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© Copyright 2009 Christina Baker Kline. All Rights Reserved.
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But even in the whirlwind of publication, Claire can't stop wondering if she should leave
her husband, Ben, an ambitious architect who is brilliant, kind, and meticulous. And who
wants nothing more than a baby, or two—exactly the kind of life that Charlie and Alison
seem to have.
In each of her novels, Christina Baker Kline has explored how people tell the stories of
their lives and what those stories reveal about who they are. As they set out on their
individual journeys, Alison, Charlie, Claire, and Ben explore the idea—each in his or her
own way—that every moment of loss contains within it the possibility of a new life.
Alternating through these four intertwined perspectives, Bird in Hand is a searing novel
about friendship, love, marriage, loss, and the choices we make that irrevocably alter
everything we believe to be true.
her husband, Ben, an ambitious architect who is brilliant, kind, and meticulous. And who
wants nothing more than a baby, or two—exactly the kind of life that Charlie and Alison
seem to have.
In each of her novels, Christina Baker Kline has explored how people tell the stories of
their lives and what those stories reveal about who they are. As they set out on their
individual journeys, Alison, Charlie, Claire, and Ben explore the idea—each in his or her
own way—that every moment of loss contains within it the possibility of a new life.
Alternating through these four intertwined perspectives, Bird in Hand is a searing novel
about friendship, love, marriage, loss, and the choices we make that irrevocably alter
everything we believe to be true.
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Christina's New Blog!
HarperCollins author site
for Bird in Hand
For The Way Life Should Be
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Photo by Jerry Bauer
| Novels |
| Non-Fiction |
Praise for Christina Baker Kline and her previous novel,
The Way Life Should Be
“I hesitate to call Kline a ‘serious novelist’ for fear of obscuring her easy style and fluid
metaphor-making...but she’s the real deal. Kline dramatizes private life, from the
charged crosscurrents of broken families to the robust intimacies of sex, with a generous,
knowing appreciation of human nature.”
-- Boston Globe
"Evocative writing."
-- New York Times Book Review
"Kline keeps us glued to the page."
-- Newsday
"Kline has a perfect sense of character and timing, and her vivid digressions on food add
sugar and spice."
-- Publishers Weekly
“An unassumingly beautiful story of human relationships and self-discovery...with a
tremendous payoff.”
-- People
“The Way Life Should Be is the way a great read should be -- incredibly moving,
beautifully written, and with characters so alive you want them to come and visit. Kline’s
lucid take on finding out who we really are, and what we really need in our lives is
nothing short of brilliant.”
-- Caroline Leavitt, author of Girls in Trouble and Coming Back to Me
The Way Life Should Be
“I hesitate to call Kline a ‘serious novelist’ for fear of obscuring her easy style and fluid
metaphor-making...but she’s the real deal. Kline dramatizes private life, from the
charged crosscurrents of broken families to the robust intimacies of sex, with a generous,
knowing appreciation of human nature.”
-- Boston Globe
"Evocative writing."
-- New York Times Book Review
"Kline keeps us glued to the page."
-- Newsday
"Kline has a perfect sense of character and timing, and her vivid digressions on food add
sugar and spice."
-- Publishers Weekly
“An unassumingly beautiful story of human relationships and self-discovery...with a
tremendous payoff.”
-- People
“The Way Life Should Be is the way a great read should be -- incredibly moving,
beautifully written, and with characters so alive you want them to come and visit. Kline’s
lucid take on finding out who we really are, and what we really need in our lives is
nothing short of brilliant.”
-- Caroline Leavitt, author of Girls in Trouble and Coming Back to Me
Quick Links:
| Advance Praise for Bird in Hand Coming in August 2009 "In Bird in Hand, Christina Baker Kline looks at marriage, at parents and children, pain and sorrow, and at all the questions that life asks us. This is a wise and lovely book." -- Roxana Robinson "Christina Baker Kline is a relentless storyteller. Once she sets her hook and starts reeling you in, struggle becomes counterproductive. The narrative line is too taut, the angler at the other end too skillful." -- Richard Russo "It is both thrilling and terrifying to read this powerful new novel and think: this could be me. Christina Baker Kline takes us on an intimate journey with her characters, one that brings us dangerously close to the hidden truths about love, trust and friendship." -- Ellen Sussman “Kline’s unflinching gaze and lovely prose set [Bird in Hand] apart from the herd of infidelity/marital ennui novels. It’s well- done, thoughtful and thought-provoking.” -- Publishers Weekly, June 1, 2009 “Kline’s fourth novel exhibits an unsparing eye for the telling details that reveal how people think and act.... [A] good book club choice.” -- Library Journal, June 12, 2009 “Kline’s razor-sharp novel about love, marriage and obligation is a beach book only because you could zip through it anywhere.” -- More magazine, “Beach Book Bonanza,” July/August 09 "[T]he story of four best friends -- two couples -- whose lives have become hopelessly intertwined … Kline explores the complications of the lines and bonds between marriage and friendship with honest and complex emotions on all four narrative fronts." -- Booklist, July 1, 2009 |
| Available for Pre-Order IndieBound.org or Amazon.com |
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Christina Baker Kline
Four people, two marriages, one lifelong
friendship: everything is about to change.
It was an accident. It was dark, it was
raining, Alison had only had two drinks. And
the other car ran the stop sign. But Alison
finds herself trapped under the crushing
weight of grief and guilt, feeling increasingly
estranged from her husband, Charlie, who
has his own burdens. He's in a job he
doesn't love so that Alison can stay at home
with the kids (and why isn't she more
grateful for that?); he has a house in the
suburbs and a long commute to and from
the city.
And the only thing he can focus on these
days is his secret, sudden affair with Claire,
Alison's best friend. Bold where Alison is
reserved, vibrant where Alison is cautious,
Claire has just had her first novel published,
a thinly veiled retelling of her childhood in
North Carolina.
friendship: everything is about to change.
It was an accident. It was dark, it was
raining, Alison had only had two drinks. And
the other car ran the stop sign. But Alison
finds herself trapped under the crushing
weight of grief and guilt, feeling increasingly
estranged from her husband, Charlie, who
has his own burdens. He's in a job he
doesn't love so that Alison can stay at home
with the kids (and why isn't she more
grateful for that?); he has a house in the
suburbs and a long commute to and from
the city.
And the only thing he can focus on these
days is his secret, sudden affair with Claire,
Alison's best friend. Bold where Alison is
reserved, vibrant where Alison is cautious,
Claire has just had her first novel published,
a thinly veiled retelling of her childhood in
North Carolina.
Blog
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