A wonderful, atmospheric read. Please see my full and official review on Narrative Muse, via the link below.

Born into an old seafaring family on a remote farm on the coast of Maine, Christina Olson grows up surrounded by her grandmother’s maritime relics and stories of sailing to distant shores with her sea captain husband. These exotic tales have little to do with Christina’s own reality though, living in a large bleak house buffeted by the relentless ocean breeze, trying to make a living from the land. Having been born with an undiagnosed neurological disorder that makes walking increasingly difficult, Christina’s world is shrinking daily, and she rarely gets to venture far from home. So how did this woman become the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the 20th century, Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World”?

I remember my initial feelings when first coming across a print of Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World”, the image of a girl in a pale pink dress lying in a meadow, looking up the hill towards the stark and bleak facade of a weatherboard farmhouse. To me, the picture depicted both a longing and a sense of desperation and loneliness I could not quite explain, and I was curious to find out more about this mysterious woman who can evoke such emotion in the viewer.

Told in the first person from Christina’s perspective, the story skips back and forth in time between Christina’s life as an older and somewhat bitter woman confined to her family homestead and her childhood, from the first time she suffers the fist debilitating flare up of the neurological disorder that will ultimately cost her her mobility. With three younger brothers and an ailing mother, all the household chores fall to Christina, especially after the death of her formidable grandmother, the only person in the family who recognises Christina’s tenacious spirit, despite her disability. Unfortunately, the era she has been born into is very much male-dominated, and after her father forbids her to take the opportunity to stay on at school to train as a teacher, Christina’s only hope for a different life is through marriage. But when her first and only romance with a young Harvard scholar fails, Christina is condemned to live out her days as a spinster in the old house, further burdened by her daily struggles with pain and illness. Until Andrew Wyeth appears on her doorstep, and offers her not only friendship but also true understanding, and a glimpse into a different world.

In a postscript to her novel, the author Christina Baker Cline states that she hopes she has done Christina Olson’s story justice – and she has certainly achieved that. Perhaps it was her extensive research coupled with her own knowledge of the simple life, close to nature and without the amenities we take for granted, which gave her such a depth of understanding for Christina. She manages to recreate life on a wind-beaten farm perfectly, as well as the restrictions Christina faces on a daily basis, not only due to her disability but also her gender.

A Piece of the World sheds light on an interesting piece of American history I knew nothing about. I admired Christina’s tenacity in the face of adversity and felt an intense sadness as slowly all her hopes and dreams are eroded by not only her mind-numbing daily routine, but also the people around her, who do not take the time to see the fiercely intelligent, independent spirit of the woman trapped inside her inform body. I could not help wondering how much better her life could have been had she been born a century later, a time when women have more opportunity to make their own way in the world, and education is no longer a privilege of the wealthy in our society. Maybe I sensed this on seeing the menacing presence of the dark house in the distance in the painting, which ultimately became Christina and her brother Al’s prison, preventing them from finding love.

“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. “

For me, this was a melancholy and somewhat bleak read. Even though I enjoyed the author’s writing, and appreciated the historical detail and obvious mountain of research backing the story, I found it difficult to fully engage with Christina during some parts of the story. I guess it is related to the inevitable miserable fate of Christina becoming a lonely spinster trapped in a joyless routine, with little hope of escape. Even Andrew Wyeth’s friendship could not compensate for the loss of her dreams and ambitions, and a sad taste lingers on long after turning the last page.

I'm really not sure what to tell you about this one. I've changed my star rating on Goodreads from 'I liked it' to 'I really liked it' and back again several times.

Did I enjoy reading it? Yes, I really did. It's beautifully written, I genuinely wanted to finish it but I found myself questioning why.

Reading A Piece of the World is a bit like watching the movie, Sliding Doors except that the only fork ever taken on the road of life is the one that brings misery.

Even worse, you know from the very beginning how Christina's story will end - living in isolation and pain with her brother, still trapped in poverty on the family farm.

When the narrative took me back in time to when she was a girl who wanted to continue school and become a teacher, I had hope for a moment. But then I remembered she wasn't a teacher when we met her in the present.

I got mildly excited when a young man came into her life. Flawed as he was, perhaps he could rescue her from effective indentured slavery to her family. But no, I knew it was a lost cause. There was no mention of a husband in the present day.

As the story progressed I lost all hope and stopped even looking for it as Christina continued her story. She would ever manage to escape.

I think the redemption is intended to be her position as muse to the great artist, Andrew Wyeth. And that she becomes the subject of one of his greatest works of art.

But, for me, it wasn't enough. Perhaps that's my fault, I don't know. But finally having your soul understood by one artist seemed cold comfort for a lifetime of pain, servitude and missed opportunities.

Born in 1893, Christina Olson became ill at a young age, and from that day forward, her debilitating illness continued unabated. Doctors had no idea what was wrong with her, but over the years she continued to get worse. Her life was centred around the home she’d been born in – the family farm in Cushing, Maine. Christina lived with her mother, father and grandmother plus three brothers, and the duties of keeping the farm running increasingly fell on her shoulders. Made to leave school by her father at twelve years of age, Christina’s yearning to become a teacher fell by the wayside at her father’s demand that she was needed on the farm…

When Christina was forty-six, she lived with her brother Alvaro on the farm, and through her friend Betsy, she met a young Andrew Wyeth. Andy was an artist and his desire to paint and sketch Christina’s home led to him spending days on end upstairs, engrossed in his work. His eventual painting of Christina, which was named Christina’s World was much against her wishes – but Andy by that time was a good friend; little was she to know how well-known that painting would become. Over the years, Christina became Andy’s inspiration – she felt that finally, someone understood her.

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline is a beautiful blend of fiction and non-fiction about Christina Olson’s life, and the inspirational and historical painting by Andrew Wyeth called Christina’s World. The Author’s Note at the end of the book is fascinating where she explains how she came to research and write this novel. She says “Ultimately, A Piece of the World is a work of fiction. Above all else, I hope I have done this story justice.” And to my mind Ms Kline, you most certainly have. A thoroughly intriguing and enjoyable read which I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.

'A Piece of the World' is a wonderful story, based on fact, about Christina Olsen, a woman living with and overcoming adversity in the form of both societal and physical constraints. Christina is by no means a saint. She feels sorrow and resentment about her situation very deeply, lashing out at times in ways that are hurtful to others, including her much loved brother, Al. She is, however, a loving daughter and caring friend to those who are able to see beyond her physical limitations. She forms a close bond over the years with Betsy, a little girl in the neighbourhood who accepts Christina for who she is, and later with Betsy's partner, artist Andrew Wyeth. Andrew spends years painting the house and surrounding nature where Christina has grown up and lived her life. He ultimately paints Christina in this environment, a painting which is titled "Christina's World" and in which Christina can see that Andrew has truly captured her essence. This beautiful story illustrates that, as Christina herself comes to realise, "...the greatest kindness is acceptance". Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers Australia and NetGalley for the ARC.