What readers think of A Piece of the World, plus links to write your own review.

A marvelous story where we learn of the circumstances surrounding Andrew Wyeth's masterpiece, Christina's World. Christina Olson has lived at the farm house all her life, kept there by limited opportunities afforded her due to a mysterious childhood illness. Andrew Wyeth's girlfriend introduces him to the desolate Maine region, and he becomes transfixed by the stillness, the weather beaten surroundings. As Christina becomes accustomed to this stranger in her house, she reflects on her life, on her long ago romance. Through Christina Baker Kline's prose we feel the loneliness of Christina and the despair and worry of Andrew, who is trying to come to terms with his desire to produce great art, and to stay true to his vision.

This biographical novel deserves a 6 rating, for excellent. "Very good" is an understatement. The subject of the novel is Christina Olson, the woman in the foreground of Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World." Christina is reaching for her home, and pulling herself through a field of grass towards the old, gray-white, wood-framed house up a slope from her.Wyeth was a meticulous painter, mainly in tempura; each blade of grass rendered individually. I feel that Kline pays as much attention to rendering Christina's life from girlhood to adulthood. Wyeth used an upstairs room in her home when he was visiting in Maine. The writing is exquisite--each word considered, each vision portrayed with care. Even if the reader doesn't know about Wyeth, Christina's matter-of-fact story about her life on the farm, her one love, her struggles with the polio that crippled her and the stoicism in reaction to it, is well worth reading.

Christina Baker Kline has done a wonderful job in bringing to us a possible life the story of Christina Olson, who was the subject of Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World". Kline really gives us Christina and her life, her hardships and her wondrous moments. I was totally immersed in the story and was saddened at the idea that a woman had to live this extremely hard life through no fault of her own, and that she obviously, in real life, succeeded in making her adult life her own. I highly suggest that everyone read this story to understand how a person with many physical problems overcame these issues and succeeded where many may not have.

I loved Christina book ORPHAN TRAIN, so that was a hard act to follow but this is a very good book with lots to think about. Love and struggles being the main theme, between family members, friends and couples.

I've been intrigued and fascinated with Andrew Wyeth's painting, "Christina's World," since I saw it the first time in my art appreciation class in college. Who was she? Why did she look so forlorn? Was she crawling to get to the house? So I was delighted to see that Christina Baker Kline has written her interpretation of Christina's life. Learning about her relationship with Andrew Wyeth and the painting was only a part of the story. The big story for me was the author's re-creation of her life, the struggles she endured and the descriptions of the times she lived through. Christina is such a well -developed character that I feel like we are friends. I totally enjoyed reading this novel!

I've spent many years of my life living in Pennsylvania very close to Andrew Wyeth country and am familiar with his paintings, Christina's World being one of them. I never took the time to really contemplate the figure of the slight woman lying in the foreground, but Christina Baker Kline did take the time and has written a beautiful novel that delves into the life of Christina Olson, Wyeth's model for this painting.
Just as Wyeth's painting captures the mystery of Christina, Christina Baker Kline has successfully recreated the bleak atmosphere that suffused her life. She's given us Christina in the hopes of her youth, in her desperately unhappy middle years, and in the acceptance that came in her later years. She shows us her dreams, her stubbornness in the face of adversity, her generosity, and her perseverance in spite of all of the obstacles she fought to overcome.
This is a book well worth reading. For those who love stories about artists and their world, it shines a light onto a small piece of Wyeth and his work and the enigmatic young woman who became a part of that work. I'm strongly recommending this book to my reading group.

Often when I stand before a captivating painting such as Christine's World I wonder what is the story? Why is this woman lying in a field stretching toward a forlorn house on a hill? Odd but memorable. Christine Baker Kline brings to life the world of woman searching to find herself in a pain filled mundane life. Beautifully written.
After reading this book I searched the Internet for more information on Andrew Wyeth and found his art is coming to the Seattle Art museum this coming October. A sign of an excellent book is wanting to learn more about the subject, I plan to travel to Seattle.

Thanks to BookBrowse I have a new author to love. I too am from a rural town with dreams of leaving at a young age. I can relate to the strong tug of family and blood ties.

I truly enjoyed the unique plot. Life is full of good and bad moments. How we process both determines how our world will be. Looking forward to reading more works from this author.