Christina Baker Kline's Quotes

Christina Baker Kline (born 1964) is an American novelist. She is the author of seven novels, including Orphan Train, and has co-authored or edited five non-fiction books. Kline is a Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowship recipient.^{[citation needed]}

Christina Baker Kline's selected quotes:

Christina Baker Kline about Life:

The twists and turns of your life can be so unexpected, and that's a good ...
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Christina Baker Kline about Lunch:

I will not serve lunch to anyone in the middle of a workday. I rarely ...
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Christina Baker Kline about Book:

With a hardcover, you get two chances, a year apart, for the book to make ...
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Christina Baker Kline about Children:

Many people, for many reasons, feel rootless - but orphans and abandoned or abused children ...
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Christina Baker Kline about Technology:

Without even thinking about it, my son uses technology in almost everything he does, large ...
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Christina Baker Kline's Quotes

All quotes from Christina Baker Kline sorted alphabetically:

Christina Baker Kline about People:

As a novelist, I have always been interested in how people come to terms with difficult, life-altering events.

Christina Baker Kline about Mother:

For a few years, skeins of yarn piled up in baskets around the house. There weren't enough humans in my mother's orbit to wear all the scarves and sweaters and hats she knitted. And then, as suddenly as she started, she lost interest, leaving needles still entwined in half-finished fragments.

Christina Baker Kline about Reading:

Book clubs, both online and in person, have become a large percentage of the reading public, and many of them won't consider reading books in hardcover.

Christina Baker Kline about Karma:

I don't believe in karma.

Christina Baker Kline about Giving:

Having the book-club army embrace you is a gift that keeps giving for years.

Christina Baker Kline about Death:

For years I'd understood that publishing in paperback was the kiss of death.

Christina Baker Kline about History:

I think fondly of the rabbit holes I disappeared down when I researched papers for history and English because I couldn't find quite what I was looking for, or because I had to go through so much material to find examples for my thesis.

Christina Baker Kline about Book:

I think a lot of readers are looking for a book they can talk about.

Christina Baker Kline about Mind:

I don't think that trauma is an illusion, there is no question in my mind that circumstances beyond our control can shape and define us. But ultimately, we make choices about letting ourselves be defined by our pasts.

Christina Baker Kline about Children:

Many people, for many reasons, feel rootless - but orphans and abandoned or abused children have particular cause.

Christina Baker Kline about Lunch:

I will not serve lunch to anyone in the middle of a workday. I rarely rearrange my furniture or cabinets, once I find a drawer for something, it stays there. I don't garden. And I don't knit.

Christina Baker Kline about Children:

I was stunned to learn that more than 200,000 abandoned, neglected, or orphaned children had been sent from the East Coast to the Midwest on trains between 1854 and 1929.

Christina Baker Kline about Women:

My mother was one of the most dynamic and brilliant women I have ever known. She was also mercurial and unfocused.

Christina Baker Kline about Mother:

My mother was a passionate, complicated, sometimes fierce woman.

Christina Baker Kline about Strength:

Most people are remarkably resilient. Even those who have been through war or great loss often find reservoirs of strength. But the legacy of trauma is a heavy burden to bear.

Christina Baker Kline about Week:

Radiation is relentless: my protocol is five days a week, 33 sessions altogether.

Christina Baker Kline about Life:

Part of the reason I wanted to write a novel was that in fiction I could do something that's difficult to do in real life, which is to dwell on the stark details of the experience without really needing to create that narrative of redemption.

Christina Baker Kline about Funny:

My parents are a bedrock. And I have three complex, strong, and funny sisters who inspire and sustain me.

Christina Baker Kline about Life:

The twists and turns of your life can be so unexpected, and that's a good thing to learn.

Christina Baker Kline about Resilience:

The most surprising thing, honestly, is that so few Americans know about the orphan trains. I was also surprised at the resilience and fortitude of the riders I met, their pragmatism and grace. I don't know whether this is a Midwestern trait or simply a human one.

Christina Baker Kline about Myself:

When I start a new novel and find myself diverted by domestic activities, many of which I genuinely enjoy, I panic that I will never write another word.

Christina Baker Kline about Time:

There's no question that my son is better prepared for college than I was. He manages his time better, is more efficient and more directed, and spends less time in lines and more time doing exactly what he sets out to do.

Christina Baker Kline about Words:

When you can type a few words into a search engine and land on your topic - or when you can scan a Shakespeare play for specific words or symbols - what opportunities might you miss to expand your thinking in unexpected ways?

Christina Baker Kline about Technology:

Without even thinking about it, my son uses technology in almost everything he does, large and small.

Christina Baker Kline about Book:

With a hardcover, you get two chances, a year apart, for the book to make an impact - often with a new cover featuring artfully crafted snippets of reviews, a new marketing campaign and maybe even a new publisher.

Christina Baker Kline about Life:

You have to try to take what life throws at you with grace and equanimity.