Incredibly funny adventures from the past of the most interesting Moomin character. The thoughts of Moominpappa were touched in the previous two Moomin books. This book doesn't lay it all down (wait for Moominpappa at Sea), but his position as a familyman, a "retired" adventurer, and his silent urge to continue wandering are made clearer.

Pappa's adventures themselves introduce to us more of the Moomin world. They feature a lovable cast of characters, all with a definite personality as all other Moomin-folk. The presence of a King surprised me -- I guess Jansson just wanted that setting in one of her books.

The descriptions of nature (an important feature in all Moomin books) and charactures are as colourful as always, and the book is just great fun to read. ( )

In my day, trolls walked through snow and built ships with their bare hands, etc.

The conceit in this book is that good old dad is reading stories to the younger generation and friends, and these tales come from his own life given that he is writing his memoirs. So, you get the backstory of where he grew up, what he got up to, how he met your mum, all that sort of thing.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/07... ( )