REVIEWS
“The novel evokes the somber grace of [Wyeth’s] paintings … Christina’s yearning, her determination, her will to dream, occupy the emotional center in both the novel and the painting. A PIECE OF THE WORLD is a story for those who want the mysterious made real.” —New York Times Book Review, “Mystery Woman: A Novel Explores the Story of Andrew Wyeth’s ‘Christina’s World’” 2/2017
“Fans of Kline’s phenomenal 2013 best seller Orphan Train will recognize the way the new novel moves back and forth between timelines and brings to vivid life a little-known corner of history. The hardships endured by rural women, as well as their triumphs, are a preoccupation of both books. Avoiding sentimental uplift, A Piece of the World offers unsparing insight into the real woman behind the painting.” –USA Today, “Wyeth painting comes to life in Christina Baker Kline’s new novel” 2/2017
“Another winner from the author of Orphan Train. In this beautifully observed fictional memoir, Kline uses Andrew Wyeths’ iconic painting Christina’s World as the taking-off point for a moving portrait of the artist’s real-life muse. Book of the week.” – PEOPLE, “Book of the Week” 2/2017
“Kline herself is an artist, drawing on the real history of Christina Olson and Andrew Wyeth to conjure up her own haunting portrait. As in her bestselling novel, “Orphan Train,” Kline’s deep research into characters, place, and time period provides the outlines of a compelling story, which she then expertly brings into three dimensions.” –The Christian Science Monitor, “‘A Piece of the World’ looks deep within the story of an iconic painting” 3/2017
“With beautiful and stunning prose, the novel explores the sensitive and complex bond between artist and muse against the beauty of the rural American landscape. The reader will be transfixed.” —The Daily Beast, “Escapist Fiction is now a Dire Necessity” 2/2017
“A Piece of the World is the decoding of a 20th century mystery, for who has not gazed on Wyeth’s picture and wondered, why does that girl have so very far to go? Kline’s gift is to dispense with the fustiness and fact-clogged drama that can weigh down some historical novels to tell a pure, powerful story of suffering met with a fight. In fiction, in her quiet way, Christina triumphs – and so does this novel.” – O Magazine
“Christina Baker Kline’s superb new novel chronicles the constricted life of the woman Wyeth made famous. The beauty of Kline’s writing and her grasp of her characters is such that at first you want to sink into the book like a warm bath. But she doesn’t allow her reader to get too comfortable. Gentle and profound, A Piece of the World shows the healing power of simple, unexpected friendship.” –BookPage, “A PIECE OF THE WORLD: Alternate art history” 3/2017
“With delicate palette, stark images, subtle tones, nuanced brushstrokes, and consummate craftsmanship, Christina Baker Kline has written this novel the way Andrew Wyeth painted the canvas. It is a masterpiece.”–Historical Novel Society, “A Piece of the World” 2/2017
“Kline lovingly evokes the restricted life of a sensitive woman forced to renounce the norms of intimacy and self- advancement while using her as a lens to capture the simple beauty of the American farming landscape…A character portrait that is painterly, sensuous, and sympathetic.” –Kirkus Reviews, “A Piece of the World” 12/2016
“If you can still picture the year when Girl With a Pearl Earring lived lovingly on [your mother’s] bedside table, this fictionalized account of Christina, the polio-impaired heroine in Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World, will offer mom another transporting peek behind the canvas.” – New York Magazine, “23 Mother’s Day Gifts You Can Order on Amazon Prime Right Now” 4/2017
“Remarkably imagined … Kline paints a Christina just as evocative and memorable as Wyeth’s.” –AudioFile Magazine, “A Piece of the World” 4/2017
“In her lyrical new novel, “A Piece of the World,” Christina Baker Kline uncovers Ms. Olson’s diamond-sharp mind and flawed heart, which longs for someone to rescue her from a life circumscribed by hardship and geography.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Novel explores the woman in Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” (PA) 2/2017
“Kline does a magnificent job making readers feel, on a cellular level, the harshness and unsullied beauty of this life.” –The Star-Ledger, “Montclair Novelist Takes a Trip into Christina’s World” (NJ) 2/2017
“The novel provides gorgeous, complicated answers to all the questions the painting stirs, beginning with the day a young painter appears on her porch. Kline has created a memorable and unforgettable voice for Anna Christina Olson, the girl in the field.” –The Portland Tribune, “News Overload? Burrow into a Book” (OR) 2/2017
“In her absorbing new novel, Kline uses the historical record to lay the groundwork, then reimagines life as Christina Olson might have lived it. The result is a portrait of Maine farm life, of an iron-willed spinster with polio and the accidental friendship that changes everything. In the hands of a lesser writer, Christina’s plight might seem unwieldy or mawkish. Yet Kline has a graceful, arresting style that lifts the narrative, and her portrayal of Andy leavens the entire story.” –Portland Press Herald, “‘Piece of the World’ explores the relationship between Andrew Wyeth and his most famous subject” (ME) 2/2017
“The world of the woman immortalized in Andrew Wyeth’s haunting painting Christina’s World is imagined in Kline’s intriguing novel…Through it all, the author’s insightful, evocative prose brings Christina’s singular perspective and indomitable spirit to life.” Publishers Weekly, “A Piece of the World” 2/2017
“The painting is stark and unusual and this book is too, but there is warmth in this tale of a passionate friendship — and artistic inspiration — found in a most unexpected place.” –The Toronto Star, “Immersive new reads for historical fiction lovers” (Canada) 3/2017
“Christina Baker Kline has taken this powerfully creepy icon of American art and fleshed out the real-life story behind it, using the historical figures of Wyeth and his model Christina Olson as two of her characters and following their story so closely as to be barely fiction at all. Kline’s portrait of her main character is moving in an unsentimental way as she evokes the New England landscape, the torment of crippling disease, and the piece of history embodied in Olson’s story.” –The Sydney Morning Herald, “A Piece of the World review: Christina Baker Kline’s novel about Andrew Wyeth” (Aus) 2/2017
“Like Wyeth’s paintings, this is a vivid novel about hardscrabble lives and prairie grit and the seemingly small but significant beauties found there.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune, “REVIEW: ‘A Piece of the World’ by Christina Baker Kline,”(MN) 2/2017
“The author’s insightful, evocative prose brings Christina’s singular perspective and indomitable spirit to life.” –Publishers Weekly, “Buzz Book” 2/2017
“In her lyrical new novel, A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline uncovers Olson’s diamond-sharp mind and flawed heart, which longs for someone to rescue her from a life circumscribed by hardship and geography.” –The Toledo Blade, “Novel explores the woman in Wyeth’s ‘Christina’s World’” (OH) 3/2017
“The sweeping views of the northeastern coast are an ironic contrast to the cramped, confined life of Christina Olson in A Piece of the World, a novel inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting “Christina’s World.” Christina’s intelligence and spirit have been stifled by poverty, disability and years of drudgery. But when a young artist rents out one of her rooms as a studio, she finds herself understood and seen by her new lodger in a way she’s never experienced. Christina Baker Kline tenderly evokes the slow pace of rural life and the gentle unfolding of a profound friendship.” –BookPage, “Historical Fiction for your Staycation” 6/2017
“Like the woman in the Wyeth painting, the Christina Olson of this novel is unbowed, confounding, and ultimately inspiring.” –Providence Journal, “Book review: An inspiring tale of Andrew Wyeth’s ‘Christina’” 8/2017
“Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history.” –The Gleaner, “Book Blurbs” (KY) 4/2017
“I can’t say enough good things about this book. It is beautifully written, and her characters are carefully drawn. Kline is also originally from the area, so she can authentically present a landscape that is also a significant piece of the story.” –The Shelbyville News, “Author digs in to write fictional account of historical figures” (IN) 3/2017
“Wyeth gave Christina a life she could only dream about and, like his paintings, “A Piece of the World” gives us a wonderful look at hardscrabble lives and impoverished country living and the small but significant beauties found there.” –Coastal Illustrated, “A work of art that brings a work of art to life” (GA) 3/2017
“This is a beautiful work by a gifted writer and it will definitely appeal to admirers of the art of Andrew Wyeth, but especially to people who find themselves reminded of a story when they see a powerful image. An image that transports them back to another time and place, and for a moment, makes them feel good.” –Life Downeast (a Bangor Daily News site), “A Piece of the World …Book Review” (ME) 6/2017
“A fascinating read.” –Craig Daily Press, “Prather’s Pick: A Novel Inspired by a Portrait” (CO) 4/2017
“A gorgeous read.” –HelloGiggles, “A Piece of the World” 2/2017
“Luminous, lovely and nourishing, A Piece of the World is a beautiful glimpse into a quietly extraordinary life, and a meditation on what it means to be truly seen.” –Great New Books, “A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline” 3/2017
“Long before the end — when Wyeth finally shows her the famous picture — I had reached for my pen and was underlining. In a story without much traditional drama, I found not just pleasure and passion, but one teachable moment after another.” –Head Butler, “Christina Baker Kline: A Piece of the World” 2/2017
“The highlights of the novel are the imagined scenes between the energetic, artistic 22-year-old Wyeth and the older Christina Olson.” –New York Journal of Books, “A Piece of the World: A Novel” 2/2017
“Listen, when I love a book so, so much, I either have a really hard time finding the words to express my love or I have too many. In this case, I think I could talk all day. Ultimately, what the author has done here is taken a character that the world has wondered about for years and given her life…The characterization in this book is divine. And so is the setting. It is as atmospheric as the [American] cover suggests, and so lush.” –Into the Hall of Books, “Review: A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline” 4/2017
“As in her bestseller, “Orphan Train,” she studies a significant period of time and the people who inhabit that time, and then blends fiction with well-researched facts to create a memorable story. This novel brings to life the artist Wyeth and his now famous subject, Christina Olson.” —The Hawk Eye, “The Weekly Read: A PIECE OF THE WORLD” (IA) 6/17
“Artfully (pun intended) inspired by the Andrew Wyeth painting Christina’s World.” –Marie Claire
“Kline expertly captures the essence of Wyeth’s iconic masterpiece and its real-life subject, crafting a moving work of historical fiction.” –Library Journal, starred review
“A gorgeous read.” –Real Simple
“Readers will savor the quotidian details that compose Christina’s “quiet country life.” Orphan Train was a best-seller and popular book-discussion choice, so expect demand.” – Booklist
“Epic.” –Cosmopolitan
“Fantastic and touching.” –Library Reads
“Kline’s new novel is inspired by Christina Olson, the woman in Andrew Wyeth’s best-known painting, Christina’s World. Christina, who lives in the house built by her ancestors in Cushing, Maine, has been left off-kilter from a childhood illness. Her bones and joints deteriorate over the years, and her dreams of escape end when a four-year relationship with a Harvard student ends. One day Wyeth, who spends his summers nearby, asks to use their house as a studio to paint. He and Christina have an instant bond, and she, her brother Al, and the house become constant themes in his work over the decades. “Sometimes a sanctuary, sometimes a prison, that house on the hill has always been my home,” Baker writes in this beautifully rendered portrait of a woman’s interior life.” —BBC News, “Ten Books You Should Read in February” 2/2017
“The bestselling author of Orphan Train illuminates a little-known part of America’s history, imagining the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.” —Naperville Magazine (IL) 2/2017
“Combining art history with an emotional family story, A Piece of the World is sure to please multiple members of your (book) group.” –BookBub, “15 New Novels for the Book Club That Can Never Agree” 2/2017
“Much of the book is about the interplay of fate, free will, and chance. Do we really make choices in our lives, or are they made for us and we have only the illusion of choice? While the novel is Christina’s story, it’s also the story of generations, lost family members, lost love, and the odd friendship that grows up between Christina, her brother Alvaro, and the young Andrew Wyeth, as he strives to make his way in the art world and out of the shadow of his famous father, N.C. Wyeth. In the end, Christina longs for just one thing in life, to be seen and understood, not just pitied. And this painting, perhaps, is the evidence that at last, someone has really seen her.” – Robert Sheard, “A Piece of the World” 4/2017
“[Kline] creates a character in Christina that is tender but tragic. The characters will stay with you long after you finish reading.” – eMissourian, “REVIEW: ‘A Piece of the World’ by Christina Baker Kline,” (MO) 7/2017
“One might call this a quiet novel, like Brad Watson’s superb novel Miss Jane, in which not much ‘happens,’ but in a life lived with an alert mind, everything happens.” –Tuscaloosa News, “Novel fills in the blanks about painter’s muse“ (AL) 10/17
“The story, like Wyeth’s painting of curtains lifting off the window frame by ocean breezes, swings between alternating seasons in Christina’s life, exposing light and air followed by darkness and disappointment.” –Herald Net, “‘A Piece of the World’ examines famous painter and his subject” (WA) 10/17
PRAISE FROM AUTHORS
“A Piece of the World is a graceful, moving and powerful demonstration of what can happen when a fearless literary imagination combines with an inexhaustible curiosity about the past and the human heart: a feat of time travel, a bravura improvisation on the theme of art history, a wonderful story that seems to have been waiting, all this time, for Christina Baker Kline to come along and tell it.” —Michael Chabon, author of Moonglow
“The inscrutable figure in the foreground of Wyeth’s Christina’s World is our American Mona Lisa, and Christina Baker Kline has pulled back the veil to imagine her rich story. Tender, tragic, A Piece of the World is a fascinating exploration of the life lived inside that house at the top of the hill.” —Lily King, author of Euphoria
“With A Piece of the World, Baker Kline gives us a brilliantly imagined fictional memoir of the woman in the famed Wyeth painting, Christina’s World, so detailed, moving, and utterly transportive that I’ll never be able to look at the painting again without thinking of this book and the characters who populate its pages.” —Erik Larson, author of Dead Wake
“With remarkable precision and compassion, A Piece of the World transports us to a mid-century farmhouse on the coast of Maine. But just like the painting that inspired it, this novel is about so much more. It’s about the terrors and injustices of childhood, the aches of adulthood, the regrets of middle age. It’s a story about a woman trapped by family and duty and her own ailing body. It’s a book about the façades we erect despite our desire to be seen. This is a novel that does what Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting does: it renders a whole universe of love and longing inside a seemingly simple scene. By focusing on this one particular piece of the world, Christina Baker Kline has accomplished something grand. This is a gorgeous novel, both heartbreaking and life-affirming.” —Nathan Hill, author of The Nix
PRAISE FROM BOOKSELLERS AND LIBRARIANS
“A Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline Following her breakout novel, Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline returns to Maine to tell the story behind one of our most iconic paintings, Christina’s World. Juxtaposing the story of how Andrew Wyeth came to paint Christina with Christina’s own life, Kline expertly imagines how an artist sees the interior life of a subject with enough historical detail about the Wyeths, Olsons, and Hathorns (yes, it’s a variation of Hawthorne, as in Nathaniel) to satisfy historical fiction fans. Caught between the elegant summer people and the proud but hardscrabble farm existence of her family, and struggling with life’s disappointments, is Christina cursed by the actions of her ancestor, an unrepentant judge of the Salem witch trials, or simply living out the results of her own decisions? Her interior resonates so brightly that I’m tempted to take out a set of oils and paint her myself.” —Daniel Goldin, Boswell Book Company (Milwaukee, WI)
“Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World is considered to be one of his best works. It features a woman in a pink dress crawling up a grassy hillside toward a stark wood-framed house. The colors are muted and the overall effect is bleak. The painting’s namesake was a real person, Christina Olson, who lived on her family’s seaside farm in Maine and suffered from a degenerative condition now believed to be Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. In this finely drawn novel, the author of Orphan Train imagines what it was like to be Christina, consigned to a hard life running a farm even as her world gradually shrinks owing to a debilitating and mysterious ailment.
Introduced to Wyeth by a family friend, Christina and her home inspire the artist. He visits daily, setting up a studio in an upstairs room. He admires her quick mind and perseverance. She appreciates his artistic talent and that he does not pity her. As Kline pieces together different eras of Christina’s life, her word portrait depicts a stubborn, determined woman. Kline expertly captures the essence of Wyeth’s iconic masterpiece and its real-life subject, crafting a moving work of historical fiction.”—Christine Perkins, Whatcom City Library, (Bellingham, WA)
“A beautifully written story about a painting and artist I love. At turns heartbreaking and hopeful, A Piece of the World will be on everyone’s to read list.” —Kate Schlademan, The Learned Owl Book Shop (Hudson, OH)
“I settled into A Piece of the World as if it were my own, as if I were sitting at Christina Olson’s knee, listening to her tell the story of her life. Kline’s writing is as powerful and interesting in her new novel as it was in Orphan Train. I couldn’t wait to finish it, and yet I wanted it never to end. I loved this book so much.” –Debbie Taylor, Sherman’s Bookstores (Bar Harbor, ME)
“This depiction of the woman in Andrew Wyeth’s painting ‘Christina’s World’ is incredibly touching and moving. I have loved the works of Andrew Wyeth and this picture among them. Anyone who shares my feelings of this art work cannot help but be totally engaged in Kline’s novel. It is the unfolding of a masterpiece in hands of a beautiful writer. I will never look at this moving piece in the same way again. I cannot wait to hand sell it to all readers of Orphan Train and even to those who did not.” –Rita Maggio, BookTowne (Manasquan, NJ)
“Another fantastic, and touching story by this author. Bringing to life the story behind a painting and the life of a young girl who always wanted more than she was given, but accomplished so much despite her handicap. Someone who, would eventually make peace with her handicap and grow to appreciate the beauty of the place she lived. Memorable and moving.” –Diane Scholl, Batavia Public Library (Batavia, IL)
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, my home was without power for several days. I chose to read A Piece of the World during that time. Reading all day and into the night by candlelight, flashlight, book light-I felt a bit like I was on the Olson farm. What a wonderful story! Ms. Kline brought Christina and her family and friends to life so vividly. The story felt absolutely real and completely believable. I will always remember fondly Christina, Andy, Al and the rest whenever I see Christina’s World, and will recommend A Piece of the World whole-heartedly to our customers!” – Lori-Jo Scott, Island Bookstore (Kitty Hawk, NC)
“I read it in one night. It is wonderful!” – Dianne Patenaude, Toadstool Bookshop (Keene, NH)
“OMG! Kline has written another blockbuster of an historical novel, this time about Christina Olson, the subject of one of Andrew Wyeth’s iconic paintings. I loved this novel and know readers everywhere will, too.” – Beth Carpenter, Country Bookshop (Southern Pines, NC)
“Beautiful art writing with an elegant ending – highly recommended because I fully enjoyed learning more about the Wyeth family and Kline writes with such a sense of place. I feel like I visited with these characters myself, had tea with them, suffered their physical hardships and dreamed their dreams.” – Karen Bakshoain, Letterpress Books (Portland, ME)
“I absolutely loved it. I often went to the site of the Olsen farm in Cushing (before the museum) and fell in love with the peace and romance of the spot. We continuously sell Andrew Wyeth’s biography and I cannot wait to sell this. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to gush….It is my favorite of the year!” – Cheryl Perrino, Nonesuch Books (South Portland, ME)
“I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was well written, historically interesting, and jumping between time frames was never confusing. The characters remained consistent and the story arc flowed. I will definitely be recommending it to our customers.” – Lynn Silloway, Phoenix-Rutland Bookseller (Rutland, VT)
“[A] wonderful book. Couldn’t put it down and Christina stole my heart.” – Susan Babish, Hudson Booksellers
“What a beautiful, beautiful book! Christina’s world is the hardy Maine coast, with no-nonsense, hard-working people who plow ahead against the obstacles, the only break being the light-hearted summer folk who pop in a few months each year. Yet with all the stoicism, ou r Christina Baker Kline carefully reveals the fragility of their lives, and the fragility of Christina Olsen’s in particular – fragile bodies, fragile relationships, and fragile landscape. I fully lived in a different world for a week and continue to carry the story with me.” – Margot Sage-EL, Watchung Booksellers (Montclair, NJ)
“Inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting Christina’s World, Kline blends fiction and non-fiction to tell the story of the woman behind the painting, Christina Olsen. Her mobility was affected by a debilitating disease and her entire world was a remote farm in Cushing, Maine. For twenty years Wyeth visited the Olsons and painted at the farm using the landscape, artifacts and the people who inhabited this world as inspiration. Beautifully written, Kline brings Christina’s World to life.” – Cathy Van der Bil, Eight Cousins (Falmouth, MA)
“Highly recommending.” – Madde Mahony, Buttonwood Books (Cohasset, MA)
“A Piece of the World is wonderful historic fiction that evocatively captures the woman behind Andrew Wyteth’s iconic painting “Christina’s World. Christina Baker Kline draws us into the life of Christina Olson – her childhood as the eldest daughter of a hard-working farmer in rural Maine, the nuanced relationships between the well-heeled “summer people” in this coastal town and the year-rounders, and the bonds of tradition and family. The intimacy and strength of Christina’s voice makes this a truly absorbing read!” – Dawn Rennert, Concord Bookshop (Concord, MA)
“Readers of “Orphan Train” rejoice—Christina Baker Kline has written another book!
One of the most famous American paintings of the last century was “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth. Christina Baker Kline enters this world in her new book, A Piece of the World and gives voice to Christina Olson, the subject of the painting. Olson reveals herself as a woman who lived her whole life in the house in which she’d been born, a woman with a degenerative disease, a lover of poetry and the natural world, a hard and inventive worker, a person who experienced many disappointments but who remained fiercely independent and stubborn. Indeed, although Olson’s life seems very small, through the lenses Wyeth and Kline bring to it, it transcends limitations.
This is a book which will have great appeal to book groups. Despite all that that she reveals about herself, Olson remains an enigmatic figure. Speculation about that and exploration of the limitations placed on her by her family, the time in which she lived, and her health, will provide many topics for discussion. And groups will surely want to explore the parallels between Olson and her favorite poet, Emily Dickinson.
In this book as in Orphan Train, Kline enters a little known part of our history, bringing it vividly to life by imagining the life of an unlikely heroine.” – Sally Wizik Wills, Beagle and Wolf Books (Park Rapids, MN)
“An intricate and appealing portrait of Andrew Wyeth, rendered by the quietly engaging voice of his model Christina Olson, A Piece of the World vividly captures the essence of Main’s coastal artists and more rough hewn year round residents. A rich narractive that delivers a compelling story with its authentic interpretation of the Wyeth legacy of artistry and remote humanity, Kline’s new novel is a splendid follow up to Orphan Train.” – Kenny Brechner, Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers (Farmington, ME)
“The wait is over! It was an utter delight to read Christina Baker Kline’s newest novel, A Piece of the World. There is no tougher act to follow than Kline’s The Orphan Train, but readers will be overjoyed to discover the the author applies the same careful detail to this historical novel.
Here in the Brandywine Valley, the Wyeth family is revered. Kline brings the legend to life as Christina Olson becomes real to us. Olson is the inspiration for Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting, Christina’s World which now hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Wyeth’s future wife, Betsy, had been visiting the Olson farm as a girl and after she introduces Wyeth, who was then 22, to 46 year old Christina, the two forge an unlikely friendship. Wyeth uses the Maine home Christina shares with her brother as an art studio of sorts and spends much time sketching and painting there. Christina becomes the subject of much of this work and the resulting painting establishes Wyeth as a force in the art world. The reader is overcome with empathy for Christina as she battles a life long degenerative disease that leaves her crippled and one soon realizes the force of this partnership is Christina herself. Intelligence, determination and grit define Christina and Wyeth captures the complex nature of his subject, as does Kline, who breathes life and vitality into Christina leaving the reader cheering her on.” – Donna McFadden, Wellington Square Bookshop (Exton, PA)
“An outstanding read.. The book is a background story of Wyeth’ Christina’s Word and I will never view this great painting the same. The story is as complex and simple as are the characters and painting. It is about time and place and as if now yet in a seeming other dimension that is humanly eternal and universal. For me, it is about the desire to be known, to be seen, and the blocks from within and without that isolate even as one can establish closeness while being appreciated. I found the writing to be gorgeous. Surely one of the best novels due in 2017.” – Larry Yoder, Bookies (Denver CO)
“As an early fan of Orphan Train I still remember Christina Baker Kline’s first visit to our store and we have gone on to hand sell so many copies of Orphan Train to our customers. So I was very excited to dive into A Piece of the Worldwhen it arrived and the novel does not disappoint. I love how Christina brought Christina Olson, a woman so many of us have wondered about as we look at her through Andrew Wyeth’s eyes, so vividly to life. In this beautiful novel – and because of this beautiful novel – Christina Olson is finally seen.” – Bernadette Albertson, Words (Maplewood, NJ)
“A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline is a beautifully rendered novel about the life of Christina Olson who inspired Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting, Christina’s World. Moving back and forth between Christina’s childhood and her long term relationship with Wyeth during her middle years, A Piece of the World captures the internal workings a young woman living with a severe physically debilitating disease in rural Maine. Kline does a masterful job of giving us insight into a fiercely independent young woman who has suffered so many life disappointments but still manages to create a fulfilling life for herself and inspire those around her with her strength.” – Phyllis Spinale, Wellesley Books (Wellesly, MA)
