A Piece of the World Christina Baker Kline MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PUBLISHER William Morrow PUBLISHED February 21, 2017 A beautifully lyrical but profound novel about family, friendships, passion and art.
SUMMARY Andrew Wyeth painted an iconic work of art in 1948 titled Christina’s World. The painting shows a young dark haired woman in a pink dress lying twisted in a green field and gazing up longingly at a old grey weather beaten farmhouse in the distance. What’s the backstory to this artwork? Who was Christina? A PIECE OF THE WORLD is a work of fiction which chronicles the brave but simple life of Christina Olsen.
We first meet Christina in 1896, as a young girl of three, on her sickbed with a fever. It was an illness she never fully recovered from, it affected the muscles and bones in her legs. While she could walk it was painful and she was never totally in control of her leg muscles. She lurched as she walked and would often trip on uneven ground. She faced many challenges growing up: poverty, disability, ridicule and limited education. At a young age Christina was forced to quit school to help her mother and grandmother with the many responsibilities around the farm. She cooked, cleaned, laundered, gathered eggs and eventually took care of her ailing parents. She never complained about her pain or her responsibilities. Until she was introduced to a new friend, Walton, her only companions were her three brothers Alvaro, Sam and Fred.
Christina was smart, shy, stubborn, courageous and full of perseverance. But broken dreams and promises follow Christina. She never marries and continues to live in the farmhouse, with Alvaro, her younger brother. She is a very private, proud and resourceful woman.
One summer day in 1939, Andrew Wyeth and Betsy James, a neighbor girl who soon becomes his wife, drive up to the farmhouse in an old station wagon. Wyeth, who is twenty-two is enthralled with the old dilapidated farmhouse, he wants to paint it. “I’ll bet I could paint it for a hundred years and never get tired of it.” he says. He asks Christina if he can use an upstairs bedroom for painting. The lighting is perfect. Christina and Wyeth become friends, spending time together sharing stories over pie at the kitchen table. It’s a friendship of shared perils, values and understanding. She is old enough to be his mother, yet in the iconic painting he affectionately portrays her as much younger woman.
“The truth is, this place–this house, this field, this sky–may only be a small piece of the world. But Betsey’s right: it is the entire world to me.”
REVIEW
Christina Baker Kline’s atmospheric writing evoked a peaceful feeling as I read this book. A feeling and a book that I didn’t want to end. Christina’s character breathes in this book, she was at times stubborn, angry, spiteful and frustrated, and at other times happy, nostalgic, emboldened and proud. I felt empathy for this portrayal of the life of Christina Olsen. The chapters in A PIECE OF THE WORLD creatively alternate between Christina’s interaction with Wyeth, and Christina’s life story. The organization of the story in the book is simply masterful. Kline’s writing is beautifully lyrical and yet profound.
With this novel, Wyeth’s painting, Christina’s World comes to life. A girl who wanted more, dreamt of more, but has come to peace with her world as it is, a simple life in the farmhouse on the hill. While a work of fiction, this story make sense overlaid with this painting. I loved Kline’s creativity in creating a backstory full of emotion and interaction. The Author Notes at the end of the book are a must read, and have in fact, motivated me to read more about the real Christina Olsen and Andrew Wyeth.
Christina Baker Kline is an award winning American novelist. She is the author of seven novels, including the New York Times bestselling novel Orphan Train.
“He did get one thing right: Sometimes a sanctuary, sometimes a prison, that house on the hill has always been my home. I’ve spent my life yearning toward it, wanting to escape it, paralyzed by its hold on me.”