A Story of the Coast of Maine.
Let us travel back in time - to the last days of the eighteenth century through the early days of the nineteenth century, to an island of the New England state Maine. A young woman waits for the return of her husband, ship-master James Lincoln. The woman's name is Naomi. With her father Captain Zephaniah Pennel, she watches the ship draw close to land. Suddenly, before their very eyes, the boat capsizes and sinks. James Lincoln drowns.
The tragedy throws Naomi Lincoln into labor. That very day she gives birth to a girl, and then joins her husband in death. Before she dies, Naomi names her daughter Mara, a Biblical name meaning 'bitter.' Zephaniah and his wife Mary, a humble, God-fearing couple, raise their granddaughter in their small home on Orr's Island. They are aided by the two spinster sisters Miss Roxy and Miss Ruey Toothacre, who figure prominently in the story.
Mara is the sunshine of her grandparents' lives. She is a blessing to them and lessens their ache at having lost both daughter and son-in-law. She is different from most children. Even as a very small child, she is quiet, pensive, yet cheerful. Her dearest friend is Sally Kittridge, the daughter of Captain and Mrs. Kittridge. They live a short walk away from Mara and her family. Sally is several years older than Mara, but two enjoy playing together. Captain Kittridge loves Mara, and he tells the girls wonderful stories - all exaggerated but nonetheless engrossing. Mrs. Kittridge does not approve of her husband's yarns. She is practical and serious.
One night, when Mara is still a very little girl, she has a dream of a woman and a small boy. The woman gives the boy to Mara and then disappears, leaving her child behind. The next day, Mara and Sally play in the cove along the sea. While they are playing, Sally finds a bracelet of hair with a lovely clasp. Mara has a greater discovery: a woman on the beach, holding a small boy in her arms: Victims of a shipwreck. The woman is dead, but the boy is alive. No identification, beyond the bracelet, is found on the woman or her son.
Zephaniah and Mary Pennel and Mara welcome the orphaned boy into their home. They name him Moses, after the Biblical patriarch who, like the boy, was "drawn out of water." The boy and girl become inseparable. Mara takes the boy under her wing, becoming his guardian angel. He grows up as Mara's brother and Captain and Mrs. Pennel's son. He remembers nothing of his earlier life, being too young at the time of the shipwreck and his mother's death.
The pastor of the parish is Rev. Theophilus Sewell. He is a bachelor, and he lives with his sister, Miss Emily. Miss Emily is a sweet lady and she adores her brother. One evening Rev. Sewell and his sister visit the Pennels'. Captain Pennel shows the hair bracelet and clasp, with the initials 'D.M,' to him. It is the only link Moses has to his past. Miss Emily notes a sudden, mysterious change that comes over her brother as he sees the hair bracelet and clasp. When they return home, Rev. Sewell avoids her probing questions, and locks himself away in his room.
Moses grows up into a rebellious, arrogant young man. He admires Mara, a lovely young lady, but he little respects her, and he treats her unkindly. He flirts with Sally Kittridge, now an independent, coquettish young woman. Mara, loving and loyal, has always loved Moses. She suffers silently, yet remains true to her first and only love.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's style in The Pearl of Orr's Island is, at times, conversational in tone. She writes as a silent observer yet as part of her audience, addressing the reader with a familiar 'we' instead of the distant third person. This mood is played to brilliance as she draws our attention to certain actions or away from certain moments.
Although Mara was not one of my favorite characters in the story (until closer to the end), I loved Miss Roxy and Miss Ruey. If you have seen the BBC mini-series Cranford, starring Eileen Atkins and Judi Dench as Miss Deborah and Miss Mattie Jenkins, you will see a striking resemblence in looks and temperament between these two sisters and Miss Roxy and Miss Ruey.
My next favorite set of characters is Rev. Sewell and his sister Miss Emily. Rev. Sewell is a refreshing change from the usual pastor-stereotype one finds in most books and films. He is a character with depth and a surprising past. He and Miss Emily have several humorous conversations. Miss Emily is a kind soul, most likely the funniest character in the entire novel.
I will warn you that the novel can crawl at times, but the story is intriguing. At times I wanted to knock some sense into one character, and another time I wanted to shake a different character. But when you care about the people in a story, you know that the author has beautifully created characters worthy of your attention.
Let us travel back in time - to the last days of the eighteenth century through the early days of the nineteenth century, to an island of the New England state Maine. A young woman waits for the return of her husband, ship-master James Lincoln. The woman's name is Naomi. With her father Captain Zephaniah Pennel, she watches the ship draw close to land. Suddenly, before their very eyes, the boat capsizes and sinks. James Lincoln drowns.
The tragedy throws Naomi Lincoln into labor. That very day she gives birth to a girl, and then joins her husband in death. Before she dies, Naomi names her daughter Mara, a Biblical name meaning 'bitter.' Zephaniah and his wife Mary, a humble, God-fearing couple, raise their granddaughter in their small home on Orr's Island. They are aided by the two spinster sisters Miss Roxy and Miss Ruey Toothacre, who figure prominently in the story.
Mara is the sunshine of her grandparents' lives. She is a blessing to them and lessens their ache at having lost both daughter and son-in-law. She is different from most children. Even as a very small child, she is quiet, pensive, yet cheerful. Her dearest friend is Sally Kittridge, the daughter of Captain and Mrs. Kittridge. They live a short walk away from Mara and her family. Sally is several years older than Mara, but two enjoy playing together. Captain Kittridge loves Mara, and he tells the girls wonderful stories - all exaggerated but nonetheless engrossing. Mrs. Kittridge does not approve of her husband's yarns. She is practical and serious.
One night, when Mara is still a very little girl, she has a dream of a woman and a small boy. The woman gives the boy to Mara and then disappears, leaving her child behind. The next day, Mara and Sally play in the cove along the sea. While they are playing, Sally finds a bracelet of hair with a lovely clasp. Mara has a greater discovery: a woman on the beach, holding a small boy in her arms: Victims of a shipwreck. The woman is dead, but the boy is alive. No identification, beyond the bracelet, is found on the woman or her son.
Zephaniah and Mary Pennel and Mara welcome the orphaned boy into their home. They name him Moses, after the Biblical patriarch who, like the boy, was "drawn out of water." The boy and girl become inseparable. Mara takes the boy under her wing, becoming his guardian angel. He grows up as Mara's brother and Captain and Mrs. Pennel's son. He remembers nothing of his earlier life, being too young at the time of the shipwreck and his mother's death.
The pastor of the parish is Rev. Theophilus Sewell. He is a bachelor, and he lives with his sister, Miss Emily. Miss Emily is a sweet lady and she adores her brother. One evening Rev. Sewell and his sister visit the Pennels'. Captain Pennel shows the hair bracelet and clasp, with the initials 'D.M,' to him. It is the only link Moses has to his past. Miss Emily notes a sudden, mysterious change that comes over her brother as he sees the hair bracelet and clasp. When they return home, Rev. Sewell avoids her probing questions, and locks himself away in his room.
Moses grows up into a rebellious, arrogant young man. He admires Mara, a lovely young lady, but he little respects her, and he treats her unkindly. He flirts with Sally Kittridge, now an independent, coquettish young woman. Mara, loving and loyal, has always loved Moses. She suffers silently, yet remains true to her first and only love.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's style in The Pearl of Orr's Island is, at times, conversational in tone. She writes as a silent observer yet as part of her audience, addressing the reader with a familiar 'we' instead of the distant third person. This mood is played to brilliance as she draws our attention to certain actions or away from certain moments.
Although Mara was not one of my favorite characters in the story (until closer to the end), I loved Miss Roxy and Miss Ruey. If you have seen the BBC mini-series Cranford, starring Eileen Atkins and Judi Dench as Miss Deborah and Miss Mattie Jenkins, you will see a striking resemblence in looks and temperament between these two sisters and Miss Roxy and Miss Ruey.
My next favorite set of characters is Rev. Sewell and his sister Miss Emily. Rev. Sewell is a refreshing change from the usual pastor-stereotype one finds in most books and films. He is a character with depth and a surprising past. He and Miss Emily have several humorous conversations. Miss Emily is a kind soul, most likely the funniest character in the entire novel.
I will warn you that the novel can crawl at times, but the story is intriguing. At times I wanted to knock some sense into one character, and another time I wanted to shake a different character. But when you care about the people in a story, you know that the author has beautifully created characters worthy of your attention.
This trip back in time - until the last days of the eighteenth century, during the first days of the nineteenth century, an island in the New England state is Maine izklyuitelno nice, very nice article.
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