The quirky people of the small community come alive in all their specificity through Jewett's characterization, and are guaranteed to stay with the reader for a long time after the book is over. Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909) was an American writer of regional fiction, centered on life in Maine. Her major works include "Deephaven" (1877) and "The Country of the Pointed Firs" (1896). Her collected poems, "Verses" (1916), were published after her death.