The Country of the Pointed Firs

An American classic, filled with unforgettable characters, stories of the difficulty and loneliness of small town life but also the bonds between women that provide both dignity and strength.

First published in 1896, and set in a small town on the rugged Maine coast, these rich vignettes were praised by Henry James as a “beautiful little quantum of achievement.” Jewett’s vision was of a gentle and generous people who live in this fishing village on a rugged and dangerous coast, a New England limned in colors of high summer and blue skies. The values in these stories, and the lives of these people, still speak to us, and touch our hearts, today.

You will meet the people of Dunnet''s landing; the women, who are probably the most unforgettable characters of her book; and Elijah Tilley (among the very few men in Jewett’s cast) who, after the death of his wife, learns the skills of husband and wife, of farm and sea. The Country of Pointed Firs is essential reading for anyone who loves classics of American literature—or a story that resonants deeply within.