Review: "The Country of the Pointed Firs" by Sarah Orne Jewett
The Country of the Pointed Firs may be downloaded for free from our ebook catalog
The Country of Pointed Firs is a book you can take your time with. You can read a bit of it, put it down to read something else, and pick it right back up again, immediately immersing yourself into late 1800s New England. The book has a dreamy quality, and it's sense of nostalgia is very strong as if this place and time described no longer exists but in the author's memory. It's not especially sad, but it got me thinking of similar events or people in my life that are perhaps gone forever. You can tell that the importance lies in the time, as you can always go back to the place, but maybe things have changed so much that the experience will never be the same.
Since I read this book on and off over a period of several months, I will comment that I don't feel I lost anything from taking several breaks from reading. There are many characters in the book, but the plot is secondary to the the feel of the story, and that is something you don't forget as easily. A review by a reader on Amazon stayed with me, as it describes perfectly the mood of the book:
"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."
Discussion
Post a Comment
Support Free Ebooks
This book has been on my radar for quite a while and your post has prompted me to read it. I know Sarah Orne Jewett was highly regarded by Willa Cather - one of my favourite authors.
Willa Cather is one of my favorites too. I think I read somewhere (Wikipedia?) that Jewett was the one who told Cather to rely on her experiences growing up in Nebraska for her novel material. I look forward to your thoughts on this one!