A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

2017

I'd give it 3-1/2 stars. I liked it and disliked it at the same time. It was well written and accomplished its goal of eliciting mixed emotions from me. As much as I felt conflicted for the protagonist I can ignore that it's her story and not mine. I don't have to agree with the character to validate the quality of the author.

What a difficult book at times to read. The main character, Christina Olson, is a stoic and stubborn woman who refuses any assistance or concern from others. Her suffering and depravity elicit strong emotions of sadness, pity, anger and apathy. What redeems the character to me is that I believe she was limited and restrained by her parents. A difficult family situation made worse by the decisions made to live a simple life.

I had to read some history about the book and the background story into order to fully understand and want to finish the book. On the surface the story feels to drag on in parts where you get tired of Christina describing how much pain and difficulty she endures daily.

It made me think about family traditions and culture, being able to endure difficult situations but also when do you ask for help or decide that he "old ways" aren't so effective? There are many hopes and dreams that are denied until it's too late to acknowledge what could have been. It reminds me that sometimes we can be the obstacle to our success and happiness in life.



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