Though not as well known as the writers she influenced, Sarah Orne Jewett remains one of the most important American novelists of the late nineteenth century. A Country Doctor, Jewett’s first novel, is a luminous portrayal of rural Maine and a look at the author’s own 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.
Jewett’s perfect details about wildflowers and seaside wharfs, farm women knitting by the fireside and sailors going upriver to meet the moonlight convey a realism that has seldom been surpassed.
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"I sure wish I had such a clear purpose in life. But I'm also glad I don't need to in order to do what I want with it. On the other hand, some parts still ring very true. How's that for a review that's not helpful at all?"
— Aviva (4 out of 5 stars)
“A Country Doctor endures…as an uncommonly moving and evocative tale about the coming-of-age of a courageous, perservering, earnest young woman determined to achieve authentic selfhood in defiance of propriety and custom.”
— Frederick Wegener, editor of Edith Wharton: The Uncollected Critical Writings" This book took me a while to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be a great read. It is about a young woman who must choose between marriage and her career as a country doctor in new england in the late 1800's. Nan is a very endearing and inspiring character. "
— Melissa, 1/12/2014" Ughhhh this book was NOT GOOD "
— Jessica, 1/3/2014" I was surprised that this book was published in 1884 because of its feminist overtones. It had many memorable passages. "
— Jana, 12/29/2013" Keeping in mind when this was written, it was an enlightening book ! Also an easy read . Makes one know how far women have come! "
— Judy, 12/24/2013" Although I love Jewett's other writings, especially The Country of the Pointed Firs, I just don't understand how this could come from the same author. Not worth reading. "
— Lisago5, 12/14/2013" Read this in Maine while babysitting for a week near Arcadia Nat'l Park. She is a literary treasure. "
— Lauren, 12/9/2013" I'd hear it was like Gaskell but boy was I disappointed. The characters were dull. The story was boring and I had trouble getting into it. Disappointment. My quest for the next Gaskell continues. "
— Rachel, 11/29/2013" Boring. I could not finish it. It seemed like a cross between Anne of Green Gables (which I did like) and Poor Richard's Almanac. Poor character development, they pranced around and had tea. It was a free audiobook download from the library. So glad I did not pay money for this. "
— Anne, 11/18/2013" Influential writer. Love the time period and simplicity. "
— Claire, 11/13/2013" I enjoyed the steady, solid characters in this classic. Would enjoy meeting and talking with most of them. If you enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, you'll enjoy this sweet book. "
— Kami, 11/4/2013" A sadly happy book. "
— Cathy, 2/8/2012" Horribly boring and nothing really happens. "
— Jayme, 1/26/2012" This book is poop. "
— Kyle, 10/19/2011" Sadly, part of what makes it just 'okay' is that I actually listened to it as an audio book (I couldn't find a paper copy here in Winnipeg) and it is not a great audio book. I might have enjoyed it more to have read it instead of listened to it. "
— Sheri-lee, 7/26/2011" It has some very long, drawn-out moralizing passages which I think is typical of the time period. "
— Rosa, 7/23/2011" Love the first half, then too much women's-lib preaching. Some great quotes from it though. I understand the preaching was necessary when the book was written. "
— Joel, 7/21/2011" A story of a woman's independence and how she must chose between marriage and her commitment to her career as a Maine country doctor. Published in 1884 for the modern woman this dilemma derives most of our interest from the feminist edge. "
— Helen, 4/6/2011" Although I love Jewett's other writings, especially The Country of the Pointed Firs, I just don't understand how this could come from the same author. Not worth reading. "
— Lisago5, 9/14/2009" Although I love Jewett's other writings, especially The Country of the Pointed Firs, I just don't understand how this could come from the same author. Not worth reading. "
— Lisago5, 9/14/2009" A story of a woman's independence and how she must chose between marriage and her commitment to her career as a Maine country doctor. Published in 1884 for the modern woman this dilemma derives most of our interest from the feminist edge. <br/> <br/> "
— Helen, 6/26/2009" A story of a woman's independence and how she must chose between marriage and her commitment to her career as a Maine country doctor. Published in 1884 for the modern woman this dilemma derives most of our interest from the feminist edge. <br/> <br/> "
— Helen, 6/26/2009" Influential writer. Love the time period and simplicity. "
— Claire, 1/20/2009" Influential writer. Love the time period and simplicity. "
— Claire, 1/20/2009" This book took me a while to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be a great read. It is about a young woman who must choose between marriage and her career as a country doctor in new england in the late 1800's. Nan is a very endearing and inspiring character. "
— Melissa, 7/11/2007" This book took me a while to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be a great read. It is about a young woman who must choose between marriage and her career as a country doctor in new england in the late 1800's. Nan is a very endearing and inspiring character. "
— Melissa, 7/11/2007Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), novelist and short-story writer, was born and raised in South Berwick, Maine. The daughter of a country doctor, she received a lady’s education but maintained that her real learning came from her father, who fostered her writing talents and let her accompany him on his rounds. At age nineteen, she had her first short story published in the Atlantic Monthly. Her vignettes of the gently perishing glory of the Maine countryside and ports won her a place among the most successful of the local-color writers.
Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.