This one just had a little too much going on for me, and not enough pages!!! Though it was the formal introduction of my goblin queen little my so I do love that

This used to be my favourite Moomin book, and I still love it. Nowadays my favourite is probably The Exploits of Moominpappa, but this one is a close second. Recommended for people of all ages!

When a flood chases the Moomin family from Moominvalley, they find a mysterious floating house--where all is not what it seems, obviously. During the voyage, Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden are lost, and what follows is a beautiful and funny weaving of plots until the reunion at the end.

The interwoven structure of this book, with three main groups of players (Snufkin, Moomin & Snorkmaiden, and the Moomin family in the floating theater), is done so expertly, with each group moving steadily forward in a sequence of criss-crosses and near misses, that it's like reading a beautifully choreographed dance.

The mysterious floating house the Moomin family boards is, of course, a theater. The dialogue of the play they put on is Jansson at her finest--absurdist, exaggerated and laugh-out-loud funny. I assume she took a lot of pleasure from writing it, because it's just a joy to read.

Moominsummer Madness doesn't hit on the thoughtfulness and melancholy that enters into the next book (Moominland Midwinter) and permeates the rest of the series. Instead, it's a last joyful romp. From the beginning, I knew the ending would be happy, but that doesn't take away from the clever, winding journey.

STRAY NOTES (that will only really make sense if you've read the book)
-The illustration of Snorkmaiden and the Fillyjonk picking midsummer flowers is one of my favorites of the whole series.
-Snufkin briefly adopting the creeps is THE BEST plot device. Forcing Snufkin into a brief fatherhood stint is funny, adorable without ever seeming cloying, and a brilliant stroke of character development that hints at the depth to come in the series. Snufkin smoking the raspberry leaves at the end of the book; cut to me softly crying on the train.
-When the family returns to Moominvalley as the flood waters recede, there's a moment where Snorkmaiden looks into the water and the flowers are still growing, brushing up against the bottom of the boat. It's a pure Jansson moment--the beauty of nature mixed with this impossible fairytale scenario, and it is so, so lovely.
-Moomintroll and Snufkin smiling at each other silently in the boat after escaping the police officer is such a nice, pure moment of friendship. They haven't seen each other in so long, and they don't even need to say anything. I love how much they love each other.

06/2024: ”Kesäkuun yöt eivät koskaan ole vaarallisia.”

06/2022: Toisella lukukerralla jäi parhaiten mieleen rakkaus teatteria kohtaan ja se, että on täysin OK itkeä ihan vain itkemisen ilosta.

05/2021: Mutkattoman hauska ja nokkela! Tunnelmaltaan niin lempeä ja optimistinen. Pienistä yksityiskohdista muodostuu rikas kuvailu ja monivivahteinen tarina.