A Moomintroll is small and shy and fat, and has a Moominpappa and a Moominmamma. Moomins live in the forests of Finland. One day Moominpappa is feeling at a loss. He has no idea what to do with himself because it seems everything has already been done. So he takes his family off to start a new life in a lighthouse on a tiny, rocky island far out to sea. It's rather quiet and lonely at first, but as they begin to explore their unusual surroundings the Moomins discover some funny and surprising new things about themselves.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Moominpappa at Sea (Moomintroll)
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"There is, in short, everything in the Moon books: giant comets and secret caves and tree houses and stilts and magic-carpet clouds and amusement parks run by despotic practical-joking kings and time machines and ski instructors." -"Harper's
""We need Moominland for its gentle pace, its sense of beauty and awe, and its spirit of friendliness and empathy--now more than ever." -"The Horn Book
""These charming fantasies are propelled by a childlike curiosity and filled with quiet wisdom, appealing geniality, and a satisfying sense of self-discovery." -School Library Journal.com
"If you had no shame reading "Harry Potter" on the subway, there's no need to hide Tove Jansson's witty, whimsically illustrated Finnish series." -Daily Candy
"The Moomin books make for both splendid bedtime read-alouds and solitary savoring." -"Wall Street Journal" "It's more than forty years since Jansson's Moomintrolls first appeared. I found the writing and invention as appealing
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Tove Jansson, writer and illustrator, was born in Finland in 1914. She began her Moomin series in 1945 and they became a huge success with their individualistic characters, subtle humour, and an all-encompassing sense of freedom. The Moomins were, to some extent, a reflection of Tove Jansson's own family, who were bohemians and lived close to nature. Jansson became well known in England for her Moomins comic strip, published daily in London's Evening News between 1953-59, continued by her brother Lars Jansson from 1959-1975. Jansson also wrote adult fiction, short stories and memoirs, and was an award-winning artist. Tove Jansson died in 2001.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. Vernon M. Hewitt
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
As has been said below, Moominpappa at Sea (MAS), along with Moominvalley in November (MIN), represent the height of Jansson's achievements in the Moomin series. They also, of course, conclude it. While all the novels are unique and oddly unsettling, these last two installments are almost existential, poetic, almost saga like. I should explain that I read all of the Moomin books in the 1970s, and have - in my own middle aged crisis perhaps - returned to them. At the age of 14 I felt about MAS and MIN very much what I feel now - only the language of comparison has changed. Now in my late 40s, it is Moominpappa and oddly the fisherman/lighthouse keeper that I identify with most, not so much Moomintroll - and I am filled with new admiration for the mystery of Little My. When I first read this I could not understand why they left their valley, how they knew where the island was, or what had happened to the lighthouse keeper. Now I know. I also know what happened to the Groke, who Jansson, in her deep humility, finally saves, like Prospero saving Caliban. MIN occupies the same temporal frame of this novel, depicting what is going on `back home' - and it is all written in the same minimalist, insightful way. At onelevel the characters are oddly dysfunctional and lost, at another, they are sublimely knit into a world of nature and light. I am relieved to think that much of this magic touched me when I was 14, but how strong it has grown over the years! There is something almost numinous here. I urge you to read these two together, and then to find and enjoy the earlier and more carefree installments, especially Moominsummer Madness, Moominvalley in November and Tales.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Most avid readers of 'children's books' know that the entire category can be a bit of a misnomer, and this is especially true of 'Moominpappa at Sea'. In its own subtle way, this novel is a challenge to conventional ideas about children and childhood.
It's not an especially happy book, however. You could even go so far as to describe it as a journey inside depression. This might come as a slight shock to readers of previous Finn Family Moomintroll books, since they are so suffused with a happy-go-lucky sense of life as an extraordinary adventure full of unexpected twists and turns.
Nonetheless, in this novel (the last of all the Moomin books), life for the Moomin family takes a turn for the worse. Moominpappa - ever an eccentric and wayward chap - autocratically decides to relocate his entire family to a lighthouse on a remote island. But the island turns out to be an extremely lonely place, and as a result, the Moomin family slowly drifts apart in strange ways.
It is a rare book - be it marketed at adults or children - which is able to convey so intangible a concept as depression without simplifying it. 'Moominpappa at sea', with its beautiful and haunting sense of place, is a novel about just that - being at sea. Yet Tove Jansson, with her imaginative and poetic grasp of emotional experience, somehow pulls it off.
This is ultimately what makes it an uplifting read rather than a sad one. For although the Moomin family don't have the best of times on their island, their sense of themselves is strengthened and reaffirmed. This powerful little novel similarly offers us the chance to appreciate how weird and wonderful our lives can be, whether they are happy ones or not.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having always been drawn particularly to Moominpappa of the Moomins, this book excited me. Now it's one of those books I pick up when I feel like reflecting on things. The Swedish title "Pappan och havet" ("The Pappa and the Sea") fits the story better. It is a thoughtful, moving story about a lost soul desperate to feel alive again.
At the centre of the story stands Moominpappa. He is overcome with boredom and restlessness, but doesn't know what to do about it. Finally, he moves his family out to a deserted, unwelcoming island with an unwelcoming lighthouse. Adopting the role of lighthouse keeper, Moominpappa tries to engage himself in his new life. Moominmamma silently dislikes her new home and dreams her way back to Moominvalley in her own way; Moomin becomes obsessed with the beautiful but vain sea horses that appear on the beach at moonlight; the irresponsible Little My watches everything as if from afar, seemingly unaffected by the whole thing, and finally the eerie Groke follows the family to the island, unbeknownst to most of them. The book is subtly divided between Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomin. Their new life on the island begins to do something to them, and they slowly drift apart and become absorbed in their own dreams and worries.
Nothing goes right; Moominpappa humiliatingly doesn't know how to light the lighthouse, so he tries new and new ways to be useful but faces nothing but failures, making him increasingly frustrated. The tiniest ray of hope makes him excited, ecstatic, even if the reader can tell that there may not be much basis for his excitement. His growing anger finally lashes out at the sea, which he identifies as the root of all his problems. Tove Jansson always had an extraordinary gift at making her characters face very human dilemmas. I find it hard to witness just how lost they all are, especially Moominpappa. And yet there is a very real hope running throughout, and just like with life, the resolve comes when you least expect it. The family learn a lot and they reach all the right conclusions via all the wrong means. All this is masterfully presented by Tove Jansson, able to go from stark real to dreamlike fantasy near-effortlessly. The clear and unsentimental way in which the story is told clinches it.
Moominpappa at Sea is an almost psychological landscape; a deep and thoughtful reflection on what it means to grow up and find peace within yourself. I recommend it when you feel like reflecting on your life.
At the centre of the story stands Moominpappa. He is overcome with boredom and restlessness, but doesn't know what to do about it. Finally, he moves his family out to a deserted, unwelcoming island with an unwelcoming lighthouse. Adopting the role of lighthouse keeper, Moominpappa tries to engage himself in his new life. Moominmamma silently dislikes her new home and dreams her way back to Moominvalley in her own way; Moomin becomes obsessed with the beautiful but vain sea horses that appear on the beach at moonlight; the irresponsible Little My watches everything as if from afar, seemingly unaffected by the whole thing, and finally the eerie Groke follows the family to the island, unbeknownst to most of them. The book is subtly divided between Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomin. Their new life on the island begins to do something to them, and they slowly drift apart and become absorbed in their own dreams and worries.
Nothing goes right; Moominpappa humiliatingly doesn't know how to light the lighthouse, so he tries new and new ways to be useful but faces nothing but failures, making him increasingly frustrated. The tiniest ray of hope makes him excited, ecstatic, even if the reader can tell that there may not be much basis for his excitement. His growing anger finally lashes out at the sea, which he identifies as the root of all his problems. Tove Jansson always had an extraordinary gift at making her characters face very human dilemmas. I find it hard to witness just how lost they all are, especially Moominpappa. And yet there is a very real hope running throughout, and just like with life, the resolve comes when you least expect it. The family learn a lot and they reach all the right conclusions via all the wrong means. All this is masterfully presented by Tove Jansson, able to go from stark real to dreamlike fantasy near-effortlessly. The clear and unsentimental way in which the story is told clinches it.
Moominpappa at Sea is an almost psychological landscape; a deep and thoughtful reflection on what it means to grow up and find peace within yourself. I recommend it when you feel like reflecting on your life.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 17 reviews
4.9 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of the Moomin books
In my opinion, Moominpappa at Sea is one of the best Moomin stories. I read that Tove Jansson was growing bored with the Moomins at the time this was written, which may explain the... Read more
Published 26 days ago by N. Bolton
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sea
One of my favourite books. Sublime communion with the Spirit of the Sea, first read as a child (or read to me with other Moomin stories by a strange and light-filled primary school... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rivertothesea
1.0 out of 5 stars
Missing chapter in Kindle version
I own a print copy of this book, but the Kindle edition has a chapter missing. Awful, awful. And there's no straightforward way to sort the problem out. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Colette
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tears for the Groke
I was so glad to read others appreciation of what is a wonderful book. Now in my late 50s, I first read "Moominpappa at Sea" when I was 8. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Father Brian
5.0 out of 5 stars
I LOVE THIS!
I love this, as I love everything moominy!
Everyone should know about the moomins.
This is my favourite of the moomin series.
Everyone should know about the moomins.
This is my favourite of the moomin series.
Published 20 months ago by Camden_Calling
5.0 out of 5 stars
SHEER GENIUS
Before I read 'Moominpappa at Sea' I had only read Tove Jansson's adult fiction. I loved her style already, her way with characters and nature and always leaving something on the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by mandalalinda
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very clever book
This book again is from adventures that happened to the moomins. As always, they are a reflect of humans and their behaviors. Poetic, Funny,interesting and well written. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Trinchavientos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely book for children and adults
Enjoy these stories about creatures, which are very close to us and human behaviour and emotions. Ageless entertainment for the whole family.
Published on 13 Feb 2010 by Heidi
5.0 out of 5 stars
darkish end
I came to the Moomins in adulthood following a trip to Tampere,Finland;where the original sketches are displayed. Read more
Published on 9 April 2009 by Simon A. Wright
5.0 out of 5 stars
For both children and adults a haunting book.
'Moominpappa at Sea' is perhaps the most fulfilling of the series. Through each character a very real 'human' characteristic is explored. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
