Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: A country of Pointed Firs Author: Sarah Orne Jewett ISBN: 1-883011-34-5 Publisher: Library of America Type of book: Countryside, seaside, herbs, vacation, summer, tales of people, 1800s Year it was published:  1896 Summary: Modeled in part on Flaubert's sketches of life in provincial France, this collection of stories offers a richly detailed portrait of a seaport on the Maine coast as seen through the eyes of a summer visitor. Against evocative imagery of the sky, the sea, and the earth itself, Jewett celebrates the friendships shared by the town's women, capturing the spirit of community that sustains the declining town Characters: While some of the characters were interesting and had fascinating facets to them. I couldn't really get engaged to the characters, or even care about them. The more interesting character is that of Joanna who was a hermit for one reason or another, and perhaps Mrs. Todd and her brother William. Other than t...

Name of Book: A Country Doctor Author: Sarah Orne Jewett ISBN: 1-883011-34-5 Publisher: College editions Type of book: country, city, sea, doctors, personal choice vs society, ward, orphan, feminism, career vs marriage, 1800s Year it was published: 1884 Summary: Though not as well-known as the writers she influenced, Sarah Orne Jewett nevertheless remains one of the most important American novelists of the late nineteenth century. Published in 1884, Jewett’s first novel, A Country Doctor, is a luminous portrayal of rural Maine and a semiautobiographical look at her world. In it, Nan’s struggle to choose between marriage and a career as a doctor, between the confining life of a small town and a self-directed one as a professional, mirrors Jewett’s own conflicts as well as eloquently giving voice to the leading women’s issues of her time. Perhaps even more important, Jewett’s perfect details about wild flowers and seaside wharfs, farm women knitting by the fireside and ...

Name of Book: Deephaven Author: Sarah Orne Jewett ISBN: 1-883011-34-5 Publisher: First Library of America Type of book: 1800s, Deephaven, nature, captains, small town, vacation, Boston, sea, religion Year it was published: 1877 Summary: Two aristocratic young ladies from Boston share their experiences and their delight, as well as the salty yarns of several sea captains, in a small harbor village in Maine. Characters: I didn't see a lot of personality quirks of the two main characters, but instead Helen and Kate have shown the reader of people that live in Deephaven as well as their personalities; the superstitious captains that tell fascinating tales, the women that welcome them warmly, the widows and spinsters that suffered through misfortunes, and the community spirit that the people inhabit in helping one another through tough times. Theme: There is delight in small towns as well Plot: The stories are told in first person narrative from Helen's ...