
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
'The Wonderful Adventures of Nils' Summary
The book is about a young lad, Nils Holgersson, whose "chief delight was to eat and sleep, and after that he liked best to make mischief". He takes great delight in hurting the animals in his family farm. Nils captures a tomte in a net while his family are at church and have left him home to memorize chapters from the Bible. The tomte proposes to Nils that if Nils frees him, the tomte will give him a huge gold coin. Nils rejects the offer and the tomte turns Nils into a tomte, which leaves him shrunken and able to talk with animals, who are thrilled to see the boy reduced to their size and are angry and hungry for revenge. While this is happening, wild geese are flying over the farm on one of their migrations, and Martin, the farm's white goose attempts to join the wild ones. In an attempt to salvage something before his family returns, Nils holds on to Martin's neck as he successfully takes off and joins the wild birds.
The wild geese, who are not pleased at all to be joined by a boy and a domestic goose, eventually take them on an adventurous trip across all the historical provinces of Sweden observing in passing their natural characteristics and economic resources. At the same time the characters and situations he encounters make him a man: the domestic goose needs to prove his ability to fly like the experienced wild geese, and Nils needs to prove to the geese that he would be a useful companion, despite their initial misgivings. During the trip, Nils learns that if he proves he has changed for the better, the tomte might be disposed to change him back to his normal size.
The book also includes various subplots, concerning people and animals whose lives are touched in one way or another by Nils and the wild geese. For example, one chapter centers on a provincial man who feels lonely and alienated in the capital Stockholm, is befriended by a nice old gentleman who tells him (and the reader) about the city's history - and only later finds that it was none other than the King of Sweden, walking incognito in the park.
The book was criticized for the fact that the goose and boy don't make any stop in the province Halland. In chapter 53 they fly over Halland on the way back to Scania, but they aren't impressed by the sight and they don't stop. However, such a chapter has been added to some translations of the book. In depictions Nils is usually wearing a red cap, although this is erroneous as he is described in the original Swedish edition as wearing a white cap.
Book Details
Authors

Selma Lagerlof
Sweden
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author and teacher. She published her first novel, Gösta Berling's Saga, at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Liter...
Books by Selma LagerlofDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

Around The Campfire by Sir Charles G. D. Roberts
Step into a world where nature's untamed beauty sets the stage for extraordinary adventures. Around The Campfire is a mesmerizing anthology that becko...

Sowing and Reaping by Frances E. W. Harper
Sowing and Reaping is a didactic novel that explores the destructive effects of alcohol abuse on individuals and families. The novel follows the lives...

Hive of Busy Bees by Effie Mae Hency Williams
In 'Hive of Busy Bees,' young Don and Joyce spend their summer on their grandparents' farm. The evenings are filled with Grandma's captivating tales a...

The Junior Classics Volume 7: Stories of Courage and Heroism by William Patten
The stories in this volume are true stories, and have been arranged in chronological order, an arrangement that will aid the reader to remember the ti...

The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a literary folktale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, about a vain emperor who gets exposed before his...

The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit
A children’s fantasy novel first published in 1907, The Enchanted Castle recounts the marvelous adventures encountered by a curious group of children...

Faery Tales from Hans Christian Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen
This 1910 edition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales presents a selection of both well-known and lesser-known stories, adapted for American read...

Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne's *Twice-Told Tales* is a collection of short stories that explore themes of sin, guilt, and the dark side of human nature. Set pr...

Histórias e sonhos: contos by Lima Barreto
This collection of short stories by Lima Barreto, a renowned Brazilian author, presents a sharp critique of Brazilian society and politics. Barreto's...

Kleine Zielen by Louis Couperus
De kleine zielen is een roman van Louis Couperus die zich afspeelt in Den Haag aan het begin van de 20e eeuw. Het verhaal draait om Constance van Lowe...
Reviews for The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
No reviews posted or approved, yet...