Reviews

The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories by Sarah Orne Jewett

sarahanne8382's review against another edition

2.0

In her 1896 novel Jewett paints a vivid portrait of the isolated Maine fishing town of Dunnet Landing. It's more a collection of character sketches than a cohesive narrative. The narrator is an unnamed writer from Boston spending the summer in Dunnet Landing renting a room from Mrs. Todd, the local herbalist. During her stay she visits a series of local personalities and tells each of their stories. The setting is similar to my favorite author L. M. Montgomery's stories about Prince Edward Island and the Canadian Atlantic coast, and the characters were genuine and relatively interesting, but I was really thrown by the lack of an overall plot and found myself quickly losing interest during the sections between some of the more lively stories.

kimball_hansen's review against another edition

2.0

Yeah...What did I just read? I was so lost. But I tried. No one can say I didn't try.

alyssatuininga's review against another edition

funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Absolutely beautiful book written in 1896, comprising the novella The Country of the Pointed Firs and eight short stories about the same fictional town in Maine. This has been on my classics list for a while and when I finally looked into it I was surprised to find that the author lived in South Berwick, Maine only a short distance from my house. She was a well educated young woman, that lived most of her life in Maine and published her first book at 18.  Her writings focus on women and women's daily lives and work. She lived openly for many years as a lesbian with her partner. Her writing has been compared to Willa Cather who I love and I can definitely see the resemblance. Wonderful book and I am so glad that I finally got around to reading it. I plan to read more of her work soon. 

eveak's review against another edition

3.0

I've been moving this book around with me since freshman year of college where we were supposed to read it but ran out of time in the semester ... I'm reading it now because I'm tired of moving unread books around ... and i do like it and think that her writing really is lovely

macieslater's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

finally got around to reading the unassigned parts of this book from my rethinking gender in american lit class! i honestly loved it — it truly encapsulated the idea of finding joy in simplicity and the importance of female friendships.

maevejreilly's review against another edition

5.0

Loved the novel but also two of the short stories included: “The Queen’s Twin” and “A White Heron.”

thereaderintherye's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

lgpiper's review against another edition

4.0

Sarah Orne Jewett is a beautiful writer. Not a whole lot of action happens in this gem. You just follow the life of a woman who decided to summer in a small fishing village in Southeastern Maine. As time goes along, the woman meets the local characters and involves herself in local life. Not exciting stuff, perhaps, but very interesting and compelling reading. I found it rather amusing that the people in such places more than a century ago talked fondly of the "good old days" and how things have changed, but likely not for the better. And so it goes....

gaypoetree's review against another edition

hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Disclaimer: This is one of the books I read/listened to as fast as humanly possible, because it was 
 among the last things standing between me and a degree. 

That said, enjoyed this one! The vignette-style narrative is well suited to presenting the picture of a whole community while also honoring the individuals within it, and the story excellently displays the oft-unnoticed level of labor and care performed by women for their communities. Plus, Maine is weird and interesting. If you have like, one to two rainy days on your hands, this novella is a good candidate. 

lindseyzank's review against another edition

3.0

(3.5 stars) A little gem of a novel about New England's vast landscapes and quaint people. The narrator is quite devoid of personality and information about herself, making this feel like a survey observation of a New England village. Parts are delightful.