A lovely review of "The Summer Book." The timely offering feels so very personal, one that we should each read as a way to nudge into the presence of nature as the backdrop of our individual becoming.
Beautiful review of one of my favourite books of all time. I love the way you have drawn out the central themes. This book could be read by anyone at any age. So many lessons in it. And yes I am a fan of Strout, Haruf and Robinson.
Thanks, Matthew. This is a great review of The Summer Book, which like your friend, I tend to re-read if not every summer, often enough. I do not want to sound simplistic here by saying that it is a typically Nordic writing. Eloquent without ornamentation, Clear, without brutality. The characters also behave, feel, ARE, typically Nordic (once again, I am not generalising for simplicity, but I think we can tell they are not Mediterranean characters, for example, and yet the emotions, the feelings, the sentiments are latent between the lines, supporting a prose devoid of "frills and bows". It is the fire beneath the snow, and I love it, perhaps because I was brought up by a grandmother not too dissimilar to Tove Jansson's one, although unlike this author, my Grandma did not live on corned beef and whisky. :-)
What a lovely, in-depth, and beautifully laid-out review you've given this book, Matthew. Amidst so much summer jazz, to find a book that "rewards stillness, rereading, and reflection" is rather rare. Jansson would be appreciative, I'm sure.
Thank you for this lovely review. This is my second summer of reading it and I have found that this time I am sipping it slowly. I found myself nodding my head and agreeing with you through your entire analysis.
I lovely review of a lovely book. You drew out some of the elements that I loved about The Summer Book and describe it well. You make me want to read it again.
Love this, Matt. I have this book on my list for our Autumn trip to Scandinavia. Although we don’t have Finland fitted in to the diary, it sounds like the novel is echoes a sensibility seen across that region. I wonder if Jansson’s background as a writer for youngsters informs the spare but evocative style? As a grandpa, I love the sound of a straightforward, loving but direct, inter generational relationship. Your beautiful review just makes me want to read it more. Written in the year JoJo was born so perhaps I should gift her a copy and pinch a read! Looking forward to seeing what Alex Crow writes.
My goodness, this is a superb review. I love recommending books but, when I do, I always worry that the person I've recommended something to might not 'get' the book as I'd hope. This is, of course, a perfectly acceptable risk, for all those times a recommendation pays off. Here, you've done a simply wonderful job of reviewing The Summer Book, picking up on all those details which makes it such a quiet masterpiece, as you so rightly say. Thank you so much for your thoughts and words here, you've set a very high bar for my own thoughts! (Which is a very good thing!)
Thanks again Matthew, I am truly delighted to read (and reread) this piece.
It really is a masterpiece - and you are right to highlight the importance of silence, spaces, the unsaid. A Winter Book is wonderful, too, if more a short story collection (though The Summer Book reads this way, too, in my opinion), and thus a little less coherent.
A lovely review of "The Summer Book." The timely offering feels so very personal, one that we should each read as a way to nudge into the presence of nature as the backdrop of our individual becoming.
I just finished this and loved it as well. Delightful.
Beautiful review of one of my favourite books of all time. I love the way you have drawn out the central themes. This book could be read by anyone at any age. So many lessons in it. And yes I am a fan of Strout, Haruf and Robinson.
Just what I need for quiet time in the deck. Thanks for sharing.
I've never heard of this book! Lovely review - adding to my TBR!
Thanks, Matthew. This is a great review of The Summer Book, which like your friend, I tend to re-read if not every summer, often enough. I do not want to sound simplistic here by saying that it is a typically Nordic writing. Eloquent without ornamentation, Clear, without brutality. The characters also behave, feel, ARE, typically Nordic (once again, I am not generalising for simplicity, but I think we can tell they are not Mediterranean characters, for example, and yet the emotions, the feelings, the sentiments are latent between the lines, supporting a prose devoid of "frills and bows". It is the fire beneath the snow, and I love it, perhaps because I was brought up by a grandmother not too dissimilar to Tove Jansson's one, although unlike this author, my Grandma did not live on corned beef and whisky. :-)
Sounds great. I’ll pick it up. Thank you my friend 🙏
I'm so glad you read this book, Matthew! I know you are nature lover and I thought it would resonate with you. Such a beautiful, quiet book.
What a lovely, in-depth, and beautifully laid-out review you've given this book, Matthew. Amidst so much summer jazz, to find a book that "rewards stillness, rereading, and reflection" is rather rare. Jansson would be appreciative, I'm sure.
Sounds like a wonderful book. Adding it to my list.
Thank you for this lovely review. This is my second summer of reading it and I have found that this time I am sipping it slowly. I found myself nodding my head and agreeing with you through your entire analysis.
I lovely review of a lovely book. You drew out some of the elements that I loved about The Summer Book and describe it well. You make me want to read it again.
Love this, Matt. I have this book on my list for our Autumn trip to Scandinavia. Although we don’t have Finland fitted in to the diary, it sounds like the novel is echoes a sensibility seen across that region. I wonder if Jansson’s background as a writer for youngsters informs the spare but evocative style? As a grandpa, I love the sound of a straightforward, loving but direct, inter generational relationship. Your beautiful review just makes me want to read it more. Written in the year JoJo was born so perhaps I should gift her a copy and pinch a read! Looking forward to seeing what Alex Crow writes.
My goodness, this is a superb review. I love recommending books but, when I do, I always worry that the person I've recommended something to might not 'get' the book as I'd hope. This is, of course, a perfectly acceptable risk, for all those times a recommendation pays off. Here, you've done a simply wonderful job of reviewing The Summer Book, picking up on all those details which makes it such a quiet masterpiece, as you so rightly say. Thank you so much for your thoughts and words here, you've set a very high bar for my own thoughts! (Which is a very good thing!)
Thanks again Matthew, I am truly delighted to read (and reread) this piece.
It really is a masterpiece - and you are right to highlight the importance of silence, spaces, the unsaid. A Winter Book is wonderful, too, if more a short story collection (though The Summer Book reads this way, too, in my opinion), and thus a little less coherent.
Lovely. Thank you!