Do you know what Moomins are? They are a family of white, roundish fanciful creatures with large snouts like hippopotamuses and are the subjects of a series of nine children’s fairy tale like books written and illustrated by Tove Marika Jansson (1914–2001), a Swedish-speaking Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic strip author. There are Moominpappa, Moominmamma, their son Moomintroll, his girlfriend the Snork Maiden, and a host of other eccentric characters. The first such book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, in which they come to live in their present home of Moominvalley, appeared in 1945, though it was the next two books, Comet in Moominland (1946) and Finn Family Moomintroll (1948), that brought the author fame. Moominsummer Madness is book number 4. The English translation was made by Thomas Warburton.When a flood sweeps through their valley around midsummer time, the Moomins must find a new house, and one just happens to come floating by. It seems to be normal enough, although there are curtains where one wall should be, strange rows of lights, a revolving stage, and other odd amenities. So they hop on board and go riding down the river. Then Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden disappear. Can the Moomins ever make it back to their home in Moominvalley? Or has it been completely destroyed? And will they be able to find Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden? Other than references to drinking palm wine and smoking a pipe, there is really nothing objectionable or inappropriate in this story. However, it is a book of silly nonsense with a somewhat bizarre plot and a lot of rather random conversation. If one is looking for a children’s version of “theatre of the absurd,” this would fit the bill. However, anyone who is wanting a story that makes sense and follows a logical sequence would probably not care for it.Another reader reviewer well captures my reaction. “For me this book was a mess – disjointed, self indulgent, and self important, with so many characters it left my and my child’s heads in a spin. Finally managed to struggle through it, but in hind-sight, the book had little that was coherent about it, and left me wishing we had read something else.” However, if awards impress you, for her contribution as a children’s writer Jansson received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966. The other books in the series are The Exploits of Moominpappa, or Moominpappa’s Memoirs; Moominland Midwinter; Tales from Moominvalley; Moominpappa at Sea; and Moominvalley in November. In addition to the novels, there are five picture books (The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My; Who Will Comfort Toffle?; The Dangerous Journey; An Unwanted Guest; and Songs from Moominvalley), and the Moomins have since been the basis for a comic strip that ran between 1945 and 1993, some comic books, numerous television series, several films, and even a theme park called Moomin World in Naantali, Finland. If this kind of thing floats your boat, then have at it, but it isn’t my cup of tea (to mix metaphors badly).
I remember this better from TV than actually reading it, and I'm not sure if I ever completely read any of the moomin books as the child (except the picture books), but I know I've read at least part of this and the November one. I always liked this story and it's one that has stayed in my mind best of the moomin stories. As I remember it, the TV adaptation is pretty accurate, but when reading you get more of those funny little quirks there are in this. So like I said, the moomins are dear to me since childhood, so that might be one reason that this felt like such a great feel good book and that I enjoyed it so much. It was nice and comforting to read while having a cold. At some point I also got the feeling that this is really a part of my culture and telling something about something that is familiar to me. It's a fantasy world, at least partly, and we don't have volcanoes over here, but still in some ways the author's origins from Finland come through. There's just some feeling from her descriptions of summer evenings and such.Apart from my feelings and places, it really is a nice book in many other ways. I love the characters and the way they react to things. There's also a nice theme of everyone finding something that suits them in some way in the end. You might not like them at first, but then you find out that something at least suits them and the characters just have different ways of seeing things and different principles guiding them. Many things just make me chuckle of how they react. They are mostly quite one sided and even caricature like, but that just makes it more fun how they each react to things. Like moominmamma is just worried about her laundry and furniture and acts happy even when she's supposed to be sad in the play and it's just fun how they all (or most of them) take everything quite calmly as it comes although they might show some initial fear or surprise. Of the characters, who can't help loving Little My! She is definitely my favourite and often it's her who keeps doing something weird in some corner (or pocket) while everybody else goes about doing ordinary things. I didn't really remember her sister, but I quite like her too and she seems to have almost as much spirit as My. I have the whole set of the moomin books somewhere (which, yes, I did never read completely) and now I really feel like looking them up sometime soon and reading them all through.
What do You think about Moominsummer Madness (1994)?
I love these stories. They're ostensibly for children, but there's so much deep wisdom in these books that an adult mind will relish them. As I have been doing.The book kicks off with the eruption of a volcano which causes a tsunami which floods Moominvalley, swamping the Moomin house up to the second floor. The reaction by the Moomins and their friends is one of resigned whimsy. Why not cut a hole in the floor in order to look down into the kitchen from above and see what it looks like underwater? Because of course.When a theater floats by on the flood, all the characters take shelter in it, not really knowing what a theater is or what it's for. The explanation by the theater's lone inhabitant seems to sum up the theme of the book:"A theatre is the most important sort of house in the world, because that's where people are shown what they could be if they wanted, and what they'd like to be if they dared to and what they really are.""A reformatory!" said Moominmamma, astonished.The first half of the book seems imbued with sadness -- the (temporary) loss of a home, displacement (physically and emotionally) from family, the bitterness of the elderly stage rat.The theater becomes a place of exploration (outwardly as it literally floats down the river, but inwardly as characters explore the rooms of the theater, and ultimately themselves).The story spins off in all directions, stranding a pair of characters along the way, picking up some new ones, and looking in on frequent wanderer Snufkin on his return trip to the valley, causing anarchic mischief along the way. (Snufkin's personal war with authoritarian park keepers is a highlight.)I started out the book feeling unsatisfied with the turns of the plot. Perhaps I was simply feeling the dissatisfaction and unease of the characters themselves stuck in an uncertain situation. But by the end of the book, all the elements are woven together as the theater-bound characters decide to put on a play that turns into a comic fiasco. Ultimately, the book is just as satisfying as the rest of this series has been. Highly recommended.On the downside: Sniff is not in this book, and there is no explanation for it. What happened to Sniff?!
—Drew
Återigen drabbas Mumindalen av en naturkatastrof. Den här gången är det ett vulkanutbrott som orsakar en tsunami som översvämmar hela dalen. Familjen får ta tillflykt till hustaket, men inser snart att de behöver något slags farkost. Som tur är flyter ett övergivet hus förbi, ett hus som saknar ena väggen, men som har en del andra förtjänster till exempel ett praktiskt utrymme under golvet som de använder som skafferi. Det visar sig med tiden att det är en teater.I den här boken är det fullt av förvecklingar. Det är nästan att det blir för mycket. Några fina stunder av eftertanke och funderingar finns det, men annars är det fullt ös mellan händelserna. Det gör att jag tycker lite mindre om den här boken än de övriga. Den är bra, men med muminmått mätt når den inte riktigt till toppen.
—Mänsomläser
Farlig Midsommar är, och har alltid varit min favorit utav muminböckerna.Jag tror att det har att göra med karaktärsutveckling och identitetsproblematik, som är det mest intressanta i just detta muminbok.Vi får se Muminmamman som fnissande barkbåtsbyggare som finner nöje i att se sitt kök förstört, en filifjonka som kastar av sig släktskuldsoket och lever ut, Snusmumriken som ovillig pappa för att inte tala om personförväxling och förklädnad (för vad annat är en teater). Boken tycks söka efter svar på frågan Vem är jag?Jag älskar verkligen den här boken, och den går att läsa lika bra gammal som ung.
—Sofia
