what you like and what you’re afraid of.”
“Moominpappa found sawing his own floor to pieces just a little dreadful, but at the same time highly satisfying.”
“Of course we’ll manage,” replied Moominmamma. “We’re only waiting for our new home. Only bad people fare badly.”
“Not always,” said Whomper. “I know villains who have never even fallen in the water.”
“What a poor life,” said Moominmamma wonderingly.”
“There’s a lot of things one can’t understand,” Moominmamma said to herself. “But why should everything be exactly as one is used to having it?”
“Troubled in his honest heart, Whomper pondered over the meaning of it all, but he couldn’t find any solution. “I wish I were just a tiny bit more clever,” he thought. “Or a few weeks older.”
“Later in the evening Misabel went for a solitary stroll by the sea. She saw the moon rise and start his lonesome journey through the night. “He’s exactly like me,” Misabel thought sadly. “So plump and lonely.”
“I just feel as if I had done something. I always feel as if someone were angry with me. If I were the wonderful-est Misabel in the world everything would be different…”
“No thanks, it’s no fun now,” replied Misabel and went away. She sat down in a corner and cried. “Why is it always like this?” she thought. “Why does everything become so sad and difficult?”
“Misabel changed into a black dress. She sat down in a corner and had a good cry all by herself.
“Are you really taking it so hard?” asked Whomper sympathetically.
“No, not so much,” replied Misabel. “But I’m taking the chance to have a cry over a lot of things now when there’s a good reason.”
“Oh, yes,” replied Whomper without quite understanding.”
“The main thing in life is to know your own mind,” said Snufkin.
“Flee!” cried Moominmamma. “The police are here!” She didn’t know what her Moomintroll had done, but she was convinced that she approved of it.