The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

by Sarah Orne Jewett (Author), Anita Shreve (Introduction) "There was something about the coast town of Dunnet which made it seem more attractive than other maritime villages of eastern Maine..." (more)
Key Phrases: high wagon, pointed firs, Green Island, Dunnet Landing, Captain Littlepage (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Jewett's 1896 novel and selected stories about the fictional town of Dunnett Landing in rural Maine.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review
"When one really knows a village like this and its surroundings, it is like becoming acquainted with a single person. The process of falling in love at first sight is as final as it is swift in such a case, but the growth of true friendship may be a lifelong affair".

-- From the novel

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451527577
• ISBN-13: 978-0451527578
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #362,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Hollywood, no car chases, just fine reading..., May 28, 1999

By	Mark Valentine (Port Angeles, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Country of the Pointed Firs (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

I found this to be an extraordinary novel because it really didn't seem like fiction at all. No plot, no bodice ripping, no contrived literary conventions, nothing; Sarah Orne Jewett constructs each episode to blend into the next as seamless as a conversation with a close friend, and the overall effect makes something like a landscape painting, only in print form. Each character she writes about was deformed by the weather, the soil, the isolation, the struggles, and the sea, yet in their faults, they are human and thus dignified--it is beautiful in a simple way.

I would recommend reading this book some afternoon with the telephone unplugged, sitting on a porch with a teapot full of Earl Grey nearby, with your feet propped up and your cares let down. It's as subtle and delightful as a waft of air from the garden after an afternoon shower. It's a haiku in prose--the memory of the book is better than the reading. Enjoy!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visit the Country, April 15, 2005

By	Maren Robinson (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sarah Orne Jewett's THE COUNTRY OF POINTED FIRS is a visitor's tale. Set in the fictional Maine coast town of Dunnet Landing where the author/narrator has settled for the summer to write. As a visitor, the narrator inevitably recounts only the pieces of history she comes in contact with through her landlady and the people she meets in the community. The stories are portraits, bits and pieces, of lives that exist outside the narrator's brief visit. As a result, the reader feels like a companion on this holiday. The novella moves at the pace of a quiet seacoast village, and is refreshing to read for that very reason. Like a vacation, outside cares fade while focusing on the lives, habits and landscape of this place. The writing is finely wrought. A real affection for a place and people one knows briefly shines through the work and makes one wish for a time and place when travel, life and writing unfolded at a the speed of a long walk.

Some editions incorporate other stories written about Dunnet Landing into the body of the novella. This can lead to a change in the narrator's voice that is incongruous with the rest of the work. Look for a version that preserves the order of one of the early publications with other short works in a separate section.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book brought me peace from start to finish, April 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Country of the Pointed Firs : And Other Stories (Paperback)

Sarah Orne Jewett keeps her readers interested from page to page, not through action and adventure, but through intellectual conversation. Usually I would not have picked up The Country of the Pointed Firs, because nine out of ten of the books that I read contain constant action sequences from one page to the next. Although after reading this book from beginning to end, I began to understand the characters in the book and could relate to the peaceful community that they belonged to. The narrator brings us into her everyday peaceful life through the emotion and laid-back style that she puts into every description. The narrator's love for nature helps us to understand New England as she sees it. She helps all of us "city people" to accept New England for what it is, paradise. The narrator, with the help of Mrs. Todd, Mrs. Todd's mother, and William, help give the reader some background and history of New England specifically Maine where they live. The small part that I enjoyed most though, was the narrator's discussion with the old and wise Captain Littlepage. His description of the island that he had visited while he was out at sea brought a very mysterious feeling to the book. I was upset to find out that this was where the mystery ended. I also enjoyed Jewett's ability to describe some of the close and personal family relationships in the story. At times I felt like I knew the entire life story of all the characters in the story. All in all I really enjoyed the book. I do not recommend it to a younger crowd, but I know all old and young adults will enjoy it as I did. Sarah Orne Jewett has created a masterpiece that will last for years to come.