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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I loved this story and really enjoy how Christina Baker Kline writes. She writes engaging and interesting stories that grab you at page one. In this book, she weaves a story that was inspired by Andrew Wyeth's paintings and involved a real Christina Olsen. I was so intrigued by it and want to learn more about Andrew Wyeth and Christina. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and sad it is over.
I love the premise of the book-- telling the story behind Wyeth's famous painting, and I'm a huge fan of Wyeth's work. But the story itself was fairly predictable and a bit depressing. I wish there had been a little more depth.
I picked this up on a recommendation not realizing the author also wrote Orphan Train, which I did not love. However this book is lovely.
This thing sucked me in from the first page. Incredible book. The best I have read in a long time. I am an instant Christina Baker Kline fan now, and will seek out her work when I need a breath of fresh air.
First off, I was drawn to this book because of the subject matter. I had not read this author before, but I knew this painting and was excited to read a historical fiction novel about it. I first saw the painting "Christina's World" in Drawing class back in college, and was taken with it immediately. What drew me was the positive/negative space, the starkness and contrast of the composition. The girl in the painting added the figurative element, perfecting an image that could have simply been just another landscape painting. I don't remember considering the story behind the girl in the painting, but I do remember feeling she was familiar somehow, like a representation of any young woman waiting for life to begin - which of course is exactly where I was at the age of 19, in college, in drawing class. Art is, as always, what you bring with you when you view it.
"A Piece of the World" does a wonderful job of taking you back in time to the turn of the century, describing life on a farm in Maine and the trappings of societal norms and mores - the toll it takes on both men and women alike, making most of their decisions for them - and the life of a crippled woman made even more burdened with housework and life before electricity and modern amenities and healthcare. But it also juxtaposes the point of view perfectly: the artist as seen through the eyes of the subject with the subject through the eyes of the artist. The main character becomes gratifyingly triumphant, seen through the eyes of the artist, capturing on a magnificent canvas what she may not have known but inherently understood about herself all along.
This story is a humble one, but the message is enormous - the human spirit, perseverance, the unforgiving life of an infirm woman on a farm in the early part of the last century - and the prose flows quickly without feeling too light. I never felt like this book dragged - in fact I devoured it - every part necessary and conducive to the conclusion. I teared up at the end, the story moving me in a way I hadn't expected. This story sneaks up on you - you knew you were engaged in the characters, but by the end you have become them.
The only critique I have is that the reproduction of the painting is at the back of the book. Had I not taken the time to read through the author's note and acknowledgements, I may not have discovered it at all. Its a fabulous reproduction, though small, and had it been placed at the very beginning of the book, I would have used it for reference throughout the story instead of pulling up an image on my phone, which just doesn't do it justice.
So glad I happened past the hardback copy of this gem at Costco. Will stay in my library for a good long time.
First off, I was drawn to this book because of the subject matter. I had not read this author before, but I knew this painting and was excited to read a historical fiction novel about it. I first saw the painting "Christina's World" in Drawing class back in college, and was taken with it immediately. What drew me was the positive/negative space, the starkness and contrast of the composition. The girl in the painting added the figurative element, perfecting an image that could have simply been just another landscape painting. I don't remember considering the story behind the girl in the painting, but I do remember feeling she was familiar somehow, like a representation of any young woman waiting for life to begin - which of course is exactly where I was at the age of 19, in college, in drawing class. Art is, as always, what you bring with you when you view it.
"A Piece of the World" does a wonderful job of taking you back in time to the turn of the century, describing life on a farm in Maine and the trappings of societal norms and mores - the toll it takes on both men and women alike, making most of their decisions for them - and the life of a crippled woman made even more burdened with housework and life before electricity and modern amenities and healthcare. But it also juxtaposes the point of view perfectly: the artist as seen through the eyes of the subject with the subject through the eyes of the artist. The main character becomes gratifyingly triumphant, seen through the eyes of the artist, capturing on a magnificent canvas what she may not have known but inherently understood about herself all along.
This story is a humble one, but the message is enormous - the human spirit, perseverance, the unforgiving life of an infirm woman on a farm in the early part of the last century - and the prose flows quickly without feeling too light. I never felt like this book dragged - in fact I devoured it - every part necessary and conducive to the conclusion. I teared up at the end, the story moving me in a way I hadn't expected. This story sneaks up on you - you knew you were engaged in the characters, but by the end you have become them.
The only critique I have is that the reproduction of the painting is at the back of the book. Had I not taken the time to read through the author's note and acknowledgements, I may not have discovered it at all. Its a fabulous reproduction, though small, and had it been placed at the very beginning of the book, I would have used it for reference throughout the story instead of pulling up an image on my phone, which just doesn't do it justice.
So glad I happened past the hardback copy of this gem at Costco. Will stay in my library for a good long time.
I enjoyed this more than Orphan Train as it just rang more true for me. I was moved by the austerity, solitude and hardships that
Christina endured. I’ve long admired this painting but had no idea of the physical disabilities of the subject. Not an exciting read as not much happens. Just like a long Maine winter.
Christina endured. I’ve long admired this painting but had no idea of the physical disabilities of the subject. Not an exciting read as not much happens. Just like a long Maine winter.
Thank you for writing this story, Christina. I truly appreciated it in many forms. Faith and strength in family bonds. Lasting effects of broken promises. Dealing with health or monetary hardships. One soul really seeing another soul. How one painting can truly portray the soul of the artist or the soul of the subject (with a bit of the artists’ soul). Thank you!
I enjoyed Orphan Train, but this book didn't do much for me. I found it slow and plodding, the protagonist largely unlikable. There was some redemption at the end, but for me it was really too little too late. I listened to this as an audiobook. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I could have read it at my own pace and skimmed parts of it.
This is a hard review. I think I liked the book. It was definitely a great historical piece. You could feel what it was like to live there and then. And being able to write a story around an art piece is such talent. But it's the main character is who stumps me. I can't decide if I like her or not. She doesn't make herself likeable. She's doesn't open up. She's had a tough time and has created a shell around herself. It's an interesting read!
This may be an odd book review but this is what I truly felt. I wanted to hug the story!