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roryjf's review against another edition
5.0
Ye shal?" quod Proserpyne, "wol ye so?
Now by my moodres sires soule I swere
That I shal yeven hire suffisant answere,
And alle wommen after, for hir sake;
That, though they be in any gilt ytake,
With face boold they shulle hemself excuse,
And bere hem doun that wolden hem accuse.
For lak of answere noon of hem shal dyen.
Al hadde man seyn a thyng with bothe his yen,
Yit shul we wommen visage it hardily,
And wepe, and swere, and chyde subtilly,
So that ye man shul been as lewed as gees.
Now by my moodres sires soule I swere
That I shal yeven hire suffisant answere,
And alle wommen after, for hir sake;
That, though they be in any gilt ytake,
With face boold they shulle hemself excuse,
And bere hem doun that wolden hem accuse.
For lak of answere noon of hem shal dyen.
Al hadde man seyn a thyng with bothe his yen,
Yit shul we wommen visage it hardily,
And wepe, and swere, and chyde subtilly,
So that ye man shul been as lewed as gees.
woodlandbooklover's review against another edition
3.0
As the plot expands away from Kristin's small world toward international drama between royalty and nobility, I was less interested than in the first book. This made the last half of the book a bit of a chore to get through. Undset takes the time to introduce characters with their names and lineages and connections to others when they're just going to be in the story for a paragraph or three, and after that happening several times, I admit I didn't try to register them. I find the main characters of Kristin and Erlend mostly likeable, but at times I do want to throttle them.
emmc's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.0
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
My thoughts on this trilogy can be found in my review of [b:Kristin Lavransdatter 3: The Cross|977350|Kristin Lavransdatter 3 The Cross|Sigrid Undset|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320528037l/977350._SY75_.jpg|1069914].
jmtinsd_58's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It is not the happy ever after but it is the real picture of the marriage of two sinners. You see the consequence of the recklessness of their tempestuous courtship, the struggle to forgive each other and to be forgiven by a loving God. You see the destruction wreaked by a root of bitterness and the redemption offered through the bearing and loving of one’s children. There is so much love - for children, for God, for parents, for siblings, for spouses. And so much heartbreak. Through it all the author has the reader in the midst of life in medieval Norway. Masterful!
rinda's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the history along with the story. Read for book club and we had a great discussion around Lavaren and Rangfrid as well as Kristin and Ereland. Pride is the character flaw of Kristin and selfishness that of Ereland. Between the 2 of them it makes for some messed up marital dynamics.
mattyswytla's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I think I prefer the first book of the trilogy because I got easily bored with some of the more religious passages in this book, which are quite many. While that is completely understandable, I got bored since few characters learned anything from repetition of the same old arguments from the first book. I still love Lavrans and wish we got to see more of him, but the story follows his daughter Kristin, so tough luck.
The main issue I have with this book is that Kristin doesn't know when to let things go, rehashing her past and her sins over and over again, to the detriment of her marriage and sanity. It's rather ugly of her to throw her past Erlend's face and blame him for her follies as a young maiden, as if she wasn't an active participant. I saw red - woman, you're married to the guy you've happily slept with in the worst places imaginable while being betrothed to another, and now you're not happy that you got him as a husband?! Wasn't this what you wanted? So, needless to say, the marriage is kind of rocky at times, and at one points functions best when Erlend is far away. Somehow they always find a way to each other, usually when one of them is in some kind of trouble. They are lucky so many people like them and help them out.
I think I'll finish the trilogy sometime next year. Now I need a break from the deep dysfunction of these two. I can already imagine the horrors their sons will turn out to be (or not?).
I think I prefer the first book of the trilogy because I got easily bored with some of the more religious passages in this book, which are quite many. While that is completely understandable, I got bored since few characters learned anything from repetition of the same old arguments from the first book. I still love Lavrans and wish we got to see more of him, but the story follows his daughter Kristin, so tough luck.
The main issue I have with this book is that Kristin doesn't know when to let things go, rehashing her past and her sins over and over again, to the detriment of her marriage and sanity. It's rather ugly of her to throw her past Erlend's face and blame him for her follies as a young maiden, as if she wasn't an active participant. I saw red - woman, you're married to the guy you've happily slept with in the worst places imaginable while being betrothed to another, and now you're not happy that you got him as a husband?! Wasn't this what you wanted? So, needless to say, the marriage is kind of rocky at times, and at one points functions best when Erlend is far away. Somehow they always find a way to each other, usually when one of them is in some kind of trouble. They are lucky so many people like them and help them out.
I think I'll finish the trilogy sometime next year. Now I need a break from the deep dysfunction of these two. I can already imagine the horrors their sons will turn out to be (or not?).
lizruest's review against another edition
2.0
I can understand what others appreciate about these books, but I don't have the patience to keep the details straight.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Both richly detailed and yet wide in scope. Much of the book focuses on Kristin’s family life - particularly the births of her children, the deaths of her parents and other family members. In doing so it covers a lot of culture - both traditional beliefs,p and church influence. There was also a lot of political machinations which gave this the feel of a sprawling epic. Much of the plot revolves around Kristin’s first child being the result of pre-marriage conception. The guilt and shame associated with this, not to mention the differing standards men and women were held to, the impact of patriarchal beliefs ( women’s virginity being the property of the father), and the hypocrisy of men involved as both lovers and later fathers made for some uncomfortable reading for me - someone of modern and liberal bent. But this is not a negative commentary or the book which I’m sure just accurately portrays society at the time. A fully immersive read.
dominiquemarie's review against another edition
4.0
"Are you so arrogant that you think yourself capable of sinning so badly that God’s mercy is not great enough?"
Book 2 deals with Kristin's marriage, and as I suspected, there is trouble in paradise. Kristin is haunted by her sins, and this guilt consumes her. Even when the priests, including her brother-in-law, Gunnulf, advise her not to focus on her sins so much, but to live her life doing good. Still, Kristin struggles with trusting in God's mercy. It's heartbreaking because I'd like to see her experience the peace thatvtge Catholic Church is offering her, but she just can't get over her guilt. She makes a pilgrimage and gives her bridal wreath as penance, and after this she is able to move on for a time. She and Erland experience many struggles in their marriage. Kristin is consumed with guilt. Erland doesn't understand this. He doesn't take his sins very seriously. Kristin is a good steward of of their household and properties. Erland is wasteful and let's his properties fall to ruin. Kristin is obsessed with her seven sons. Erland doesn't want much to do with them. These and many other differences between them cause serious rifts in their marriage as neither of them is very good at communication and compromise. Kristin's guilt festers into a hatred of Erland. She takes everything out on him, and even her father and her brother-in-law, Simon, rebuke her over this. Erland resents Kristin for her "holiness". Despite her resentment of him, he sees so much goodness in her that it pricks his conscience, and makes him feel worse about his own sinfulness. This harkens back to the first book, where Brother Edvin points out that once people sin, they have a tendency to delight in others sins, because it makes them feel better about themselves. Erland cheats on Kristin, and this exposes his plot against the king. He is convicted of treason, and sentenced to death. Only then does Kristin let go of her hatred for Erland. Simon helps them, and gets the king to pardon Erland. At the end of the book it is revealed that Simon still loves Kristin, his sister-in-law and ex-fiance. This book is more political than the first and it's a bit difficult to keep track of all the political history of Norway at that time, so it was a slower read for me than the first book, but it was still very good and worth the read. Oddly enough, I sympathized with Simon the most, and I'd like to see more of him in Book 3.
CAWPILE Rating:
C- 9
A- 8
W- 8
P- 6
I- 7
L- 8
E- 6
Avg= 7.5= ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#backtotheclassics (classic in translation)
#mmdchallenge (three books by the same author)
Book 2 deals with Kristin's marriage, and as I suspected, there is trouble in paradise. Kristin is haunted by her sins, and this guilt consumes her. Even when the priests, including her brother-in-law, Gunnulf, advise her not to focus on her sins so much, but to live her life doing good. Still, Kristin struggles with trusting in God's mercy. It's heartbreaking because I'd like to see her experience the peace thatvtge Catholic Church is offering her, but she just can't get over her guilt. She makes a pilgrimage and gives her bridal wreath as penance, and after this she is able to move on for a time. She and Erland experience many struggles in their marriage. Kristin is consumed with guilt. Erland doesn't understand this. He doesn't take his sins very seriously. Kristin is a good steward of of their household and properties. Erland is wasteful and let's his properties fall to ruin. Kristin is obsessed with her seven sons. Erland doesn't want much to do with them. These and many other differences between them cause serious rifts in their marriage as neither of them is very good at communication and compromise. Kristin's guilt festers into a hatred of Erland. She takes everything out on him, and even her father and her brother-in-law, Simon, rebuke her over this. Erland resents Kristin for her "holiness". Despite her resentment of him, he sees so much goodness in her that it pricks his conscience, and makes him feel worse about his own sinfulness. This harkens back to the first book, where Brother Edvin points out that once people sin, they have a tendency to delight in others sins, because it makes them feel better about themselves. Erland cheats on Kristin, and this exposes his plot against the king. He is convicted of treason, and sentenced to death. Only then does Kristin let go of her hatred for Erland. Simon helps them, and gets the king to pardon Erland. At the end of the book it is revealed that Simon still loves Kristin, his sister-in-law and ex-fiance. This book is more political than the first and it's a bit difficult to keep track of all the political history of Norway at that time, so it was a slower read for me than the first book, but it was still very good and worth the read. Oddly enough, I sympathized with Simon the most, and I'd like to see more of him in Book 3.
CAWPILE Rating:
C- 9
A- 8
W- 8
P- 6
I- 7
L- 8
E- 6
Avg= 7.5= ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#backtotheclassics (classic in translation)
#mmdchallenge (three books by the same author)