If you want a happy story with a lot of action, this is not it. It's deeply melancholy, but I finished it because I had it on audio and I was drawn by the art history and the link to the Hawthorns of New England (Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous author). This novel's topic is a famous painting, "Christina's World," by Andrew Wyeth -- Wyeth patterned this painting after a neighbor, Christina, who was born with a degenerative disease that began stealing her ability to walk at age 12. I found it difficult to really like any of the characters. Christina's parents were selfish; she's removed from school at age 12 to help her mom with house chores, then later, they lay guilt trips on her to get her to do more. While Christina has every right to feel sad or mad about certain things, I found her stubbornness annoying. She refuses help (eg, medical help), and is jealous and even petty at times. Her brother Al is also weak. He doesn't stand up for himself.
Most of the action was in the first half of the book. I liked the love story for Christina. No spoilers.
My takeaway from this book is that Christina's life was hard and bleak. Her disease causes her to constantly fall and trip, and things get harder as the years pass. Just so many obstacles. As for the title of the painting ....spoilers ahead
Spoilers ahead
Spoilers ahead
As for the theme, "Christina's World," the farm sums up her world. She devotes herself to her parents' care as they grow old and die. She expects her brother to devote his life to the farm too. With her limited schooling, and her unwillingness to pursue medical treatment as a young adult, her world stays small, and all about the farm. I guess the real Christina was happy about the painting by Wyeth. My guess is that she felt that it took her off the farm, so to speak, and out into the world for the first time.
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