The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING GLENN CLOSE

Tove Jansson's classic, bestselling novel, The Summer Book, is a profound and life-affirming story that distills the essence of summer. This worldwide classic, now available in a paperback edition from Sort Of Books, captures the delicate relationship between an elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter as they spend a summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland.

Written in a clear, unsentimental style, full of brusque humor and wisdom, the novel explores the adjustments the two characters make to each other's fears, whims, and yearnings. A fierce yet understated love emerges, encompassing not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself. Tove Jansson poured much of her own life and spirit into this book, which was her favorite of her adult novels.

This edition includes a foreword by Esther Freud and an afterword by Sophia Jansson, the inspiration for the child 'Sophia,' who returns to the island during the pandemic. It also features a 15-page epilogue by Tove's niece, Sophia Jansson, detailing a personal and moving return to the island.

Praise for The Summer Book:

• "Distils the essence of summer" - Robert Macfarlane
• "Magical, life-affirming" - Elizabeth Gilbert
• "Eccentric, funny, wise, full of joys and small adventures. This is a book for life." - Esther Freud
• "Tove Jansson was a genius. This is a marvellous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny." - Philip Pullman

Specifications:

• Author: Tove Jansson
• Publisher: Sort Of Books
• Publication Date: May 29, 2003
• Edition: Main
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Page Count: 160 pages
• Dimensions: 13.2 x 1.4 x 19.6 cm
• Weight: 1.05 kg
• ISBN-10: 0954221710
• ISBN-13: 978-0954221713

The Summer Book is a profoundly moving and beautifully crafted novel, perfect for readers of contemporary and literary fiction.