A Piece of the World - Paperback

by Christina Baker Kline (Author)

A New York Times bestseller.

"Exquisite. A must-read." --Kristin Hannah

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel is an unforgettable story of an artist and muse, friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth's mysterious and iconic painting Christina's World.

"Later he told me that he'd been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn't like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won't stay hidden."

To Christina Olson, the entire world is her family farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. The only daughter in a family of sons, Christina is tied to her home by health and circumstance, and seems destined for a small life. Instead, she becomes Andrew Wyeth's first great inspiration, and the subject of one of the best-known paintings of the twentieth century, Christina's World.

As she did in her beloved bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction to vividly reimagine a real moment in history. A Piece of the World is a powerful work of historical fiction about the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, her complicated relationship to her family and inheritance, and how an unlikely friendship between artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.

This paperback edition includes a color reproduction of Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World, along with a Q&A with the author, and a bonus short story, "Stranded in Ice."

Front Jacket

Christina Olson seemed destined for a small life, living on her family's remote farm in coastal Cushing, Maine. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best-known paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved novel Orphan Train, Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful narrative that illuminates a little-known part of America's history. She vividly imagines the life of the woman behind the portrait, her complicated relationship to her past, and her special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

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.

Back Jacket

Christina Olson seemed destined for a small life, living on her family's remote farm in coastal Cushing, Maine. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best-known paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved novel Orphan Train, Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful narrative that illuminates a little-known part of America's history. She vividly imagines the life of the woman behind the portrait, her complicated relationship to her past, and her special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

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.