I was interested in reading this because I found the Moomins when I was looking for something to read from Finland for a book challenge. I expected a simple biography of an artist, but Tove Jansson was a fascinating person well ahead of her time. She pursued relationships based on what she wanted instead of what convention demanded, and she made her own choices regarding her art too. Jansson was a painter first and she was quite accomplished in whatever she worked on. The author uses original sources to recreate Jansson's life story, and we get to see photos and read real quotes from the people in Jansson's life.
This book isn't for everyone, because it is long and scholarly. But there are no boring parts, and I was left impressed by the power of this woman who lived the way she wanted and left behind an amazing legacy.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

I've been intrigued by the Moomin franchise since high school but never personally interacted with it. I had a friend who visited Sweden who talked about it frequently. She even uses the character Little My as an avatar on her social media. When I saw the opportunity to read about its creator, I seized it. Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words was a well-researched biography that explored every aspect of her life. I understand this piece was published through the University of Minnesota Press and that was evident from the first page. This book unfortunately read like a term paper and it was difficult to concentrate. The writing was very dry and adhered to the strict parameters of academic essays. It lacked the whimsy and lighthearted nature that Moomintrolls embody.

I will acknowledge the heavy amount of research that went into nearly 600 pages about Tove Jansson. I loved the countless illustrations and photographs that helped build a better picture of the author's life. I did become further interested in the world of Moomin, but it's unfortunately not as popular in the United States as it is in Europe or Asia. It's difficult to find old cartoons streaming online or cute merchandise at my local store. I learned a lot about Tove Jansson's life, art and words through this book but I wish it didn't feel like I was reading a college thesis. I'm sure the Moomintrolls themselves would have appreciated this thoughtful exploration about their world far more than I ever could.

As someone who loves Tove and Moomins, I was excited to read this biography, but unfortunately, I found it unappealing. I got bored and couldn't finish it. Perhaps it would be better suited for more patient readers.

"An in-depth, perceptive account of the unconventional life of the Moomins' beloved creator, now available in the United States.

Tove Jansson achieved fame as the creator of the Moomins, beloved by generations of readers around the world. Remarkably, the Moomins were only part of the prodigious creative output of this Finnish-Swedish writer and artist. Jansson's work also includes short stories and five novels for adults, as well as paintings, murals, and book illustrations. In this acclaimed biography, Boel Westin relies on numerous conversations with Jansson and unprecedented access to her journals, letters, and personal archives to present an engrossing and comprehensive review of the life and world of Scandinavia's best-loved author.

As Westin's meticulous research makes clear, Jansson's artistic and literary works reflected what was most important to her: the love of family and nature and the desire to pursue her art. Guided by her personal motto, "Love and work," Jansson seized both with uncompromising joy. And while her romantic relationships with men proved unfulfilling, she found those with women--especially with her longtime partner, the artist Tuulikki Pietilä--both grounding and inspiring.

Westin weaves together the many threads of Jansson's rich, complex life: an education interrupted to help her family; the bleak war years and her emergence as a painter; the decades of Moominmania across books, newspaper comic strips, merchandise, and adaptations; her later fictions, including her popular The Summer Book; and her time with Pietilä on the solitary island of Klovharu. Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words offers fans and admirers around the world the most complete portrait of the writer Philip Pullman described as "a genius, a woman of profound wisdom and great artistry.""

Moomins! Oddly enough my book club just read a book that referenced the Moomins. Moomins are life.