[.ca] Country Of The Pointed Firs And Other Stories (ISBN 0393311376)

Younger readers like this book too!:
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.

True Masterpiece:
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett is a masterpiece of world fiction. True, nothing much happens in this novel. It is just a series of sketches about regular people in New England in the Nineteenth Century living out their daily lives. But in that simplicity lies the real beauty of the novel; Jewett finds beauty and meaning in the "small" happenings of "small" lives. The characterizations in this novel are delicate and well-developed. The prose is extremely clean and readable. The overall picture of the life in the village is magnificent. People from small towns (like myself) will certainly enjoy it the most. The Country of the Pointed Firs is a fantastic novel which ought to be read more often. It is rare to find a novel that creates such an epic scale by just looking through a small scope.

No plot and no action, but plenty of relaxing local color:
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.

Graveyard literature:
I've read many wonderful novels but I could count on the fingers of one hand those that seemed to transcend literature and, in Kenneth Rexroth's phrase, bring me face-to-face with the meaning of existence. Of that glorious few, "The Country of the Pointed Firs" is by far the shortest and yet, mysteriously and inexplicably, the deepest. It's a still and quiet book; it will not show its face it to you if you read it while riding the subway to work. It's the sort of book to read on sitting alone in a graveyard while a cool breeze blows the last autumn leaves from the branches. That's the best description I can give you; it's too subtle and beautiful for summaries. Just read it, please.

Balm for the soul:
I'd have to disagree that this title is for older readers. But I can see how, in general, a more sedate pace is required to truly enjoy the read. I'm 27 and currently undergoing chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. I'm an avid reader, but since treatment began I haven't been able to focus so well. I happened to pick up this book on a whim, and I do no regret it. While there is no plot, and the chapters are really just a series of character sketches, this book is pure magic. You have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it though. I've been sick a lot through treatment and when I've tried to read "lighter" books, they've barely aroused my interest for long. This book is in no way light. It is quiet and subtle and still and profoundly deep. It is exactly what I needed, a literary balm for the soul--taking me to a place and allowing me to meet people long lost to time, immersing me in a beautiful world I don't really wish to leave. It draws you in, as if it's winter and you are welcomed into a warm room with a cozy fire--and it wraps around you with all the comfort of heaven. I'll be disappointed when I reach the last page and thus the end of this particular journey.