The Country of Pointed Firs

Sarah Orne Jewett

A nameless writer has come to Dunnet Landing, a small town on the coast of Maine, for the summer in order to finish her manuscript.

Compared to the hectic pace of the city she's left behind, she finds herself absorbed in the slow rhythms of her new daily life. Her observations of the residents of Dunnet Landing—their loves, their fights, their occupation with sky and sea and land, their tall tales, and quiet secrets—comprise The Country of the Pointed Firs. It is a novel seemingly made from the very fabric of community. Jewett’s beautiful, delicate descriptions and her wonderfully natural dialogue bring the whole town and its many inhabitants to life.

Once described by Henry James as Jewett’s “beautiful little quantum of achievement,” The Country of the Pointed Firs is a stunning testament to the power of place and memory.

In conversation with

Brandy Jensen is a writer and editor. She lives in New Orleans with her two dogs.

Stephanie Insley Hershinow is an associate professor of English at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, CUNY. She lives in Jersey City with her family.