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What Members Thought
What a gentle and beautiful book.
It is comprised of several vignettes that give you a glimpse into summers spent on a small island in Finland by a little girl Sophia and her grandmother. So light and simple, and yet so deeply profound and full of life's wisdom. A book where almost nothing happens, and yet so many things do. The story is told in a third-person narrative, but the perspective switches between the child and grandmother deeply penetrating at the heart of both childhood and the old ag ...more
It is comprised of several vignettes that give you a glimpse into summers spent on a small island in Finland by a little girl Sophia and her grandmother. So light and simple, and yet so deeply profound and full of life's wisdom. A book where almost nothing happens, and yet so many things do. The story is told in a third-person narrative, but the perspective switches between the child and grandmother deeply penetrating at the heart of both childhood and the old ag ...more
This was a lovely book that took me forever to read for two primary reasons: 1) It took me a little bit to let go of my Moomin expectations and appreciate the realism in this book. 2) This was a used copy that had been heavily underlined.
Now, when this book arrived underlined from paperbackswap, I could have returned it -- it would have been fully justified as underlining in paperbackswap is fully forbidden. But then I would have had to wait for another copy to turn up in the system, which I did ...more
Now, when this book arrived underlined from paperbackswap, I could have returned it -- it would have been fully justified as underlining in paperbackswap is fully forbidden. But then I would have had to wait for another copy to turn up in the system, which I did ...more
A little girl, her grandmother and her father spend their summers on an island. This charming, short book is realistic and humorous, rooted in the setting, the day to day happenings, and the relationship between the little girl and her grandmother.
"It was an early, very warm morning in July, and it had rained during the night. The bare granite steamed, the moss and crevices were drenched with moisture, and all the colors everywhere had deepened. Below the veranda, the vegetation in the morning ...more
"It was an early, very warm morning in July, and it had rained during the night. The bare granite steamed, the moss and crevices were drenched with moisture, and all the colors everywhere had deepened. Below the veranda, the vegetation in the morning ...more
What a lovely book! Funny, interesting, paibting a beautiful picture of a Scandinavian summer.
It has been a while since I last read a book in one sitting... This one I just couldn't put down. ...more
It has been a while since I last read a book in one sitting... This one I just couldn't put down. ...more
The Summer Book is a beautiful book. It's as if Tove Jansson took someone's most lovely summer memories and put them into words. I was drawn to it at first because it is about living on an island during the summer in a Northern climate. Being an island dweller, I know the best time to experience life here is in the summer. Gentle summers create the memories I hold onto during the brutal winter months.
The Summer Book is a series vignettes chronicling the day to day life of Grandmother and Sophia ...more
The Summer Book is a series vignettes chronicling the day to day life of Grandmother and Sophia ...more
Feb 03, 2019
Kimber
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
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The Summer Book is a collection of tightly related vignettes, the main characters being a young girl named Sophie, who is just beginning her life, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. Sophie, her grandmother, and Sophie's father spend summers on a small island off the coast of Finland. The bond between Sophie and her grandmother weaves the vignettes together as the pair share life's wisdom and humor that is dark around the edges. Sophie's mother has just died and this fact, b
...more
These are cute little vignettes about a child and a grandmother, there’s a gentle humour and sweet observations. Some of them could almost be children’s stories “Sophie, Grandmother and the tent” would be a funny little picture book. They are an easy enjoyable selection of short reads.
Apr 24, 2011
Michaela
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Whitney Borup
marked it as to-read
Jan 03, 2014
Kirstin
marked it as to-read
Sep 19, 2019
Carrie
marked it as to-read
Mar 29, 2020
Ann
marked it as to-read
Apr 29, 2022
Jackie Conciatore Senter
marked it as to-read
Jul 07, 2022
Dionne
marked it as to-read
Feb 19, 2024
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
Aug 07, 2024
Rinn
marked it as summertime
Nov 06, 2024
Joni
marked it as to-read
