The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories - Penguin Classics Edition | Classic American Literature Collection | Perfect for Book Clubs & Literature Enthusiasts

I first read "The Country of the Pointed Firs" in college as part of my American Literature class. I had never heard of Sarah Orne Jewett and wasn't looking forward to spending my time reading anything that strayed too far from Fantasy, Adventure, Action, and Science Fiction. But I was an English major and knew there was no way out of reading an assigned book, so when the time came, I regretfully plunged in and was captivated.I can't tell you how or why I wound up loving this beautifully written little book, but I've come back to reread it once a year. It's written in first person and tells the tale of a woman returning to the coastal town of Dunnet Landing, a place she fell in love with a few years earlier. It's really just the story of her visit, interacting with the quirky townspeople, and then her departure -- that's it. Yes, there were some themes mixed in -- Naturalism, Realism, and some prose mechanics, but as for the story itself, it's a beautiful piece of work -- a beautifully written masterpiece.I've since visited the coast of Maine, near Berwick, Sarah Orne Jewett's hometown, which a few miles from the coast. There are several historical buildings in Berwick that you can visit that have something to do with the Jewett family -- The Sarah Orne Jewett House, the Jewett-Eastman House, the Jewett Gardens, the Jewett Store, and Portland Street Cemetery where the family is buried. The town is proud of her and her accomplishments, and rightly so.All those years ago I became a lover of Dunnet Landing and look forward to my annual reading so I can revisit it's streets, buildings, townspeople, and the beautiful, green, fragrant herb garden behind Mrs. Todd's house.