A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

"'Some memories are realities and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.' Maybe so, I think. Maybe my memories of sweeter times are vivid enough, and present enough, to overcome the disappointments that followed. And to sustain me through the rest."
            -first line: Willa Cather from My Antonia, second part: Christina Olson, from this novel

I probably read this book at the wrong time. I had just finished galloping through a suspense thriller by Tami Hoag when I started A Piece of the World so it seemed quite dull by comparison. Too many words, too little action!

This blend of history and fiction is about Christina Olson who lives with her brother Al on the coast of Maine. She has a debilitating disease and that affliction and her circumstances hold her captive there in a very real way. Her world brightens when artist Andrew Wyeth comes to call and is inspired by the setting and by Christina herself. She becomes his muse. The story moves back and forth between the early 1900s and the 1940s fleshing out Christina's life before Wyeth, a sad story to be sure.

Wyeth's famous painting called Christina's World is inspired by Christina Olson. The art work is thought-provoking although I can't say I would buy a print to hang in my house. I certainly will never see it the same way after reading this book.

I felt Christina was more pitiable than likeable. The family relationships were interesting and likely an effect of the time and place. Being a part of the Olson family came with both burdens and blessings.

I was most impressed with the author's note where she shared her inspiration for the book and her extensive research and preparation. Because of that and the beauty of expression, I rate the book a 3. I didn't find it exciting or uplifting, surely not a page-turner but it was enlightening. I would guess that fans of Andrew Wyeth's work might really love the book.

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Our Page Turners group rated A Piece of the World a 3.5. There were only 2 votes of "5," so many agreed with me that the book was worthwhile reading by a skilled author but didn't draw us in as we would like. I had checked out a very large book called Christina's World which I passed around. It included text, photographs, drawings and prints of Wyeth's paintings from this period, a helpful and interesting companion for this novel.