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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
She did a great job with the setting and such a fully realized character. I loved living in Christina's head; this one made me laugh and cry.
I had a love/hate relationship with this book.
I started the book on March 08, 2017 and finished it March 28, 2017 when really, due to the fact that it was not such a long book, I should have finished it much sooner.
Aside from my issues with Christina as a character, I have a love/hate relationship with the book because WHEN I was reading it I really ENJOYED reading it.. but when I WASN’T reading it I never felt that thrill and pull to return to it. I love it when I am reading a book and I feel disappointed when, due to other commitments (work, chores in the house, whatever) that I cannot return to it. I didn’t feel that with this book and sometimes forced myself to pick it up again.
Perhaps this is a testament to the author’s ability to tell a good story, that even when you are not really connected to the characters in it or even sometimes feeling frustrated by the main character, that while reading it you enjoy the way the story is being told, the pace of the story and the choice of words. I think I enjoyed it while I was reading it because Christina Baker Kline does have a talent for writing. This was my first book from her but I enjoyed her ability to find just the right words to describe what is happening while not being overly descriptive. I thought she often described the surroundings or feelings rather beautifully without having to drone on like some authors do. She really was right to the point without sacrificing any beauty in the telling. Unfortunately, I didn’t highlight any portions of the text while reading so I am not able to pull a quote out right now, but I often found she described things in a way that I have never heard before but felt it was just the perfect choice of words.
I found Christina so stubborn and infuriating and I wonder if the author had not developed her in this way whether I would have connected with her, fought with her, cried with her for her disappointments and even sympathized with her resentment. I think in that respect the story could have been much more touching. It never had to have a happy ending or even to change anything about the sad deck of cards that Christina was dealt.. but if the author had made Christian fight for her health then I think I would have FELT more for her and perhaps the book would have been a 5 star book and really touching. I think for myself I have to rate it 3/5 stars and say that I feel an opportunity was lost to really make a character I could root for. I would have liked to have gone along with Christina with her highs and lows. However, since Christina never hoped for herself I could not feel as much for her and I think sadly that is a lost opportunity for what could have been a much better story.
I started the book on March 08, 2017 and finished it March 28, 2017 when really, due to the fact that it was not such a long book, I should have finished it much sooner.
Aside from my issues with Christina as a character, I have a love/hate relationship with the book because WHEN I was reading it I really ENJOYED reading it.. but when I WASN’T reading it I never felt that thrill and pull to return to it. I love it when I am reading a book and I feel disappointed when, due to other commitments (work, chores in the house, whatever) that I cannot return to it. I didn’t feel that with this book and sometimes forced myself to pick it up again.
Perhaps this is a testament to the author’s ability to tell a good story, that even when you are not really connected to the characters in it or even sometimes feeling frustrated by the main character, that while reading it you enjoy the way the story is being told, the pace of the story and the choice of words. I think I enjoyed it while I was reading it because Christina Baker Kline does have a talent for writing. This was my first book from her but I enjoyed her ability to find just the right words to describe what is happening while not being overly descriptive. I thought she often described the surroundings or feelings rather beautifully without having to drone on like some authors do. She really was right to the point without sacrificing any beauty in the telling. Unfortunately, I didn’t highlight any portions of the text while reading so I am not able to pull a quote out right now, but I often found she described things in a way that I have never heard before but felt it was just the perfect choice of words.
I found Christina so stubborn and infuriating and I wonder if the author had not developed her in this way whether I would have connected with her, fought with her, cried with her for her disappointments and even sympathized with her resentment. I think in that respect the story could have been much more touching. It never had to have a happy ending or even to change anything about the sad deck of cards that Christina was dealt.. but if the author had made Christian fight for her health then I think I would have FELT more for her and perhaps the book would have been a 5 star book and really touching. I think for myself I have to rate it 3/5 stars and say that I feel an opportunity was lost to really make a character I could root for. I would have liked to have gone along with Christina with her highs and lows. However, since Christina never hoped for herself I could not feel as much for her and I think sadly that is a lost opportunity for what could have been a much better story.
3.5 stars. This is a lovely library book read. Strong main character, and interesting connection to a famous painting. A little sleepy compared to my favorites, yet still kept my attention. Solidly written, and well narrated as an audiobook.
LOVED this story. A bit sad though thoughtful and so deeply moving. Kline is a beautifully descriptive writer. Really enjoyed the connection to/backdrop of Wyeth's famous work and the history behind it. Really brought the pages to life and I'm now also adding "Go to MoMA, see Christina's World" to my bucket list. :)
A surprisingly good book - I knew nothing of Andrew Wyeth or his art, except very vaguely, until reading this. “Christina’s World” is the painting behind the inspiration for this story and she was an interesting woman!
Enjoyed this behind the scenes look at artist, Andrew Whythe. His famous painting and its story of Christine also interesting. Language lovely and story an interesting one. Worth a read.
A lovely book inspired by Andrew Wyeth's painting, "Christina's World" - which is one of my favorite pieces of art. I was intrigued to pick up this book when I heard an interview with the author on NPR, shortly before its publication.
"A Piece of the World" offers up a fictitious telling of Christina Olson's story, where she grew up on a rambling farm on the Maine shore, in the town of Cushing. Christina was raised in a home that was passed down through her mother's family - an ancestry that spanned back to the famed Hathorn family involved in the Salem witch trials. Her father was a Swedish sailor whose boat ended up moored in the ice along the coast one fateful day. Having nowhere to go, he stayed for a spell with a local sea captain, met Christina's mother, who was an only child, and married her - thus taking on the inheritance of the home and farm and renaming it the Olson house. The Olsons had 4 children, Christina being the oldest. Christina and her brother Al are the only two children to remain on the farm all of their lives.
Christina's main malady from an early age is a degenerative disease that wreaks havoc with the nerves of her legs, rendering her unable to walk by her adult years. By the time famed painter Andrew Wyeth is introduced to her and Al on their farm in the 1940's, Christina - according to Baker Kline's narrative - has endured not only heartache, lost love, a deepening sense of alienation and not belonging, but also a steadily ingrained sense of familial responsibility that has kept her tied to her home and her land... the very land that she now physically drags herself across every day to get from one place to another.
Andrew Wyeth settles in to the Olson house to paint, and a friendship is forged between Andrew and Christina. Christina finds herself opening up to this intelligent young stranger more every day, leading Wyeth to compulsively yearn to paint her and tell her story... thus, "Christina's World" is born.
Baker Kline weaves a delicate, fascinating what-if story with this book. I truly believe she studied her subject - Christina - so keenly as to slip into her skin easily and tell her story, deftly moving back and forth in time. Fans of Wyeth's painting, like me, may take joy and inspiration, when gazing upon it, in drawing their own conclusions, spinning their own narrative about Christina's story... but Baker Kline's imaginings in this novel seem just as likely and believable. Christina's story is not an especially happy one, but the friendship she obviously forged with Wyeth (in this fictitious account or in real life) was moving, tender, and undoubtedly necessary in strengthening both the artist and his subject's spirits. These kinds of what-if novels, based upon great works of art and/or novels, can frequently stray into cheesy or overly-ambitious territory, but thankfully, Baker Kline keeps this story plausible and inherently moving with every page.
"A Piece of the World" offers up a fictitious telling of Christina Olson's story, where she grew up on a rambling farm on the Maine shore, in the town of Cushing. Christina was raised in a home that was passed down through her mother's family - an ancestry that spanned back to the famed Hathorn family involved in the Salem witch trials. Her father was a Swedish sailor whose boat ended up moored in the ice along the coast one fateful day. Having nowhere to go, he stayed for a spell with a local sea captain, met Christina's mother, who was an only child, and married her - thus taking on the inheritance of the home and farm and renaming it the Olson house. The Olsons had 4 children, Christina being the oldest. Christina and her brother Al are the only two children to remain on the farm all of their lives.
Christina's main malady from an early age is a degenerative disease that wreaks havoc with the nerves of her legs, rendering her unable to walk by her adult years. By the time famed painter Andrew Wyeth is introduced to her and Al on their farm in the 1940's, Christina - according to Baker Kline's narrative - has endured not only heartache, lost love, a deepening sense of alienation and not belonging, but also a steadily ingrained sense of familial responsibility that has kept her tied to her home and her land... the very land that she now physically drags herself across every day to get from one place to another.
Andrew Wyeth settles in to the Olson house to paint, and a friendship is forged between Andrew and Christina. Christina finds herself opening up to this intelligent young stranger more every day, leading Wyeth to compulsively yearn to paint her and tell her story... thus, "Christina's World" is born.
Baker Kline weaves a delicate, fascinating what-if story with this book. I truly believe she studied her subject - Christina - so keenly as to slip into her skin easily and tell her story, deftly moving back and forth in time. Fans of Wyeth's painting, like me, may take joy and inspiration, when gazing upon it, in drawing their own conclusions, spinning their own narrative about Christina's story... but Baker Kline's imaginings in this novel seem just as likely and believable. Christina's story is not an especially happy one, but the friendship she obviously forged with Wyeth (in this fictitious account or in real life) was moving, tender, and undoubtedly necessary in strengthening both the artist and his subject's spirits. These kinds of what-if novels, based upon great works of art and/or novels, can frequently stray into cheesy or overly-ambitious territory, but thankfully, Baker Kline keeps this story plausible and inherently moving with every page.
All the Feels
This book is double-buckled with emotion. The characters are real and the writing seamless. The author has managed to masterfully weave her magic yet again, using the threads of known history and solid fiction. Brilliant.
This book is double-buckled with emotion. The characters are real and the writing seamless. The author has managed to masterfully weave her magic yet again, using the threads of known history and solid fiction. Brilliant.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5 stars ~ I enjoyed Orphan Train and have had this on my TBR list for some time. I noticed our library had it available in audiobook form, so I borrowed it. The pace feels a bit dream like. The book is similar to a warm cup of tea. It goes down gently, you enjoy it in the moment, but it is soon forgotten. Nice book to clean or run errands listening to, but not a book I'm going to tell everyone about.