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Title: The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories (Modern Library Classics) by Sarah Orne Jewett, Suzannah Lessard ISBN: 037575671X Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 09 January, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.91
Rating: 3
Summary: Conceivably, a Wise Tale
Comment: Sarah Orne Jewett, through cloudless vision into the souls of her characters and deep connection of their relationship with nature, lures the unwilling to her sanctuary. Captain Littlepage, who identifies with the sea for example, is drawn out through his mysterious stories of voyages. Mrs. Todd finds peace and fulfillment in healing herbs and hospitality. Joannah exists on an isolated island a reader is able to feel that they know. As one customer commented, "personalities are shaped and distilled into persons of real character" ("a short story collection centered around the people of Maine"). A sense of genuine devotion the people of the close knit community share for each other is certainly captured in Jewett's chronicles. William's repeated abandonment of his inhibitions is a model of the tenderness exposed throughout the tale. "The Country of the Pointed Firs" is a story that deserves respect and commendation for it's gentle picturesque style that relates so appropriately with common people Jewett illustrates in a different light.
Still, valid criticism is generated by our action-based, youth-oriented society where quietly unfolding "wisdom" ("Old Time Country Charmer") has little opportunity to gain appreciation. If you're looking for action, you won't find it here. Nor will you travel through the thoughts of complex, fascinating characters. It is far from surprising that not all readers want to be removed from the high-paced world in which most of us take part. Maybe "The Country of the Pointed Firs" remains uninviting to youth because such a generation does not want to take part in the details of a story that describes an unrecognized fear: aging. This is truly a work that will be what is brought to it. Older people might have a more mature sense of the beauty and peace that could come from a stop to smell Jewett's roses.
Rating: 4
Summary: No plot and no action, but plenty of relaxing local color
Comment: Perhaps the finest example of the type known as a "local colorist", this quiet book radiates peace, tranquility, warmth, and, at least implicitly, small town values. While the stories are sequential (at least in the work proper - this edition also includes some first-person narratives that fit contextually, but are actually outside the body of the original work) - and unified (all take place in a small portion of Maine, and takes place over the course of one summer), there's no real overlying plot or climax to the book, and blessed little action. Instead, the reader is treated to a few relaxing months in the country, with nothing to do but listen to the crash of the surf, breathe in the pungent smell of the herb garden, and enjoy the nodding conversations of the sparsely-drawn and just-sufficiently-colorful locals. Beloved and respected relatives abound, and one of the add-on stories even compasses a wedding. No stress, no worries, and no problems to solve - this is a book that could help one get to sleep on some too-tense evening. Of course if you're hoping for something a little more from a book, best look elsewhere. There's really nothing more than light, quiet entertainment here, but it's of such a refined and delightful quality as one rarely finds in the literary canon. As such, women will probably enjoy this book more than men, and mature readers will probably appreciate it more than young people. But when you've had enough excitement, and the toils of your savage work day are weighing heavily on you, don't forget that Mrs. Todd will still have a spare room waiting for you in her quiet New England home.
Rating: 4
Summary: Younger readers like this book too!
Comment: Many have said you need to be older (at least 40) to appreciate this book, but I loved it and I'm only 26. Jewett made me feel like I was really there in Dunnet Landing, and since the narrator is never named, I felt like I was the narrator, living her experiences (it helps that the narrator in this story is a writer and so am I). I loved Jewett's descriptive language and rich characterization. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates beautiful imagery and unforgetful characters. My favorite character in the novel is Mrs. Todd's mother, Mrs. Blackett -- I wish I was as loving and giving and self-forgetful as she is! My husband and I are planning a trip to coastal Maine this summer, and I will be thinking about this novel while I'm there.
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Title: A Country Doctor (Bantam Classic) by Sarah Orne Jewett ISBN: 0553214985 Publisher: Bantam Classics Pub. Date: 06 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner ISBN: 014200040X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: A White Heron and Other Stories by Sarah Orne Jewett ISBN: 0486408841 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: December, 1999 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY by Richard Llewellyn ISBN: 0684825554 Publisher: Scribner Paperback Fiction Pub. Date: July, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Bayou Folk: And, a Night in Acadie (Penguin Classics) by Kate Chopin ISBN: 0140436812 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 1999 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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