AUTHOR BIO | |
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Name | Christina Baker Kline |
Profession(s) | American writer, Teacher |
Date of Birth | 1964 |
Age (as in 2020) | age 56 years |
Birth Place | Cambridge, England |
Nationality | American |
Hometown | Cambridge |
School | |
College/University | Yale (BA in English) Cambridge University (MA in Literature) The University of Virginia (MFA) |
Educational Qualification(s) | MA in Literature |
Debut | Sweet Water (1993) |
Family | Father- William J. Baker Mother- Christina Looper Baker Brother- Not Known Sister- Not Known |
Marital Status | Married |
Spouse | David Kline |
Children | Hayden, Will and Eli |
Books | Sweet Water (1993) Desire Lines (1999) The Way Life Should Be (2007) Bird in Hand (2009) Orphan Train (2013) A Piece of the World (2017) Orphan Train Girl (2017) |
Who is Christina Baker Kline?
Christina Baker Kline (born 1964) is an American writer and a teacher. She is 56 years old. She is born in Cambridge, England. She married David Kline. She has completed MA in literature at Cambridge University.
She is the author of Sweet Water (1993), Desire Lines (1999), The Way Life Should Be (2007), Bird in Hand (2009), Orphan Train (2013), A Piece of the World (2017), Orphan Train Girl (2017)
Christina Baker Kline Biography
Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing.
Kline lives in NYC and Southwest Harbor, Maine. She serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.
A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon.
Christina Baker Kline Husband
Christina Baker Kline married to David Kline.
Books by Christina Baker Kline
Orphan Train
Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from “aging out” of the child welfare system and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.
Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be.
A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance. The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.
As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both. Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendship and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.
A Piece of the World
I love the painting, Christina’s World. It’s one of the few pieces of art I feel a strong connection to and I was thrilled to find out the author wrote this historical fiction book on the real life Christina who inspired the painting. Art is so subjective as each person takes away something different but in my opinion this book really captured the essence of who I imagined the girl in the painting to be and also reading about her makes me look at it in other ways as well. Really a fantastic read!
Generations of Christina Olson’s family have lived on a farm in Maine. With a mysterious illness that makes getting around more difficult, it seems likely Christina will never be able to escape this quiet, small town life. Artist Andrew Wyeth meets Christina and is taken by her so much so she serves as inspiration for the iconic American painting, Christina’s World.
This historical fiction book is a good mix of fact and fiction. While historians know some things about Christina, she much like the girl portrayed in the painting remain somewhat of a mystery. I thought the author did a tremendous job in showing just what it was about Christina that could inspire such an incredible piece of art. She was such an easy character to feel for and when her heart breaks, your heart breaks.
I feel like this is such a wonderful companion piece to the painting and I highly recommend reading it!
The Way Life Should Be
I was surprised how quickly I arrived at the final page of this novel, first in an annoyed, then in a grateful way.
Caught up in the culmination of emotions and possibilities for the main character, Angela Russo, the story ended before I was ready. Even if there was so much more to explore and be discovered through the lives of these believable and varied characters, I appreciate (quite ironically) that this is “the way life should be”.
Some readers are drawn toward reading a story where everything is tied nicely with a bow at the end, as am I. However, every so often, a story comes along that doesn’t need that. And perhaps, what it really needs is exactly what it provides, an open-ended hope for beautiful things on the horizon.
When I finish a novel that makes me ponder my own life while sensing an emotional connection with the characters as if they’re a part of my own family, I am grateful. Aligned with my own philosophy as an author, this well-crafted story provided a path to not only escape reality, but also to help navigate it.
The recipes at the end of the book will make an appearance in our kitchen. I found my stomach grumbling with supplication at the savory Italian flavors. Even more interesting and welcome was the interview with the author at the end of the book. It is always a pleasure to gain some personal insight and peek behind the curtains at the life, motivation, and thoughts of an author.
Whether looking for motivation to take a leap of faith into the unknown, or discovering what it means to find your place in the world, “The Way Life Should Be” is exactly what it should be, a motivating, uplifting, and inspiring read.
The Exiles
When I started The Exiles, I realized how much I’ve hungered for a great story well told. I have savored the moments. With incredible, powerful writing, Christina Baker Kline has written a fabulous yarn. It’s fabulously orchestrated and the historic details all feel so right. And the story reveals the real life of being a female prisoner in Australia in the 1840s much in the same way as Colson Whitehead does in The Nickel Boys. The writing is vivid, visual, and real. And gut-wrenching.
I haven’t felt this way since I read Pachinko and The Signature of All Things. I am gushing, but I have just loved this book.
Christina Baker Kline Quotes
Social Media
Christina Baker Kline Instagram
2,355 followers, 356 followings, 220 Posts – See Instagram photos and videos from Christina Baker Kline (@bakerkline)
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Christina Baker Kline Twitter
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FAQ about Christina Baker Kline
Where does Christina Baker live?
New York City. She is residing at New York City and Southwest Harbor, Maine.
When was Christina Baker Kline born?
1964 (age 56 years) She is born in 1964
Who wrote the orphan train?
Christina Baker Kline. She is the author of Orphan Train Book.
Is there a sequel to the Orphan Train?
No. There is not! But you may see some of the characters popping up in my future books…
What sparked your interest in the orphan train children?
My husband’s grandfather was featured in an article on orphan-train riders, though he and his siblings were not on an “official” orphan train. At that time — the early 20th century — children were sent on trains all over the U.S.