Customer Reviews

The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Fiction (Oxford World's Classics)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jewett's relatively unacknowledged novel "The Country of the Pointed Firs" is a masterpiece. Tightly constructed, beautifully written, thematically rich; top-of-the-line in every category. It's slow going at first, but grows on you once you see what Jewett is examining -- the interconnectedness of all people, even those who live far apart and have seemingly nothing in common. The bookshelf of any bona fide literature fan -- esp. fans of American lit. -- should not be without this little masterpiece.

Jewett's Country of the Pointed Firs seemed like a good choice for reading while summering in Maine. Indeed her character who narrates the book is a woman author spending the summer in a small seaside Maine town.
Sara Orne Jewett gets a mention in American literature classes as a local color writer. This book demonstates her style with its descriptions of the Maine countryside, village life in the 1890s, and insight into the lives of island dwellers and retired fishermen and sea captains.
There's not much that would be considered a plot, just casual meetings with interesting characters in the area. To glimpse life in coastal Maine more than a centruy ago, this is the book for you.
I look forward to visiting the author's home in South Berwick. It's a national historic site.