Rough-hewn

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Jan 1922 · Harcourt, Brace

About this ebook

This is a love story, but an unusual one. Most of the book is spent on an insightful account of the minds and hearts of the two protagonists during their childhood and young adulthood, before they ever meet. Their experiences are almost entirely different; one having a very American childhood in New York and Vermont, and the other being largely brought up by servants in Europe. When they do meet, they are mysterious to each other, but not to the reader. The scenes where they fall in love are enchanting, and the reader watches them help each other to choose the best parts of their prior lives, and discard the rest. In many ways, this is a very American book. Fisher has a definite admiration for the values of independence and self-reliance, and she has her characters choose truth and direct behavior, rather than follow any of the manipulative and self-centered behavior that surrounds them. The final scenes where they laugh off money, fame, and servants in favor of being together and working hard for what they want are as charming and sweet as a finale could be.