The Country of the Pointed Firs

Sara Orne Jewetts, The Country of the Pointed Firs, was a very heartwarming book for me to read. I found myself feeling like I was almost part of the family, just as the narrator felt all throughout the story. Every character seemed to have such liveliness and welcoming nature, it was very hard not to feel somewhat connected to them in some way. Early on in the book the narrator described Mrs. Blackett's hospitality, and I remembered these lines as I read on because I felt the same way all throughout the book. She spoke of her hospitality as being, "Something exquisite, she had the gift many women lack, of being able to make themselves and their houses belong entirely to their guests pleasure,-that charming surrender for the moment of themselves and whatever belongs to them, so that they will make it a part of one's own life that can never be forgotten" (Jewett 31). I felt that this was a very powerful line in the story, and it was this comfort that the narrator felt that helped carry me throughout the book. She was made to feel as though she was part of something special, and that can never be forgotten. The bonds between the characters and the strong family tradition is what made me find this book so special.
I also found the imagery of this book to be incredible. Nearly every page gives you an image of the beautiful New England landscape, and it seems as though I was right there experiencing everything from the colors of the seasons, to the singing of the birds. I loved the way the narrator spoke of the Bowden family reunion, and the scenery as they all walked. "There was a wide path mowed for us across the field, and as we moved along the birds flew up out of the thick second crop of clover, and the bees hummed as if it were still June" (Jewett 67). Jewett paints such a beautiful picture of nature as the narrator experienced it. She went on to say, "There was a flashing of white gulls over the water where the fleet of boats rode the low waves together in the cove, swaying their small masts as if they kept time to our steps" (Jewett 67). Jewett synchronizes nature with the family so well, and I found it very interesting to read. I really enjoyed The Country of the Pointed Firs.