The Summer Book

'Rereading it now, in lockdown, this book feels like a survival guide.' Melissa Harrison, The Guardian 'The Summer Book’s limpid style belies a deep psychological subtlety. It’s about how people can live close together for months with tact and gr... Read more

'Rereading it now, in lockdown, this book feels like a survival guide.' Melissa Harrison, The Guardian 'The Summer Book’s limpid style belies a deep psychological subtlety. It’s about how people can live close together for months with tact and grace, and about how rich and rewarding even a small world can be.' Melissa Harrison, The Guardian The Worldwide Classic about a tiny island and larger love. ‘The Summer Book is a marvellously uplifting read, full of gentle humour and wisdom.’ Daily Telegraph An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself. Written in a clear, unsentimental style, full of brusque humour, and wisdom, The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story. Tove Jansson captured much of her own life and spirit in the book, which was her favourite of her adult novels. This new edition, with a Foreword by Esther Freud, sees the return of a European literary gem - fresh, authentic and deeply humane. New and beautifully presented edition of a Scandinavian literary classic by Finland's most translated author should appeal to all ages dissolving boundaries between fiction, biography and travel. Less