A Piece of the World
By Christian Baker Kline
Historical fiction, told in the voice of Christina Olson, the muse to famed American artist Andrew Wyeth. The novel is focused around the visual narrative told in Wyeth's iconic painting entitled, "Christina's World".
The writing in this novel is wonderful, and Christina's world is beautifully constructed. However, this is not a happy read. Christina has a rare degenerative disease which makes her limbs grow less and less functional, and eventually she is unable to walk. She finds her first love, who "promises" to marry her, but he eventually faces the pressure from his family and marries someone more suitable. Her father won't allow her to finish school and become a teacher. She spends her life living on the family farm, looking after her parents until their deaths.
Christina gradually becomes housebound, cared for my her brother, who remains a bachelor to look after her. When she is 46, she meets Wyeth, who spends the summers painting at the Olson house. Landscapes, portraits, pictures of ordinary things, culminating in "Christina's World".
The book is kind of depressing, and the back and forth in time gets kind of confusing.
By the author of "Orphan Train".
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment