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There are currently 42 member reviews
for A Piece of the World
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Karna B. (Long Beach, CA)
A Piece of the World
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning about Andrew Wyeth's subject for his painting Christina's World. Kline excels at giving the reader a sense of place and time. Her characters are well-developed. I would definitely recommend this book to my book club.
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Esther L. (Newtown, PA)
A Painting Come To Life
A sad, yet uplifting life story of Christina Olson and her relationship with artist Andrew Wyeth. They met in 1939 when Wyeth was twenty two and Christina was forty six, and spent many summers in Maine talking together while Wyeth sketched and painted. An undiagnosed degenerative disease stole her mobility but Wyeth was able to paint the core of Christina's self.
I raced through the story and enjoyed every moment. I wasn't sure that I would this book as much as The Orphan Train, but I did. Christina's character was beautifully written and the times and places well drawn.
Many thanks to BookBrowse for the opportunity to read and review A Piece. Of the World.
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Barbara H. (Thomasville, GA)
Swept away in Christina's World
I opened this book and was immediately swept away into the lush, coastal farm Maine landscape and the amazing characters inhabiting this landscape from 1900 through 1948. This small piece of the world was Christina'a world, a misshapen, crippled young girl, growing into adulthood and stubbornly trying to be normal when she was not.
When Andrew Wyeth came into her world, her life opened up in ways she never imagined. Wyeth found in this "world" subjects for his greatest works in the simple lives of Christina and her brother and the surrounding windswept landscape. This is a story of the beginnings of a great artist and a crippled young woman who led a life of amazing hardship and simplicity - and how their two worlds collided. Christina discovered that the greatest kindness is acceptance – and to be seen.
I discovered: BBC Michael Palin in Wyeth's World on YouTube. Go and view this video – It is lovely and shows Christina's home in this gorgeous part of Maine which now can be toured.
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A good follow up to Orphan Train
A Piece of this World is inspired by Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World. I am a fan of both Andrew and N.C. Wyeth's paintings and was therefore very eager to read this book. While I love the painting Christina’s World and have seen it on display a number of times at MoMA, I never realized that Wyeth based the painting on someone he knew.
The story goes back and forth through time slowly imagining Christina’s sad story and how Andrew Wyeth came to know and paint her. Christina spent her entire life living in her family’s dilapidated farm house in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. As a young child, she developed a debilitating disease that was never diagnosed but slowly robbed her of the ability to walk and use her limbs effectively. While she was quite intelligent, her father made her leave school after eighth grade and tend to household items. She never fully got over having to abandon her education. Between the school issue, her illness, and an unhappy romance, Christina developed into a complicated and sometimes bitter woman making choices that demonstrated her acrimony. I found it hard to like her but enjoyed learning her story.
Wyeth met Christina one summer when his family was visiting Maine. They went on to develop a relationship that lasted many years. Andrew Wyeth brought out a more sympathetic side of Christina, which he immortalized in his painting. The portions of the story where Wyeth appears and interacts with both Christina and her brother Al were my favorites.
Christina Baker Kline writes a character driven novel that brings Christina’s World vividly to life. Thanks to BookBrowse and William Morrow for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Mary B. (Laguna Woods, CA)
Christina's World
As someone who likes to learn about art and enjoys historical fiction, I was looking forward to reading this book. I found it to be a wonderful description of life in rural New England in the 1st half of the 19th century. I felt very sorry for Christina as she was so handicapped, had to do so much physical labor for her family, and was forced to leave school after 8th grade even though she was very smart. She became a lonely and sometimes bitter women whose life was enlivened when Andy Wyeth came to her farm to paint in the summers. She found she had much in common with the much younger man and finally felt understood when he painted "Christina's World".
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Ann S. (Hornell, NY)
A Piece of the World
I remember the speculation on the relationship between Christina and Andrew Wyeth when the painting was reviewed many years ago. Who would not be curious about this Woman who Andrew painted and the history of where he painted his many works. I found this book flowed with poetic descriptions of Christina's family small town interactions, hope, honesty and history and her daily struggles to not be noticed, but be included in life. She steals your heart, makes you frustrated with her stubbornness and weeping at times for her losses. A good read. You wont forget Christina for a long time.
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Sherri M. (Mullica Hill, NJ)
Brings a painting to life
The prologue drew me right in with such beautiful sentences. I couldn't wait to learn more about the girl in Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World. The author did her research and brought Christina to a rich, dimensional life. We get to see her emotions, her physical challenges, and her family's history. We also get to learn about Wyeth's life and how he and Christina came to know each other. This isn't a plot-based, action-packed book, rather a slow (in a good way) character unfolding. We get to see what life was like in the first half of the 20th century, and Christina Baker Kline paints a beautiful story.
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