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A review by shanviolinlove
A Country Doctor by Sarah Orne Jewett
3.0
I began reading this novel around five years ago and was enraptured by the first three chapters: Jewett's three-dimensional characters come to life in carefully crafted dialogue between country neighbors. Brilliant foundation laying of exposition, small town ideals, and character attributes. But the chapters afterwards slow down drastically; there's a lot of "telling" instead of "showing," as entire chapters are devoted to relaying facts or reasons about a character (major and minor), and none of the sharp dialogue or interiority that was showcased in the opening chapters. I found it interesting that the novel is called A Country Doctor; A Doctor's Country would be a more apt title, as Jewett documents meticulous details concerning the flora and fauna, as well as minor characters (e.g. Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Meeker, neighbor women). But save for two isolated incidents--and one of them not even described in real time but relayed by one character to another--and a wrapped up denouement of Nan making house calls in the final chapter, we the reader do not actually see Nan Prince being a doctor. There is a bit more description about her med school life, but even that is scant compared to the volume of detail given to her simply talking about her career.
Nor do we see much struggle with her chosen career until she takes a brief holiday in Dunport; her hometown of Oldfields, where she resides and ultimately practices medicine, gradually accepts her position with no drama and limited controversy. Jewett herself wraps up any hesitation or conflict in a few sentences that more or less detail that everyone eventually came around. In fact, Nan's only real struggles to reconcile her chosen career and deliberate singlehood involved her once-estranged aunt and a "lover" whom we never saw engage in any romantic affair--simply because Nan was never interested. My book copy describes the plot as one in which Nan must choose between marriage and career, but for Nan, it is evident that her desired vocation was never threatened, only defended. It is Jewett's thesis for the unmarried woman professional, and indeed, later dialogues between Nan and the Dunport citizens read like manifestos rather than actual character banter or debate. From the scant little I know of Jewett's own life, I imagine much of this novel was drawn from her own life and decisions and may have used this novel as a vehicle to voice them. It doesn't make for much of a plot, but the writing is heartfelt and engaged and the characters sincere. Whether or not I ever return to this novel, I am glad that I sat down and finally finished this book!
Nor do we see much struggle with her chosen career until she takes a brief holiday in Dunport; her hometown of Oldfields, where she resides and ultimately practices medicine, gradually accepts her position with no drama and limited controversy. Jewett herself wraps up any hesitation or conflict in a few sentences that more or less detail that everyone eventually came around. In fact, Nan's only real struggles to reconcile her chosen career and deliberate singlehood involved her once-estranged aunt and a "lover" whom we never saw engage in any romantic affair--simply because Nan was never interested. My book copy describes the plot as one in which Nan must choose between marriage and career, but for Nan, it is evident that her desired vocation was never threatened, only defended. It is Jewett's thesis for the unmarried woman professional, and indeed, later dialogues between Nan and the Dunport citizens read like manifestos rather than actual character banter or debate. From the scant little I know of Jewett's own life, I imagine much of this novel was drawn from her own life and decisions and may have used this novel as a vehicle to voice them. It doesn't make for much of a plot, but the writing is heartfelt and engaged and the characters sincere. Whether or not I ever return to this novel, I am glad that I sat down and finally finished this book!