Tales from Moominvalley

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3155346.html

These are really superb little chunks of Moominland, not at all whimsical, but dark and thoughtful pieces that speak to adults trying to make sense of an imperfect world. The funniest perhaps is the last one, "The Fir Tree" ("Granen"), in which the Moomins, who normally hibernate, are woken up for Christmas and try to make sense of it. But my favourite is "The Secret of the Hattifatteners" ("Hatifnattarnas hemlighet"), in which Moominpappa abandons home and family to try and find some extra meaning in life, and ends up in a confrontation with dark and incomprehensible forces. I must have first read it when I was seven or eight, and it hit me then quite differently to how it hits me now. But show more they are all good. show less

Delightful.
Enchanting.
I wish I had met the Moomins, the Hemulens, the Fillyjonks and the Mymbles when I was nine. Of course, when I’m reading these stories, I *am* nine again, lost in wonder and completely engrossed.
From the very beginning, where Snufkin’s fledgling tune (“one part expectation, two parts spring sadness, and for the rest just the great delight of walking alone and liking it”) is disrupted by the nameless Creep (“Two shy eyes under a mop of hair. Just the look people have who are never noticed.”) to the end, where the Moomin family is awakened from their hibernation to be told Christmas is coming—as if it’s a dire emergency—and they try to prepare themselves with the sketchy information they glean from show more their frantic neighbors (“At home, Moominmamma had dug out the verandah with a shovel and laid out life belts, aspirin, Moominpappa’s old gun, and some warm compresses. One had to be prepared.”), I was utterly captivated by these charming little stories.
Of all the places, real and imaginary I would like to go someday (Narnia and Green Gables, Elvinwood and Neverland), Moominvalley has moved to the top of the list. show less

The other five Moomin books I've read were all essentially novels. This volume is explicitly a set of nine short stories. They're all good, and all have a point to make about the human condition (creature condition?). I'll take a short break before tackling the last two of the Moomin books, but I doubt I'll be able to restrain myself for long. They Moomins are that good.

Книги этой серии, без сомнения, займут достойное место в библиотеке школьника. Кроме хрестоматийных произведений в неё вошли книги для внеклассного чтения. Все они учитывают требования федеральных государственных образовательных стандартов, цель которых - гармоничное развитие личности. Но главное, читая эти книги, школьник получит настоящее удовольствие и всегда будет готов к уроку!Финскую сказочницу show more Туве Янссон любят дети всей планеты. Кто не знает её забавных и милых обитателей гостеприимной долины, где царит беззаботное веселье, радость, любовь и домашний уют?! "Выдуманный мир моих муми-троллей, - писала Туве Янссон, - это мир, по которому наверняка в глубине души тоскует каждый из нас". В книге есть вступительная статья о творчестве писательницы. show less

This is another charming volume in the Moomintroll series. I love the way the characters deal with their problems; they take such a loving approach toward each other, and work to share burdens, but each must tackle their own struggles and come through.

Janssonin kertomukset ovat kaikille tuttuja ainakin tv-tuotosten kautta, mutta hänen kirjoittamiaan teoksia lukemalla saa paljon enemmän irti oikeastaan kaikesta, mikä Muumilaaksoon liittyy. Janssonin kirjoittamistyyli on omintakeinen, elävöittävä ja pohjattoman suloinen, vaikka aiheena olisi sekoileva ja lähestulkoon pelosta järjiltään oleva homssu. Tähän teokseen sisältyy useita kertomuksia, joiden sävyt ja päähenkilöt vaihtelevat suuresti. Jokaiselle lukijalle löytyy varmasti oma suosikkinsa kokoelman kertomuksista.

Täytyy myöntää, että koin alkujärkytyksen/-pettymyksen otettuani teoksen käteeni, odotin koko kirjan olevan yhtä kertomusta näkymättömästä lapsesta, mutta sen sijaan se olikin vain kertomus show more muiden joukossa. Tällä hetkellä olen kuitenkin tyytyväinen. Ilman tätä kokoelmaa en olisi välttämättä tullut koskaan lukeneeksi kokoelman sisältämistä, erilaisista Muumilaakson asukkaista. Tai vaikkapa kertomusta viimeisestä lohikäärmeestä tai hattivattien salaisuudesta jostain muusta lähteestä. Riemastuttava ja herttainen kuvitus on Janssonin omaa käsialaa, eikä se petä tälläkään kertaa. show less

Love, love, loved this book. It is one of those books that you read and wonder how on earth you had missed it for all the previous years of your life. I felt like my very soul was being analyzed and explained; makes me wonder if the author happens to be a psychiatrist in her spare time. Beautiful, hilarious, heartwarming insight into human nature. I think it would be much more appreciated by adults, but I'm sure that children would also enjoy these stories. This was the first book by the author that I was able to get ahold of, and I will definitely be gathering all of the others.