I made the mistake of reading other people's comments on this collection below. Don't do that. It'll either make you second guess your own personal feelings or adding another one to your list of things about the human race that disappoints you.

I really enjoyed this collection. But then I have become a Tove Jansson fanboy in the last year or so. I suspect if Jansson was a British writer people would whine that she focuses too much on - and I'll paraphrase here for hyperbole - 'the metropolitan elite'. And yes, a lot of these stories focus on arts and crafts.

Yet, I think there's an understanding of humanity here. Empathy I believe you'd call it. It makes these stories feel emotionally true even when they take an odd turn. These are stories for perfectionists, for the indecisive etc. She is also great at expressing the impact of the creative drive on people.

I liked them. You might not. It's art. Enjoy it. Don't enjoy it.