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roomforastory's review against another edition
4.0
Set in 14th-century Norway, Kristin is the daughter of sensible and caring parents Lavrans, a well-off farmer, and Ragnfrid. She rejects her arranged marriage to pursue love with Erlend, an older man with a scandalous past. Full of rich history, intriguing characters, and vulnerable human relationships that kept me turning pages. 4.5 stars.
This is a re-read for me, with my first read 7 years ago. I had always intended to finish the trilogy but never did. I may take a break for a week or two, but I intend to read the other two in the series this year.
This is a re-read for me, with my first read 7 years ago. I had always intended to finish the trilogy but never did. I may take a break for a week or two, but I intend to read the other two in the series this year.
vgrande's review against another edition
5.0
This is another book that I have been trying to read for awhile. I find that with most older books I have a hard time getting into them at first, and then by chapter four I’m hooked. I have re-read the first chapter of The Wreath (the first volume of the trilogy) many times over the past year and a half. However, this time I forced myself past that and by chapter four, I was immersed in medieval Norway and the life of Kristin. While the Church plays a significant role (it is the Middle Ages after all), the main character is a sinner who refuses to repent and instead continues to embrace her initial decisions, even as they lead her into more sin. There was a line that really spoke to me, where Kristin talks about how she feels as if she is no longer a part of the community that is the Church, her sin has separated her from God. Kristin as a young woman is a foil to the Kristin of the first couple chapters who did not understand the nature of temptation and sin, but soon found herself opposing both natural and moral law. She is forced to confront and deal with the repercussions of her actions, particularly of the sin that so altered her life initially. It is a reminder to all of us that sin has consequence - and these are consequences that we are bound to face once we make our decision.
madisonkray21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
karenluvstoread's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this first book in the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. The writing is engaging and the story itself keeps you turning the pages. I'll do an overall review of the trilogy once I finish reading all three books.
ddejong's review against another edition
A lot more drama than I was expecting from a book published in the 1920s and set in medieval Norway. The third part of the book stood out to me for its sobering portrayal of the weight of sin and the unexpected pathos of the final scene with Kristin’s parents. I’ll read the next two books fairly soon to experience the epic sweep of Kristin’s life and avoid losing track of the plot.
miquemarie83's review against another edition
4.0
"I've done many things that I thought I would never dare to do because they were sins. But I didn't realize then that the consequence of sin is that you have to trample on other people."
On the surface this story can seem a bit melodramatic, but it's really a very deep book. It's beautifully written, but it's heartbreaking as well. The descriptions are on point. It follows Kristin from a child to her wedding to Erland. I love the Catholicism of it. This culture of Medieval Norway is very Catholic, but still steeped in paganism. They praise God, yet utter curses. Pray to the Saints, but believe in Fae. They believe in trusting God's will for them, but they are also superstitious. Many priests are good, but Undset does not hide the fact that there are evil ones as well, and even the good ones are shown to have sinned and have flaws. The people do not expect them to be perfect. They realize that they are human. This is the culture she grows up in. She is seduced by a much older man, when she is a teenager, who had been excommunicated for adultery, and still has his mistress live with him off and on. This sin causes great trouble in her life. As soon as she gave into him she felt she was his possession, and not in an entirely romantic way. She is passionate about him, but she also feels trapped. It takes her peace away, leads to more sin, and she must struggle with her guilt and the consequences. She still wants to be right with God and the Church, but she wants Erland, and she has her pride. She lies, and hides her sins, and prolongs them until she gets her way. She goes about it backwards. Instead of confessing, and doing things above board first, and then getting married to Erland. She hides, and works sneakily, she wants to marry him first and then deal with her sin, but it festers, and more people are hurt in the process. There is so much going on in this novel, and so many ways to look at it, but I think it's primarily about the struggle between sin and grace, hatred and love, forgiveness and resentment. This book ends on her and Erland's wedding night, but there is a sense if foreboding that their marriage will not be a happy one. I will be reading book 2 for my next category.
"I've done many things that I thought I would never dare to do because they were sins. But I didn't realize then that the consequence of sin is that you have to trample on other people."
CAWPILE Rating:
C- 9
A- 10
W- 8
P- 7
I- 9
L- 9
E- 9
8.7 = ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#backtotheclassics (classic by a woman author)
#mmdchallenge (three books by the same author)
On the surface this story can seem a bit melodramatic, but it's really a very deep book. It's beautifully written, but it's heartbreaking as well. The descriptions are on point. It follows Kristin from a child to her wedding to Erland. I love the Catholicism of it. This culture of Medieval Norway is very Catholic, but still steeped in paganism. They praise God, yet utter curses. Pray to the Saints, but believe in Fae. They believe in trusting God's will for them, but they are also superstitious. Many priests are good, but Undset does not hide the fact that there are evil ones as well, and even the good ones are shown to have sinned and have flaws. The people do not expect them to be perfect. They realize that they are human. This is the culture she grows up in. She is seduced by a much older man, when she is a teenager, who had been excommunicated for adultery, and still has his mistress live with him off and on. This sin causes great trouble in her life. As soon as she gave into him she felt she was his possession, and not in an entirely romantic way. She is passionate about him, but she also feels trapped. It takes her peace away, leads to more sin, and she must struggle with her guilt and the consequences. She still wants to be right with God and the Church, but she wants Erland, and she has her pride. She lies, and hides her sins, and prolongs them until she gets her way. She goes about it backwards. Instead of confessing, and doing things above board first, and then getting married to Erland. She hides, and works sneakily, she wants to marry him first and then deal with her sin, but it festers, and more people are hurt in the process. There is so much going on in this novel, and so many ways to look at it, but I think it's primarily about the struggle between sin and grace, hatred and love, forgiveness and resentment. This book ends on her and Erland's wedding night, but there is a sense if foreboding that their marriage will not be a happy one. I will be reading book 2 for my next category.
"I've done many things that I thought I would never dare to do because they were sins. But I didn't realize then that the consequence of sin is that you have to trample on other people."
CAWPILE Rating:
C- 9
A- 10
W- 8
P- 7
I- 9
L- 9
E- 9
8.7 = ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#backtotheclassics (classic by a woman author)
#mmdchallenge (three books by the same author)
haazex's review against another edition
4.0
A Norwegian Journey
This first novel of Sigrid Undset’s famous trilogy begins at Jørundgaard and introduces us to Kristin Lavransdatter, her family, its history and the surroundings deep in the mountain valleys of northern Norway during the Middle Ages. I was in particular struck by the omnipresence of nature and the people's connection to it via stories/tales. There is an initial trek up the mountain with the young Kristin and her father that gives Undset a wonderful opportunity to immerse the reader with these themes and she does so beautifully. The surroundings are vividly depicted and one gets quickly pulled into the matters that are important to Kristin and her parents. Undset is skilled at bringing in the landscape (especially the mountains and the river) as well as the cloudscape/weather/wind into these chapters. In the early travels one feels such a juxtaposition between the north and the south of Norway. Undset also slowly turns up the age factor as the novel progresses. In the first section of the novel I really felt like one took in a child observing her world. Her growing up in harmony with the world around her was a pleasure to read.
Romsdalen, Norway
Life at the family farms seems very comfortable. Of course, we are only seeing it from the owner's perspective. Still, it seems a bit too good - almost picturesque if you know what I mean? A beautiful postcard from Medieval Norway? Undset is adding a lot of detail in terms of food and clothing which I thoroughly enjoy, but very little about possible hardship linked to the seasons, poverty, lack of food, disease and other negative issues. As I read the novel I wondered if I was just charmed by the Norwegian language? It echoed so prettily in my mind as the sentences flew by. Perhaps a story takes on a different ambience because of the language? Perhaps I would view the story differently if was reading the English translation?
The central part of the book is focused on a complex web of relationships. As Kristin Lavransdatter gets older the question about marriage starts to emerge. At this point in the story Undset is moving along rather quickly.
A Norwegian wedding crown
It is very peculiar how Undset based the novel on the dynamics of a specific relationship. Does romantic love always challenge the traditions and rituals of a specific society? Or is Undset placing an unrealistic romantic template upon the Medieval world she is depicting?
The love story is a roller coaster wrapped around the social norms of the time. I enjoyed it (probably because of the thrill of reading my first book in Norwegian), but had a little alarm bell going off in the back of my mind. Of course, the main character Erlend is depicted a black sheep that already has completely gone overboard in terms of the "rules" so it is understandable that this is the key in the romantic drama. I must admit that I was a little disappointed in the story although I hope that this changes in the next part of the trilogy. The Nobel Prize Committee's words seem to ring hollow at this point ("principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages") as I (at this point) don't really view the novel that way. Granted that the setting provided a great atmosphere (but that is Norway itself). The Medieval aspects were subtle - one senses a feudal society as well as the great emphasis on agriculture and the importance of religion. Of course, the social life of neighbors, courting, weddings etc. were present, but I expected a bit more nuances of life. It seems like an extreme romance embedded within the infrastructure of the Middle Ages. However, it is possible that things will continue to change in terms of the psychology of the characters in the remainder of the trilogy.
I strongly feel as if Undset's strength is her ability to convey the surroundings - especially the landscape with trees and flowers, the wind, clouds, rain, the flows of the river and other changes in the environment. She did so effortlessly and it sounded so GOOD in Norwegian. I kept going back and forth between the original and the Nunnally translation to check if I understood a paragraph correctly. I do have a thick dictionary as well but it is more cumbersome. Reading Undset makes me interested in reading more history - yes, the Middle Ages of Scandinavia hovers on the horizon. Ah, I love history! I also have an urge to seek out the Norwegian film from 1995 directed by Liv Ullmann. It is elusive, but an old VHS cassette will probably be the solution.
Now, as the novel is starting to slowly settle in my mind, the dynamics and details of the book's romance are starting to dissipate. They seemed a bit obsessive during the reading experience. Instead, the beautiful heroine of the novel, Kristin Lavransdatter, is starting to emerge with an almost bewitching quality. She seems to represent some type of Norwegian archetype resonating with the realm of Norway, its landscape, permeating its past and present. She is somehow shifting in my mind to represent much more than a simplistic romance.
I think my “critical thinking skills” were a bit muddled by reading this novel in a language I (yet) don’t fully master. However, it was a wonderful experience to immerse oneself in Norwegian in this fashion as it still continues to sing and ripple through my mind. Onwards to the next part of the trilogy!
4/5
This first novel of Sigrid Undset’s famous trilogy begins at Jørundgaard and introduces us to Kristin Lavransdatter, her family, its history and the surroundings deep in the mountain valleys of northern Norway during the Middle Ages. I was in particular struck by the omnipresence of nature and the people's connection to it via stories/tales. There is an initial trek up the mountain with the young Kristin and her father that gives Undset a wonderful opportunity to immerse the reader with these themes and she does so beautifully. The surroundings are vividly depicted and one gets quickly pulled into the matters that are important to Kristin and her parents. Undset is skilled at bringing in the landscape (especially the mountains and the river) as well as the cloudscape/weather/wind into these chapters. In the early travels one feels such a juxtaposition between the north and the south of Norway. Undset also slowly turns up the age factor as the novel progresses. In the first section of the novel I really felt like one took in a child observing her world. Her growing up in harmony with the world around her was a pleasure to read.
Romsdalen, Norway
Life at the family farms seems very comfortable. Of course, we are only seeing it from the owner's perspective. Still, it seems a bit too good - almost picturesque if you know what I mean? A beautiful postcard from Medieval Norway? Undset is adding a lot of detail in terms of food and clothing which I thoroughly enjoy, but very little about possible hardship linked to the seasons, poverty, lack of food, disease and other negative issues. As I read the novel I wondered if I was just charmed by the Norwegian language? It echoed so prettily in my mind as the sentences flew by. Perhaps a story takes on a different ambience because of the language? Perhaps I would view the story differently if was reading the English translation?
The central part of the book is focused on a complex web of relationships. As Kristin Lavransdatter gets older the question about marriage starts to emerge. At this point in the story Undset is moving along rather quickly.
Spoiler
I found it bizarre that Kristin falls in love so suddenly (sure - lust perhaps?) and promises herself utterly to another without really knowing anything about the man. I wish Undset took some more time to develop the relationship and the character.A Norwegian wedding crown
It is very peculiar how Undset based the novel on the dynamics of a specific relationship. Does romantic love always challenge the traditions and rituals of a specific society? Or is Undset placing an unrealistic romantic template upon the Medieval world she is depicting?
The love story is a roller coaster wrapped around the social norms of the time. I enjoyed it (probably because of the thrill of reading my first book in Norwegian), but had a little alarm bell going off in the back of my mind. Of course, the main character Erlend is depicted a black sheep that already has completely gone overboard in terms of the "rules" so it is understandable that this is the key in the romantic drama. I must admit that I was a little disappointed in the story although I hope that this changes in the next part of the trilogy. The Nobel Prize Committee's words seem to ring hollow at this point ("principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages") as I (at this point) don't really view the novel that way. Granted that the setting provided a great atmosphere (but that is Norway itself). The Medieval aspects were subtle - one senses a feudal society as well as the great emphasis on agriculture and the importance of religion. Of course, the social life of neighbors, courting, weddings etc. were present, but I expected a bit more nuances of life. It seems like an extreme romance embedded within the infrastructure of the Middle Ages. However, it is possible that things will continue to change in terms of the psychology of the characters in the remainder of the trilogy.
I strongly feel as if Undset's strength is her ability to convey the surroundings - especially the landscape with trees and flowers, the wind, clouds, rain, the flows of the river and other changes in the environment. She did so effortlessly and it sounded so GOOD in Norwegian. I kept going back and forth between the original and the Nunnally translation to check if I understood a paragraph correctly. I do have a thick dictionary as well but it is more cumbersome. Reading Undset makes me interested in reading more history - yes, the Middle Ages of Scandinavia hovers on the horizon. Ah, I love history! I also have an urge to seek out the Norwegian film from 1995 directed by Liv Ullmann. It is elusive, but an old VHS cassette will probably be the solution.
Now, as the novel is starting to slowly settle in my mind, the dynamics and details of the book's romance are starting to dissipate. They seemed a bit obsessive during the reading experience. Instead, the beautiful heroine of the novel, Kristin Lavransdatter, is starting to emerge with an almost bewitching quality. She seems to represent some type of Norwegian archetype resonating with the realm of Norway, its landscape, permeating its past and present. She is somehow shifting in my mind to represent much more than a simplistic romance.
I think my “critical thinking skills” were a bit muddled by reading this novel in a language I (yet) don’t fully master. However, it was a wonderful experience to immerse oneself in Norwegian in this fashion as it still continues to sing and ripple through my mind. Onwards to the next part of the trilogy!
4/5
bwood95's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
eososray's review against another edition
2.0
I was never engaged by the story, the characters or the setting. I always find it a little difficult to like any character that makes such obviously wrong choices for no good reason.
rachelita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5