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Moominland Midwinter
(Mumintrollen #6)
by
As you probably know, in the winter Moomins always sleep, like dormice, from November to April, when the warm weather starts again. But one year something extraordinary happened to Moomintroll; he woke up and found he couldn't go back to sleep again. All the clocks had stopped ages ago, and a fine coat of dust covered everything ... There was nothing to eat and no one to t
...more
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Paperback, 139 pages
Published
2012
by Puffin Books
(first published 1957)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Apr 02, 2010
notgettingenough
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens
This book has the best footnotes.
And a bit later on, when we are so sad because squirrel is dead, the most comforting footnote I've ever read:
A displaced hedgehog is a hedgehog that has been removed from its home against its will and not even had time to pack its toothbrush.
And a bit later on, when we are so sad because squirrel is dead, the most comforting footnote I've ever read:
In case the reader feels like having a cry, please take a quick look at p. 126.
Oh, the things that happen to you if you can't hibernate properly!
Reread with my big kids in Scandinavian mid-winter. A delight to revisit after a decade!
Reread with my big kids in Scandinavian mid-winter. A delight to revisit after a decade!
Oct 03, 2010
Eddie Watkins
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
finnish-fiction,
neverending-childhood
The human world is a huge mess that somehow survives the day. I don’t know how it happens, and I’m not sure that all our (un)concerted efforts to help it survive don’t just further complicate things and make that daily survival less and less possible. My attitude in these matters is generally that of a cynical Taoist – a profound faith in things as they are functioning “perfectly” in enormous rhythms of time wedded to an understanding that most humans only make things worse. If pressed my explan
...more
'"When one's dead, then one's dead," said Too-Ticky kindly. "This squirrel will become earth all in his time. And still later on there'll grow trees from him, with new squirrels skipping about in them. Do you think that's so sad?"
"Perhaps not," said Moomintroll.'
Granted, I've only just finished reading it, but this might just be my favourite book. Towards the end, when Moomintroll's long and lonely ordeal is finally over, someone suggests that he should put a glass over a budd ...more
"Perhaps not," said Moomintroll.'
Granted, I've only just finished reading it, but this might just be my favourite book. Towards the end, when Moomintroll's long and lonely ordeal is finally over, someone suggests that he should put a glass over a budd ...more
All things are so very uncertain, and that's exactly what makes me feel reassured.
Had the urge to reread this because it kept popping up to my bookstagram feed, so thanks, guys. It was even better than I remembered, and a perfect December read.
Had the urge to reread this because it kept popping up to my bookstagram feed, so thanks, guys. It was even better than I remembered, and a perfect December read.
Cynical comfort reading. Jansson's stories won't warm the depths of mid-winter, but may encourage you to accept that the frozen snowy dark is temporary and not entirely meritless if one remains open to its potential. People also. Most of them are irritating in some way or another, but it'll be okay. They're probably also well-meaning in some way.
There's a fab essay by Maria Popova on this book on Brain Pickings today, encompassing "the paradox of active surrender." Highly recommended.
***
Found my childhood copy of this while cleaning out an old box last night, and to my delight I enjoyed it just as much as a grown up. My favourite of all the moomin books, because of the haunting quietness. On my must-read list for all children.
***
Found my childhood copy of this while cleaning out an old box last night, and to my delight I enjoyed it just as much as a grown up. My favourite of all the moomin books, because of the haunting quietness. On my must-read list for all children.
I love all the Moomin books, but this one especially. It's a small existentialist masterpiece. Who but Tove Jansson can blend menace and whimsy in such a winning way? I'm plotting an omnibus review of the whole series when I've finished rereading them all (two more books to go after this one).
So wintry and lovely. My copy had 17 pages missing so I shall have to hunt them down and enjoy them on their own.
For my full review: https://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/...
The first Moomins book that I read was Finn Family Moomintroll and I fell in love. Moominvalley seemed a magical place of eternal sunshine. The food was plentiful, the company enchanting and even when risky characters such as the Hobgoblin showed up, the threat never felt particularly severe. Eight year-old me was in rapture. But it was a library book and I was not allowed to keep checking it out indefinitely and nor was I allowed a copy of my own. When I discovered ...more
The first Moomins book that I read was Finn Family Moomintroll and I fell in love. Moominvalley seemed a magical place of eternal sunshine. The food was plentiful, the company enchanting and even when risky characters such as the Hobgoblin showed up, the threat never felt particularly severe. Eight year-old me was in rapture. But it was a library book and I was not allowed to keep checking it out indefinitely and nor was I allowed a copy of my own. When I discovered ...more
Someone bought me this book from a second-hand store when I was a kid. I can't remember who. I had never heard of the Moomin world before that, and for more than a decade no one else I knew ever indicated a knowledge of it. I saw a Little My button on a girl's backpack in High School and pointed it out and she went nuts with joy that someone had recognised it. Moominland was a secret world known by so few. Now the books are easier to find I IMPLORE you to buy them.
I swear this book changed me i ...more
I swear this book changed me i ...more
Book #5 in #CramaThon2015.
I didn't DNF this the first time I tried reading it because I didn't like it, but more because I wasn't in the mood for it at the time. Glad I picked it up again during CramaThon, because I really enjoyed it!
(Finish a book you DNF'ed.)
I didn't DNF this the first time I tried reading it because I didn't like it, but more because I wasn't in the mood for it at the time. Glad I picked it up again during CramaThon, because I really enjoyed it!
(Finish a book you DNF'ed.)
I want some warm syrup now..
Absolutely lovely and with some lessons to learn from it too!
"There are such a lot of things that have no place in summer and autumn and spring. Everything that’s a little shy and a little rum. Some kinds of night animals and people that don’t fit in with others and that nobody really believes in. They keep out of the way all the year. And then when everything’s quiet and white and the nights are long and most people are asleep — then they appear." — Too-Ticky, Moominland Midwinter
In Moominworld, misfits come out during the bleakest, coldest time of year ...more
In Moominworld, misfits come out during the bleakest, coldest time of year ...more
Moominland Midwinter is more melancholic and thoughtful than earlier Moomin books. It is also one of my favourite Moomin books alongside with Moominvalley in November. It is Moomintroll's story of growing up; he wakes up in the winter when rest of the family is still hibernating and feels utterly lonely in the dark, cold world. Luckily there are creatures like Too-Ticky who keep him company and help him let go of his fears and loneliness. Tove Jansson is such an incredible writer. She both makes
...more
Outside, the cold went up against the night and the moonlight shone through all the green and red windowpanes.
Tell me about snow, said Moomintroll and sat down in his father's sun-bleached garden chair. I don't understand it.
Neither do I, said Too-Ticky. You think it's cold, but if you build a house from it it's warm. You think it's white, but sometimes it's pink, and sometimes blue. It can be the softest thing of all and it can be harder than stone. Nothing is certain.
In which Moom ...more
Tell me about snow, said Moomintroll and sat down in his father's sun-bleached garden chair. I don't understand it.
Neither do I, said Too-Ticky. You think it's cold, but if you build a house from it it's warm. You think it's white, but sometimes it's pink, and sometimes blue. It can be the softest thing of all and it can be harder than stone. Nothing is certain.
In which Moom ...more
This was a book that was gifted to me for my birthday after I said I hadn't read any of the Moomin series, I got a fantastic looking hardcover edition and thoroughly enjoyed reading it on the train. A quick read, I felt that even though I hadn't read any of the other books in the series, I was still able to follow the characters. Also added a touch of frost to a very very warm day. Great read.
Waiting for the sun... a charming tale of winter.
From Brainpickings: Tove Jansson (1914–2001) is among the most imaginative, important, and influential children's book creators of all time, an artist and writer of unparalleled creative vision and great sensitivity to life's ineffable nuances. A recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, she had the courage to turn down Walt Disney and build her o ...more
From Brainpickings: Tove Jansson (1914–2001) is among the most imaginative, important, and influential children's book creators of all time, an artist and writer of unparalleled creative vision and great sensitivity to life's ineffable nuances. A recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, she had the courage to turn down Walt Disney and build her o ...more
Magical, haunting, witty, writing of such subtle depth and beauty - how glorious is this book! The characters almost spring forth from the pages into one's heart, and the illustrations are perfect. If you have read this as a child, images from this story will stay with you for a lifetime. If you are an adult newly come to this treasure, you will still be able to appreciate its genius.
Looking back over the decades since I first came to own my precious boxed set, I think Tove's writing ...more
Looking back over the decades since I first came to own my precious boxed set, I think Tove's writing ...more
More strange and existential than the others, this might be my favorite. The meditations on winter and the nature of the creatures that choose to dwell in the cold and dark were gorgeous. And though much of this was lost on my children, the 7YO seemed to appreciate the melancholy and loneliness of Moomintroll being the only one of his family awake, while the 3YO liked the little moments with Little My or the skiing hemulen.
Re-read-aloud 2015: The kids and I loved this again. So odd a ...more
Re-read-aloud 2015: The kids and I loved this again. So odd a ...more
my absolute favorite of the Moomin books. This time I read it entirely in the summer house, which has emerged triumphant in winter in much the same way Too Ticky takes over the Bathing Hut in the book.
"here come the dumb
the lonely and the rum
the wild and the quiet
bang goes the drum"
Too Ticky is the character I would most like to be... I suppose Little My is my favorite, but I would rather actually model myself on Too Ticky. And I want a red winter hat that I can tu ...more
"here come the dumb
the lonely and the rum
the wild and the quiet
bang goes the drum"
Too Ticky is the character I would most like to be... I suppose Little My is my favorite, but I would rather actually model myself on Too Ticky. And I want a red winter hat that I can tu ...more
A good wintry tale, another fun Moomin story. :) Little My is the best. XD
Jun 29, 2007
Jennifer
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anna, Stella, Destinee
Shelves:
childrens-chapter-books,
favorites
Moomin wakes up from his hibernation, but it is still winter! He discovers a whole "new" world. This one is really fun and the some of the illustrations are very cool.
Moominland Midwinter is a wonderful and lively book filled with amusing creatures and friendship. Friends and family and even ancestors come together for winter.
Tove Jansson and her Moomins seem to have made my whole life better.
Tove Jansson and her Moomins seem to have made my whole life better.
This is the cutest thing I've read in a long while! This edition of Moominland Midwinter is so beautiful, and it's full of original illustrations, which make the experience of the story even better. There are some hilariously great quotes in here:
- like this footnote "A displaced hedgehog is a hedgehog that has been removed from its home against its will and not even had time to pack its toothbrush."
- "It's always like this in their adventures. To save and be saved. I wish somebody would ...more
- like this footnote "A displaced hedgehog is a hedgehog that has been removed from its home against its will and not even had time to pack its toothbrush."
- "It's always like this in their adventures. To save and be saved. I wish somebody would ...more
I would give this book 10 stars if I could.
Just as sweet as the other books by the Moomins! This one makes me long for winter.
My third and favorite Moomins book (so far). Moomins are supposed to sleep through the winter, but this year young Moomintroll awakens and finds himself in a “strange and dangerous” world transformed by snowdrifts. He can’t get his parents to wake up so is effectively a temporary orphan, surrounded by peculiar creatures from Jansson’s menagerie, this time including a dim-witted squirrel, invisible shrews, a glum little dog who wishes he could run with wolves, and the Dweller Under the Sink (with
...more
"'It's dead. All the world has died while I slept. This world belongs to somebody else whom I don't know. Perhaps the Groke. It isn't made for Moomins.'"
Every year the Moomins sleep from November to April, snug inside and safe from the winter cold. But one year little Moomintroll, alone of his whole family, wakes up just after New Year's, finding himself in a world that is unfamiliar and lonely. The sun is hiding, the ground is covered with snow, and try as he might he can't wake up ...more
Every year the Moomins sleep from November to April, snug inside and safe from the winter cold. But one year little Moomintroll, alone of his whole family, wakes up just after New Year's, finding himself in a world that is unfamiliar and lonely. The sun is hiding, the ground is covered with snow, and try as he might he can't wake up ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Stora Läs Bok Vän...: December :: Trollvinter | 26 | 7 | Jan 06, 2013 07:37AM |
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Tove Jansson was born and died in Helsinki, Finland. As a Finnish citizen whose mother tongue was Swedish, she was part of the Swedish-speaking Finns minority. Thus, all her books were originally written in Swedish.
Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin b ...more
Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin b ...more
Other books in the series
Mumintrollen
(9 books)
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“All things are so very uncertain, and that's exactly what makes me feel reassured.”
—
151 likes
“There are such a lot of things that have no place in summer and autumn and spring. Everything that’s a little shy and a little rum. Some kinds of night animals and people that don’t fit in with others and that nobody really believes in. They keep out of the way all the year. And then when everything’s quiet and white and the nights are long and most people are asleep—then they appear.”
—
101 likes
More quotes…
