Andrew wyeths 1948 painting christinas world is the spur for christina baker klines richly somber new novel, a piece of the world william morrow, 304 pp. Christina baker klines a piece of the world is a fictionalized look into the life of christina olsen, the toughminded farm woman who became a model, friend and occasional muse for surrealist painter andrew wyeth. The novel, which is told in a nonlinear fashion and which uses firstperson narration, is written completely in the present tense. A piece of the world by christina baker kline book club. A novel setting christina baker kline this study guide consists of approximately 35 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a piece of the world. A piece of the world jumps back and forth in time, weaving together christinas child and young adulthoods with the defining event of her later decades. World book online is an engaging, verified, and trustworthy digital resource for grades prek through high school. A piece of the world christina baker kline hardcover. The paperback of the a piece of the world by christina baker kline at. Christina baker kline sets herself a stark challenge in her new novel giving flesh to the.
Page 662 judge, then, of the feelings with which we hear the motives and the doings of the colonization society traduced and that, too, by men too ignorant to know what that society has accomplished. Instant new york times bestsellergraceful, moving and powerful. I want to reach in there and solve all the problems that are going on in the story, but alas, i cannot, so i eagerly turn the pages to see how mildred walker spins the story and am satisfied with the results. But, without pretending to any prophetic sagacity, we can certainly predict to that society, the. A piece of the world is a powerful story of the fleshandblood woman behind the portrait, her complicated relationship to her family and inheritance, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy. Klines latest novel, a piece of the world, is based on an interesting premise. Later he told me that hed been afraid to show me the painting. Synopsis 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. Do our natures dictate the choices we make, i wonder, or do we sometimes a sanctuary, sometimes a prison, that house on the hill has always been my home. Treasure is a motif that recurs throughout a piece of the world. A piece of the world looks deep within the story of an.
Kline did an excellent job of filling in the story of the painter and his subject. Mildred walker wins my heart again with her story, a piece of the world. Reviewspraise for book clubs excerpt exclusive outtake christina and me essay this instant new york times bestseller is a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by andrew wyeths mysterious and iconic painting christinas world. To ask other readers questions about a piece of the world, please sign up. To christina olson, the entire world was her familys remote farm in the small coastal town of cushing, maine. Stay up to speed on all we have to offerplus activities, crafts, and blogs for parents and educators in our newsletter.
Wyeth, chistinas spinsterly life is a long litany of tough events, from a lifelong battle with. In her sixth novel, a piece of the world, she revisits that dichotomy, applying her observations to the saga. Instant new york times bestseller a mustread for anyone who loves history and art. Wyeth painting comes to life in christina baker klines.
In this beautifully observed fictional memoir, kline uses andrew wyeths iconic painting christinas world as the takingoff point for a moving portrait of the artists reallife muse. I really enjoyed reading christina baker klines book orphan train and so had confidence in her new book, a piece of the world. A piece of the world by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. An interview with christina baker kline 62018 maine public radio, maine author brings andrew wyeths christinas world to life me 32017 the huffington post, christina baker kline on losing her mom, leaning on her sisters, and why talking. The world of the woman immortalized in andrew wyeths haunting painting christinas world is imagined in klines orphan train intriguing novel. End of the world literature postapocalyptic fiction on. In this beautifully observed fictional memoir, kline uses andrew wyeths iconic painting christinas world as the takingoff point for a moving portrait of the artists reallife. Compared to wyeths somewhat more exalted status as the son of illustrator n. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. Al, who longed to make a living on the sea and whose forebears traveled the world on sailing ships, read treasure island a dozen times might be the only book i ever actually finished, now that i think about it, he says. The following version of this was used to create this study guide.
A piece of the world by christina baker kline publication date. Like wyeths paintings, this is a vivid novel about hardscrabble lives and prairie grit and the seemingly small but significant beauties found. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, christina seemed destined for a small life. A piece of the world by christina baker kline, paperback.
When young andrew wyeth first met christina olson at the door of her maine farmhouse in 1939, she was a middleaged spinster suffering from a debilitating, probably hereditary, neuropathological disease that alternately numbed and pained her limbs, and grievously compromised and eventually eroded her mobility, but. The novel opens in 1939, on a farm in cushing, maine where middleaged christina olson resides with her brother, al. A piece of the world ebook king county library system. Things can always be worse and you can rely on novelists to put that phrase into cold, hard words on the page. A piece of the world by christina baker kline 309 pp. In her sixth novel, a piece of the world, she revisits that dichotomy, applying her observations to the saga behind andrew wyeths iconic painting, christinas world. A piece of the world is the absorbing fictionalized backstory of christina olson, the subject of the painting.
Read free book excerpt from a piece of the world by christina baker kline, page 1 of 4. Told in evocative and lucid prose, a piece of the world is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy. A piece of the world christina baker kline paperback. I was so captivated by this account of the woman in the famous painting christinas world by andrew wyeth.
A piece of the world by christina baker kline overdrive. A piece of the world is a story for those who want the mysterious made real. Kline is not the first novelist to base hisher novel on an actual painting or work of art. Noahs ark and the flood that wiped earth clean of wicked mankind is an early example of postapocalyptic writing but the modern genre of end of the world literature can be traced back two centuries to mary shelleys the last man published in 1826. Not surprisingly, kline grew interested in how the inner life could survive a lack of external comforts, an idea that sits at the heart of her 20 book, orphan train.
Instead, for more than 20 years, she was host and inspiration for the artist andrew wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known. This edition includes a fourcolor reproduction of andrew wyeths christinas world. A piece of the world is a thought provoking book about life on a farm, living with. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. Told in evocative and lucid prose, a piece of the world is a story about the. A piece of the world by christina baker kline summary. While my favorite is winter wheat, this book stirs the heart. Teresa stick with it i felt the same as you in the beginning but was happy to finish the book. A piece of the world is so atmospherically rich and utterly transporting, i didnt want leave christines world at books end. A piece of the world is an intimate journey back and forth through christina olsons life.
A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Like wyeths paintings, this is a vivid novel about hardscrabble lives and. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. This instant new york times bestseller is a stunning and atmospheric novel of. Only at the end of the book where he paints christina do we get some meat, and well cover that at the end. Written in pockets of memories, reading this book is like bouncing around someones box of everyday trinkets, things kept for their personal significance, that, though seemingly random and unconnected, all somehow fit together into a compelling story. Told in evocative and lucid prose, a piece of the world is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to.
1077 1202 1010 127 317 4 1069 211 198 783 1159 65 1480 980 1429 890 568 977 315 761 576 198 195 1427 1389 356 366 508 844 1092