Customer Reviews

Moominvalley in November

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm writing this review in early 2004, and this wonderful book is back in print in America; congradulations to the publisher. I always wondered why others in the fine "Moomin" series (originally from Finland, and translated in England) were available while this one was not; but now it is, and I couldn't be more glad. Fans of Tove Jansson's writing will know that she has a fondness for quirky creatures, seasonal moods, and an almost effortless ability to strike profound chords in the reader's inner world through faint suggestions and an economy of words. All this from a writer who is known as a children's author, but these novels could appeal to anyone in grade four on up to adults, so long as the reader is of a quiet, thoughtful turn of mind. In this particular story, the Moomin family (rounded, fuzzy little "trolls") is absent from Moominvalley (see the book "Moominpappa at Sea" to find out where they went). In their absence, an unlikely group of misfits comes looking for them and ends up sharing a month at their house together. All are seeking for something or other, though they do not yet know that the something is within themselves. Moomintroll's practical, taciturn friend Snufkin (well-known from other books) is onhand to help them sort themselves out, and in the end all are transformed by the shared experience. If this sounds like the plot of an inner world rather than an outer one, it is; yet it is amazingly well done through a very down-to-earth, everyday narration, filled with subtle comic touches and good cheer. Jansson's inimitable, cartoony illustrations of her own books add much to the tale while still leaving some to our imaginations. As you may gather, I have a hard time describing this unique book properly; all I can do is to heartily recommend it to any child (or adult) who is a little offbeat and likes some peace and quiet to be alone with their thoughts.

Why is this excellent book out of print when other Moomin books are not? This is one of the most poignant and quiet of Moomin books, like the month it describes. Your Moomin collection is incomplete without it.

Well, this piece of Moomin anthology is a more serious one. I read it first when I was 10 in my home Poland, and did not like it much. It is not so full of joy, energy and adventures as the "Summer" or "Valley". Since that time though, I have read it at least 10 more times, love it, and highly recommend to all maturer Moomin-lovers.

It is a bit melancholic, played not in a G-major notation, rather e-minor, maybe even with a flat... November mists, wet forests, grey seas, you will remember it forever!

Fillyjonk, Grandpa-Grumble, Hemulen, Mymble, Snuffkin,and Toft all gather at the Moomin house in search of something missing in their lives. But there's no one at home, for the Moomin Falmily are at sea. Settling down to wait, the misfits try to act like the Moomin Family. Eventually, they come to terms with their lives and, one-by-one, leave content until only Toft remains to welcome the Moomin Family home.

Please read this book. One November, assorted misfits (the neurotic Fillyjonk, rebellious Mymble, senile Grandpa Grumble, freewheeling Snufkin, mundane Hemulen and Toft, an imaginitive child who has lived under a tarpaulin for as long as he can remember), try to fill the gaping voids in their lives by visiting the Moominhouse. Unfortunately the Moomins are all at sea, and so they find each other instead.

This is a beautiful book about overcoming the differences between us and learning to live together. The book is set in Moominvalley. The Moomintrolls are away when their very different friends come to visit. Moominmama and Moominpapa figure mainly as inspiration for the other characters as they learn to get along with each other.

I fear that this is sounding preachy. The genius of Ms. Jansson is that she never preaches. Read the book, you'll see what I mean - it's lovely!

This is a somewhat ethereal read; I would place the reading level at upper elementary, but I agree with the reviewer who said it is defintiely not a children-only read. It is indeed a very quiet, contemplative reading experience, and not every child will appreciate that; but the type of child who likes stories that make him/her think, will enjoy this book.

Tove Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and illustrator who wrote many childrens books including the famous Moomin series. Here, the setting is Moominvalley which is basically the natural beauty and pristineness of Finland, populated by Moomins (who look like little hippos which stand upright and are fluffy) and a host of other weird and wonderful creatures. The action is mainly centred around the family with Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomintroll the kid. They set a tone for the whole series as Tove infused them and their whole universe with experiences of her own family which seem to have been a very bohemian, artistic, tolerant and warm lot. This makes the books great reading for kids from an early age as they invoke a wonderful sense of fun and silliness as well as acceptance and openmindedness.

One thing I remember from reading these as a kid is that the plot didn't really matter. In some books, it's hard to say exactly what happens. Rather, it is the atmosphere that I found the most important. In this book, the Moomins have gone away leading the other characters to miss them. Combined with the autumn feel in Moominvalley, the book has a melancholy feel and focuses on the side characters and their strengths and insecurities.

A great series overall, filled with imagination, surrealism, fun and warmth.

I have yet to find anyone under the age of 25 who has read the Moomin series, unless they were introduced to Jansson's superlative works by an "adult." Where were these books when I was eleven? The texture of this particular book in the series is delightfully multi-layered, and only gets better with repeated reading. 5, or 105, you'll always find something pleasant, thoughtful, perhaps even hauntingly provoking in all of Jansson's works--and Moominvalley in November is Jansson at her best!

Written after the death of Jansson's beloved mother, the model for the unflappable Moominmamma, this is dark, subtle, and moving in a way that few other so-called children's books are. There's no point repeating what the other reviewers have said. I'd just add that there's something in the book that echoes the last section of "To the Lighthouse," which is so much about the absence of Mrs. Ramsay and her unforced rightness of being. (Is it a coincidence that the previous Moomin book, "Moominpappa at Sea," ends with a lighthouse?) Jansson can bear the comparison with Woolf, and what is so touching in this coda to the Moomin series is how all of the characters have their moment of vision, like Lily Briscoe, and how liberating that is for each of them. One of the profundities of the book is that each figure's confrontation with absence and longing does not so much change them as it releases them into the fulness of their own lives. "Moominvalley in November" ends with Little Toft, whose liberation runs deepest, and his story brings this often-sad book to a close with quiet confidence and joy. Moominmamma's rightness is not found here, but Jansson's rightness is; this is a great short novel from a great artist at the height of her powers.