We have exciting news to share this week as Tove Jansson’s iconic The Summer Book has been chosen for the CHANEL “Summer Readings with Charlotte Casiraghi 2024” campaign.
In the annual campaign hosted by the ambassador and spokesperson for the House of Chanel, Charlotte Casiraghi shares her summer book recommendations. This summer 2024, four books were chosen and in Chanel’s video which can be viewed here, Charlotte Casiraghi shares her thoughts about The Summer Book.
The Summer Book (Sommarboken), a timeless classic first published in 1972, was very personal for Tove Jansson and one of her favourites.
Exploring themes of nature, love and inter-generational relationships, the story brings together three people and three generations: a six-year-old girl, a father and an old grandmother. It’s a humane story that focuses on the unique friendship between the young Sophia and her grandmother, spending their summer together on an island far out in the archipelago. As the two learn to adjust to each other’s fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges – one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself.
The Summer Book is a literary gem which has charmed readers around the world and is praised by both critics and authors. So far, the book has been translated into 36 languages. The book has recently been adapted to the big screen, directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close.