• The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
    Book Reviews

    The Summer Book by Tove Jansson | Book Review

    The Summer Book by Tove Jansson Original Publication Date: 1972 Genres: Fiction, Scandinavian Literature Source: I purchased this book Goodreads In The Summer Book, Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. The grandmother is unsentimental and wise if a little cranky; Sophia is impetuous and volatile, but she tends to her grandmother with the care of a new parent. In The Summer Book, Jansson creates her own complete world,…