Country of the Pointed Firs
'Country of the Pointed Firs' Summary
The narrator, a Bostonian, returns after a brief visit a few summers prior, to the small coastal town of Dunnet, Maine, in order to finish writing her book. Upon arriving she settles in with Almira Todd, a widow in her sixties and the local apothecary and herbalist. The narrator occasionally assists Mrs. Todd with her frequent callers, but this distracts her from her writing and she seeks a room of her own.
Renting an empty schoolhouse with a broad view of Dunnet Landing, the narrator can apparently concentrate on her writing, although Jewett does not use the schoolhouse to show the narrator at work but rather in meditation and receiving company. The schoolhouse is one of many locations in the novel which Jewett elevates to mythic significance and for the narrator the location is a center of writerly consciousness from which she makes journeys out and to which others make journeys in, aware of the force of the narrator's presence, out of curiosity, and out of respect for Almira Todd.
After a funeral, Captain Littlepage, an 80-year-old retired sailor, comes to the schoolhouse to visit the narrator because he knows Mrs. Todd. He tells a story about his time on the sea and she is noticeably bored so he begins to leave. She sees that she has offended him with her display of boredom, so she covers her tracks by asking him to tell her more of his story. The Captain's story cannot compare to the stories that Mrs. Todd, Mrs. Todd's brother and mother, and residents of Dunnet tell of their lives in Dunnet. The narrator's friendship with Mrs. Todd strengthens over the course of the summer, and the narrator's appreciation of the Maine coastal town increases each day.
Book Details
Author
Sarah Orne Jewett
United States
Theodora Sarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist, short story writer and poet, best known for her local color works set along or near the southern seacoast of Maine. Jewett is recognized as an impo...
More on Sarah Orne JewettDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
Lady Rose's Daughter by Mary Augusta Ward
It is a historical novel that tells the story of a young girl named Lady Rose, who is the daughter of a famous actress. Lady Rose is brought up in a w...
Bonne-Marie, a Tale of Normandy and Paris by Henry Gréville
"A young woman's journey from the shores of Normandy to the bustling streets of Paris." In this novel, Henry Gréville tells the story of Bonne-Marie,...
The Markenmore Mystery by J. S. Fletcher
After seven years of silence, Guy Markenmore returns to his family home at Markenmore Court. Knowing his father Sir Anthony to be close to death, he i...
Oldtown Folks by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Oldtown Folks is an 1869 novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is written from the first-person perspective of a young man named Horace Holyoke,...
Our Village, Volume 2 by Mary Russell Mitford
Step into the idyllic world of English countryside life in "Our Village, Volume 2" by Mary Russell Mitford, where each page unveils the heartwarming t...
History of My Pets by Sara Jane Lippincott
In the enchanting pages of "History of My Pets" by Sara Jane Lippincott, also known as Grace Greenwood, embark on a captivating journey through the ex...
William Again by Richmal Crompton
This is a beloved children's book that continues the mischievous adventures of the lovable and imaginative 11-year-old boy named William Brown. This d...
A Country Doctor by Sarah Orne Jewett
A Country Doctor is a fiction novel by American author Sarah Orne Jewett. The book, which was first published in 1884, was based on the relationship b...
Joseph in the Snow, and The Clockmaker. Vol. III by Berthold Auerbach
Embark on a journey through time and emotion with "Joseph in the Snow, and The Clockmaker. Vol. III" by Berthold Auerbach. This exquisite collection o...
The Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. Wirt Benson
Embark on an enthralling adventure with "The Clue of the Silken Ladder" by Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson. In a small town shrouded in secrets, a group...
Reviews for Country of the Pointed Firs
No reviews posted or approved, yet...