I’m one of those who only know the characters from licensed products, not the books. I get asked about the cute “cow” on my purse a lot and I know my explanation is not very compelling. Thanks to you and this stack, I’m better equipped for the next time someone wants to chat me up about Moomintroll on my bag.
Hooray! And thank you. Obviously, I'm going to recommend the books, because they're brilliant. Although I'd start at the beginning with 'Finn Family Moomintroll', or maybe even the comics. But there's a reason why all those licensed products are so good: Jansson was *such* a good illustrator. Her characters are so well designed and engaging. What's amazing is that she managed to do that in her writing, too.
The returning boat ties this to the previous book. I always saw that as the core work in the series, with the family having to come to terms with depression and changed relations in a barren environment. You make a strong case for revisiting the coda!
That's a really good point though: this book is the companion piece to Moominpappa at Sea and the two definitely talk to each other, comparing how Hemulen envisages Moominpappa with how he actually behaves in the previous book, for instance, or Toft's Moominmamma / Moominmamma on the island. Kind of wish I'd done both books as a unit now, tbh
What I love about these essays is that they make me reflect on things from my childhood that I have dismissed. I grew up more with The Moomins TV series than the books, although I have Finn Family Moomintroll on my bookshelf, possibly a birthday gift. I was never a big fan to be honest.
Thinking about it now, I was never hugely into fantasy as a child (unless it was The Worst Witch, but that was really a boarding school book with additional magic). Anyway, I’ve pulled the book off of the shelf because your writing has made me want to revisit it. I’m hoping I might have the opposite reaction to some other books I’ve come back to as an adult which have honestly fallen short of the love I held for them. Maybe I just had terrible taste as a child.
You should hear Rowan's story about how she acquired 'Moominvalley in November' as a child, got in trouble for it and didn't even enjoy the book in the end. It's heartbreaking.
I do think this book definitely makes more sense if you've read other Moomin books - especially the one it's paired with 'Moominpappa at sea', which is basically where the Moomins are as this book takes place.
Mind you, I've loved the books for pretty much my whole life (well, the last 50 odd years of it, I guess), so I may be biased.
Thank you, though: my secret ambition is definitely to encourage people to re-read / watch / listen to things we cover. Or even discover things! That's the best.
I’m one of those who only know the characters from licensed products, not the books. I get asked about the cute “cow” on my purse a lot and I know my explanation is not very compelling. Thanks to you and this stack, I’m better equipped for the next time someone wants to chat me up about Moomintroll on my bag.
Hooray! And thank you. Obviously, I'm going to recommend the books, because they're brilliant. Although I'd start at the beginning with 'Finn Family Moomintroll', or maybe even the comics. But there's a reason why all those licensed products are so good: Jansson was *such* a good illustrator. Her characters are so well designed and engaging. What's amazing is that she managed to do that in her writing, too.
The returning boat ties this to the previous book. I always saw that as the core work in the series, with the family having to come to terms with depression and changed relations in a barren environment. You make a strong case for revisiting the coda!
That's a really good point though: this book is the companion piece to Moominpappa at Sea and the two definitely talk to each other, comparing how Hemulen envisages Moominpappa with how he actually behaves in the previous book, for instance, or Toft's Moominmamma / Moominmamma on the island. Kind of wish I'd done both books as a unit now, tbh
What I love about these essays is that they make me reflect on things from my childhood that I have dismissed. I grew up more with The Moomins TV series than the books, although I have Finn Family Moomintroll on my bookshelf, possibly a birthday gift. I was never a big fan to be honest.
Thinking about it now, I was never hugely into fantasy as a child (unless it was The Worst Witch, but that was really a boarding school book with additional magic). Anyway, I’ve pulled the book off of the shelf because your writing has made me want to revisit it. I’m hoping I might have the opposite reaction to some other books I’ve come back to as an adult which have honestly fallen short of the love I held for them. Maybe I just had terrible taste as a child.
You should hear Rowan's story about how she acquired 'Moominvalley in November' as a child, got in trouble for it and didn't even enjoy the book in the end. It's heartbreaking.
I do think this book definitely makes more sense if you've read other Moomin books - especially the one it's paired with 'Moominpappa at sea', which is basically where the Moomins are as this book takes place.
Mind you, I've loved the books for pretty much my whole life (well, the last 50 odd years of it, I guess), so I may be biased.
Thank you, though: my secret ambition is definitely to encourage people to re-read / watch / listen to things we cover. Or even discover things! That's the best.