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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I have a soft spot for Christina Baker Kline's work, having done some work for her when I was a young college grad, and so I went into this really, really wanting to like it. I generally think her sentence-level writing is fantastic, but while I'm hesitant to speak on behalf of the disabled community, I definitely raised my eyebrows as some of her plot and language choices related to narrator Christina's disability.
Let's start with what's great about this novel. It's based on a painting by Andrew Wyeth called "Christina's World," which depicts (sort of) a real woman, Christina Olson, of whom Wyeth painted several portraits along with her brother and her house. In this novel, we go between two different time periods, one that starts with Christina's childhood and the other that starts with Christina's introduction to "Andy," the sweetheart and future husband of a friend, who ends up painting in their house every summer. Kline does an amazing job at the historical fiction aspect of this novel, bringing to life through descriptions and dialogue what it was like to live in rural Maine in the late 1800's through the 1940's. We can feel what it's like to do backbreaking labor on a farm in an old-fashioned house, where Christina is sewing clothes for her family and running wet clothes through a ringer. I felt the heartbreak when Christina's father forbade her from continuing her education so that she could help out more at home. It was sad to realize that Christina was right when she said that even the best doctors in the country couldn't diagnose her illness. Kline starkly portrays the reality of being a woman in Christina's place and time, compounded by having a physical disability.
It seems like the most common complaint about this book is that it's boring, and I can't fully disagree. It's the downside to working on a story about a real person; you're confined to the limits of what actually happened in their life, and there wasn't a lot in the way of plot twists. I think Kline could have injected more suspense into the novel by not having the alternating time periods; it was clear from the opening of the book that both Christina and her brother Alvaro are unmarried, so it couldn't be that shocking when neither of their romances panned out. However, just about the only thing that drove me forward as a reader was wondering, "How did she get from here to there?" Otherwise it would have just been the straightforward life story of a not-terribly-interesting woman who happened to be the subject of some of a famous painter's paintings. By choosing a relatively recent painting, Kline had a subject about whom much could be learned, which unfortunately limited the contours of the plot, as contrasted with something like Girl with a Pearl Earring, where Chevalier essentially created a plot from scratch using a painting as inspiration.
One thing we know about the real Christina Olson is that she had a debilitating progressive illness, possibly Charcot-Marie-Tooth, and she did not use a wheelchair but crawled around her house and land while doing her daily chores. Kline raised my hackles in the way she adopted this character's voice about her disability. Writing with Color has recently been doing a series of posts about identity stories, and how there's a difference as a white writer between writing a story that includes people of color experiencing problems in their life and writing a story that centers primarily on racism, colonial oppression, etc. One is populating your story with real, diverse characters, and one is co-opting stories that aren't yours to tell from a lived perspective you will never have. I felt like this book revolved a little too heavily around Christina's disability, including having her first memory be the onset of her illness at three years old, and there was repeated use of phrases like "shell of a body" to describe how she felt about herself and the word "normal" to talk about what she would never be. She didn't even have a personality so much as a collection of feelings related to her disability — anger at the pity others show her, pride and stubbornness in not accepting help or using a wheelchair, frustration with the limitations of her body.
Again, I haven't been able to find reviews of this book from the perspective of someone with a disability and I don't want to get outraged on someone else's behalf, but from everything I've read about the way to write characters with disabilities (such as on the excellent Disability in Kid Lit) I felt like this missed the mark. Outside of that, though, I thought it was a beautifully written, quiet novel that was hindered by the lackluster reality of its subject's life.
ETA: The phrase "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" was used in this book and I literally yelled out loud, "WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP USING THAT STUPID PHRASE?" It's not even a YA book, which means this phrase has crept into other genres now. Seriously. Just stop.
Let's start with what's great about this novel. It's based on a painting by Andrew Wyeth called "Christina's World," which depicts (sort of) a real woman, Christina Olson, of whom Wyeth painted several portraits along with her brother and her house. In this novel, we go between two different time periods, one that starts with Christina's childhood and the other that starts with Christina's introduction to "Andy," the sweetheart and future husband of a friend, who ends up painting in their house every summer. Kline does an amazing job at the historical fiction aspect of this novel, bringing to life through descriptions and dialogue what it was like to live in rural Maine in the late 1800's through the 1940's. We can feel what it's like to do backbreaking labor on a farm in an old-fashioned house, where Christina is sewing clothes for her family and running wet clothes through a ringer. I felt the heartbreak when Christina's father forbade her from continuing her education so that she could help out more at home. It was sad to realize that Christina was right when she said that even the best doctors in the country couldn't diagnose her illness. Kline starkly portrays the reality of being a woman in Christina's place and time, compounded by having a physical disability.
It seems like the most common complaint about this book is that it's boring, and I can't fully disagree. It's the downside to working on a story about a real person; you're confined to the limits of what actually happened in their life, and there wasn't a lot in the way of plot twists. I think Kline could have injected more suspense into the novel by not having the alternating time periods; it was clear from the opening of the book that both Christina and her brother Alvaro are unmarried, so it couldn't be that shocking when neither of their romances panned out. However, just about the only thing that drove me forward as a reader was wondering, "How did she get from here to there?" Otherwise it would have just been the straightforward life story of a not-terribly-interesting woman who happened to be the subject of some of a famous painter's paintings. By choosing a relatively recent painting, Kline had a subject about whom much could be learned, which unfortunately limited the contours of the plot, as contrasted with something like Girl with a Pearl Earring, where Chevalier essentially created a plot from scratch using a painting as inspiration.
One thing we know about the real Christina Olson is that she had a debilitating progressive illness, possibly Charcot-Marie-Tooth, and she did not use a wheelchair but crawled around her house and land while doing her daily chores. Kline raised my hackles in the way she adopted this character's voice about her disability. Writing with Color has recently been doing a series of posts about identity stories, and how there's a difference as a white writer between writing a story that includes people of color experiencing problems in their life and writing a story that centers primarily on racism, colonial oppression, etc. One is populating your story with real, diverse characters, and one is co-opting stories that aren't yours to tell from a lived perspective you will never have. I felt like this book revolved a little too heavily around Christina's disability, including having her first memory be the onset of her illness at three years old, and there was repeated use of phrases like "shell of a body" to describe how she felt about herself and the word "normal" to talk about what she would never be. She didn't even have a personality so much as a collection of feelings related to her disability — anger at the pity others show her, pride and stubbornness in not accepting help or using a wheelchair, frustration with the limitations of her body.
Again, I haven't been able to find reviews of this book from the perspective of someone with a disability and I don't want to get outraged on someone else's behalf, but from everything I've read about the way to write characters with disabilities (such as on the excellent Disability in Kid Lit) I felt like this missed the mark. Outside of that, though, I thought it was a beautifully written, quiet novel that was hindered by the lackluster reality of its subject's life.
ETA: The phrase "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" was used in this book and I literally yelled out loud, "WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP USING THAT STUPID PHRASE?" It's not even a YA book, which means this phrase has crept into other genres now. Seriously. Just stop.
I wanted to love this book. I actually bought a hardbound copy. I have a print of Christina's World in my house. I loved Orphan Train. This book was well-researched.
But just like the biscuits that Christina brought on the train, the whole thing was tasteless and fell to crumbles. The plot was a series of events threaded together loosely. The characters felt flat. The margins and the type were overlarge to try to hide the fact that this book was really closer to 200 pages than 300.
But just like the biscuits that Christina brought on the train, the whole thing was tasteless and fell to crumbles. The plot was a series of events threaded together loosely. The characters felt flat. The margins and the type were overlarge to try to hide the fact that this book was really closer to 200 pages than 300.
Удивительное дело: только ты думаешь, что всё это очень похоже жизнь в романах Уиллы Кэтер, как героине дают почитать My Antonia.
I really enjoyed reading the story! The author had a clever idea with this book, the painting and the world of Christina and the Wyeths. The concept of "daughtering out" meaning "no surviving male heirs to carry on" was why the property switched names. There were several quotes that I really liked from the book. Pg 240 "Do our natures dictate the choices we make, I wonder, or do we choose to live a certain way because of circumstances beyond our control?"....and Pg 276 "The older I get, the more I believe that the greatest kindness is acceptance."
Absolutely beautiful. Like Anne of Green Gables, but in a world where dreams don't always come true and one must grow up to accept that.
Christina’s World has always been one of my favorite paintings, now I see it in a new light-good book
3.5 stars. A melancholy, insightful, and atmospheric character study of a fictionalized version of the real life Christina Olsen, whom is depicted in Andrew Wyeth's famous painting "Christina's World". I don't often read historical fiction, but this novel had alot for me to enjoy: moody, coastal Maine setting; unrequited love; a look at the ways creative art, life, and identity can all be inexplicably intertwined; and finally, an often unlikable, but relatable and real main character. The book is almost entirely character driven, lacking much of a plot whatsoever, but I really enjoyed the deep dive into Christina's multifaceted, lonely self. I found the detailed descriptions of her unending and boring daily chores lent to the reader understanding her hopelessness and loneliness. Despite an overall tone of despondency, the ending is quietly beautiful and a fine depiction of the power of art.
I have always loved Wyeth’s painting, “Christina’s World.” I shows longing, perseverance, frustration and belonging. I remember sitting in front of it at an exhibit back east. I spent more time in front of his paintings than any others. I remember going to the exhibit at the Denver Art Museum of his painting and his father’s. I remember thinking that, with the exception of Christina’s World, I liked the older Wyeth’s paintings better.
This book takes a look inside the story of the girl in the painting. Her hopes, dreams, disappointments, fears and frustrations. I can relate to Christina’s wish to be seen. Great book!
This book takes a look inside the story of the girl in the painting. Her hopes, dreams, disappointments, fears and frustrations. I can relate to Christina’s wish to be seen. Great book!
The best book of 2019 so far for me. A research-informed tale of the woman depicted in the Andrew Wyeth masterpiece "Christina's World." Well written and nuanced, this book hit a sweet spot of literature, fine art and history for me. Highly recommended.