A Piece of the World: A Novel Summary
Christina Baker Kline

A Piece of the World: A Novel Overview

A Piece of the World is a historical novel by Christina Baker Kline. It is based on the real events of the life of Anna Christina Olson, who was the subject of the famous American painting “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth. Christina is born on a farm in Cushing, Maine in the 1890s. She becomes sick with a mysterious illness in her girlhood, and the illness permanently impairs her ability to walk. Throughout her life, she encounters several opportunities to change her life, but circumstances prevent her from taking advantage of any of these opportunities. She therefore lives out her life as an unmarried woman doing household chores on her family’s farm. However, she comes to understand that even her own simple life has beauty and meaning. Christina’s life story is intercut with the story of the friendship she forms with painter Andrew Wyeth when Christina is middle-aged. The novel explores themes of family, art, love, dignity, and personal fulfillment.