Quite a sweet little book, told in the form of episodic tales, about the relationship between a grandmother and a 6-year-old granddaughter, and life on a small island, off the coast of Finland, in the summer. The characters of grandmother and granddaughter are apparently based upon the author and her niece.

The child's father is present, but he is mainly a background figure who deals with practicalities such as catching fish or mending things. Although it could be taking place during one summer, I don't think it is, because there is one episode in which they leave the island and do all the chores necessary for departure, but later return to carry on with cultivation of plants the father has had delivered.

One thing that was confusing in places were various references to going into town which did not appear to require a boat as if the town was on the island - it definitely wasn't. The stories have a rather disjointed nature, and characters are referenced who the reader often has no clue about. I also found the rather bratty child annoying, when she is acting out at various times, although there is some nice gentle character based humour from the grandmother. So overall, I would rate this at 3 stars. ( )

I felt totally transported by this book, which seemed simultaneously mischievous fun and also the entirety of the wisdom I need for my life in this moment.

Could make an interesting companion read for [b:How Does It Feel to Be Old?|773848|How Does It Feel to Be Old?|Norma Farber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1178230162l/773848._SX50_.jpg|759897] ( )

These dream-like stories of summers on a small Finnish skerry: Grandmother and granddaughter, in the background the father writing and fishing, they are a quiet pleasure to read and re-read; no wonder the book has become a classic. Read them slowly, so simple they seem but much remain unsaid, you can easily miss it; and read the Introduction by Esther Freud and the review by Ali Smith: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/jul/12/fiction.alismith (IX-23) ( )

I read this shortly after reading The Unseen which takes place on a Norwegian island versus a Finnish Island. The Unseen depicts daily life while The Summer Book depicts the life of a six year old which is a narrow perspective. I didn’t like the 6 year old that much. Evidently the book is partly auto fiction. Both books had beautiful writing but for some reason, The Unseen spoke to me versus The Summer Book. ( )

Per Tove Jansson gli uomini non parlano; fanno, si muovono, occupano (riempiono) solo lo spazio fisico.

Chiunque abiti su un'isola lascia spesso spaziare lo sguardo verso l'orizzonte. Vede i contorni familiari degli scogli, e i segnali che sono sempre stati nello stesso punto, e trae forza dalla quieta consapevolezza che la visibilità è buona e che tutto è come dev'essere.
(pagina 78)

Era una serata particolarmente adatta ad iniziare un libro. La nonna aprì la prima pagina, rischiarata dalla luce del tramonto che filtrava attraverso i vetri; c'era già il disegno di un verme tagliato in due, la stanza degli ospiti era quieta e fresca e dietro la parete il babbo era seduto al suo tavolo, a lavorare.
(pagina 122)

Il babbo rientrò e mise nuova legna sul fuoco; diede loro una coperta che puzzava e uscì a guardare le onde prima che fosse troppo buio.
(pagina 137) ( )