The Summer Book
Readers rate it 3.8 (143 on Hardcover)
172 pages · Released 2003 · Sort of Books
Content report card
The Summer Book parent’s guide: what’s inside
Violence
Language
Sexual content
LGBTQ+ themes
Substance use
What it offers
A note for parents
The Summer Book is a gentle, reflective classic about an elderly grandmother and six-year-old granddaughter bonding over a summer on a Finnish island. While it touches on mortality and loss in a mature way (the grandmother is aging, the girl has lost her mother), it handles these themes with wisdom and tenderness rather than distress. The book emphasizes love, acceptance, and finding meaning in simple moments, making it appropriate for thoughtful readers who can engage with quieter, more philosophical storytelling.
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From the publisher
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.Writt... 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 Janssoncaptured 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.
Shelved under
- Grandparent and child
- Character driven
- Loveable Characters
- Not Diverse Characters
- Strong Character Development
- Weak Character Development
- Unloveable Characters
- A mix driven
- 1972
- Finland
- Diverse Characters
- reflective
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ISBN 9780954221713 · Sort of Books