Customer Reviews

Kristin Lavransdatter: The Bridal Wreath; The Mistress of Husaby; The Cross

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The trilogy, Kristin Lavransdatter, tells the story of a Scandanavian woman who lived in the 1400s. The books--The Bridal Wreath, The Mistress of Husaby, and The Cross--were written by Sigrid Undset and won the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Before I commit to read a book, I have to want to read it. For many years, my younger brother told me I should read Kristin Lavransdatter. My reaction: What is so great about some lady living in the middle of nowhere in the 1400s? Maybe later...on to the bestseller list.

Oops! I had to eat my words and credit little brother with a great pick! Not to mention a total surprise!

This is probably the best set of books I have ever read in a lifelong love affair with the written word. The story chronicles the life of a woman from youth to death. In essence, however, the author touches on the lives of all women who have loved a man or men, borne and reared children, and faced the lighthearted concerns of youth, the cares of everyday adult existence, and, finally, the contemplations of elderly wives, widows, and grandmothers. Kristin's joys and trials are familiar...universal. First, she defies her parents. (Sound familiar?) She makes choices, then lives with the consequences of her choices.

Sometimes the names and terms are confusing; but, ultimately, the story is well worth the effort. Try it! And remember, men, my brother, whose reading tastes revolve around Asimov, engineering, and the Civil War, pushed these volumes rather forcefully into my purview.

Many novels set in the Middle Ages happen to have a few people and a few human values in them. Authors dwell upon the trappings of the times, ensnaring their characters in endless descriptions of clothing and castles, until the stories read like a 6th Grade history text, in which a child hero takes the reader through the facts and figures of the era by recreating A Day in the Life of A Knight. Or a Monk. Or a Serf.
Then, there's Sigrid Undsett's `Kristin Lavransdatter,' written in the 1920s and winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature. This novel contains strong people with real attitudes, who happen to live in 14th Century Norway. Universal themes create a link between the Medieval era and modern times, the same way the motifs of `Romeo and Juliet,' or `Othello' link the Renaissance to the 21st Century.
The epic story (over 1100 pages) focuses on Kristin, the strong-willed and somewhat spoiled daughter of the knight, Lavran. Intelligent but impetuous, Kristin struggles through her teenage years, breaks an engagement to the embarrassment of her parents, and marries Erland, a man of whom they disapprove.
Kristin and Erland have a rocky, but at the same time joyous marriage. In some ways, he is a disappointing husband. He is a passionate lover, but cannot manage money or land, and has no common sense about people. Forced to become the brains of the family, Kristin constantly struggles between keeping her place as a woman, and managing finances and fields.
As her children grow up, Erland gets on the wrong side of national politics and plunges the family into poverty. She copes. Eventually he dies in a fight. She becomes a nun. .
Sigrid Undsett takes Kristin through every phase of development, from a little girl terrified when she thinks she sees a forest nymph, to a teen refusing to see the wisdom in guidance her parents are trying to give her, to becoming a mother and understanding exactly what they meant, to making peace with herself at the end of her life.
More exciting, the author places other characters, Erland, Kristin's parents, her children, siblings, family priests, in-laws, and friends, in situations very similar to hers. But they have their own ways of reacting, depending on their temperaments and backgrounds. This creates layers and layers of human thought and action for a reader to compare and contrast in `Kristin Lavransdatter.'. Undsett also varies the pace of the book, balancing character action with contemplation. She holds the description of Kristin's surrounds to what she needs to drive plot and character, giving a picture of 14th Century material culture without excessive detail. She manages this in part because she grew up with an archaeologist father, who specialized in the Medieval Period. From early childhood she heard about artifacts of the Middle Ages and their uses. When she did her own research for `Kristin Lavransdatter,' she had long passed infatuation with castles, and could concentrate on the humanity of the knights living in them.
`Kristinlavransdatter' was written in Norwegian. The original English translation, also from the 1920s, imitated Medieval grammar and usage. The result was a dense and complex tangle of phrase, paragraph and sentence, which made the book difficult to read.
A translation finished this year by Albuquerque writer Tina Nunnally stripped away the faux Old English. Ms. Nunnally used simple, modern language with an occasional nod to earlier forms.
The combination of skillful author and sensitive translator makes `Kristin Lavransdatter' an attention-holding read despite its length. Students of human nature will love the story. So will people who like historical fiction. Young adults will identify with `Kristin Lavransdatter' as will their grandparents.

I picked this trilogy up because (a) I had never heard of it and (b) I was astonished to note that it had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. It had to be worth a try. And what a gem it is - a detailed and historically accurate picture of life in 14th Century Norway, complete with a fesity herione, hulking men and the entire range of human emotions in all their glory.

The novel begins with our hero Kristin bathing in the love of her parents in living in the comfort of a wealthy home. As she grows, she finds herself completely in love, and against the wishes of her parents and her betrothed (another far more suitable man) pursues and secures the man of her dreams. But of course we must be careful what we wish for, and the novels take us through the trials and tribulations of life with someone you love, but are not necessarily suited to.

This is a rich and detailed novel, that is not always to read, but at time it was so powerful that it reduced me to tears. You become completely involved in the character's lives, and in the end this gives you a real sense of satisfaction in your reading.

It certtainly is a different book, and one which is well worth your time.

At first, I was a little put off by the abundance of place names and characters in the book. It took me awhile to get through the first few chapters. However, I soon found myself completely hooked and physically unable to put this book down. It is without a doubt the best book I have read in a very long time. I am only surprised that I haven't heard of it before.

As I read, I found so many different things to like about this book. First, there is the setting: medieval Norway. The author writes realistically (at least I judge it so) within this setting, and it is fascinating. She gives an impossible wealth of details about many things. (To be honest, I skipped over many of the details in favor of the storyline. I'm just not that much of an historian, but I did appreciate the research done.)

Second, there is the storyline, with its irresistable call. The book is worth reading for that alone. It reminds me of a medieval Norwegian "Gone with the Wind" - only better. I am not much the "Gone with the Wind" type myself, so if tragic plotlines turn you off, never fear! The book manages to remain positive, if not exactly with a "Hollywood ending." Powerful and inspiring, it offers romance, political intrigue, betrayal, adventure, heartbreak and way too much more to mention here.

The characters in this book are so real, so well developed (I guess in 1000 pages, you'd hope they would be!). Through them, the author holds a mirror up to life. I found myself fascinated.

In closing, a note about politics. The author goes into some detail about the politics of the time, and I have to admit I found this part very dry. (I am definitely a light-weight in that respect.) Around the middle of the second book, there is a lot of such political plotline. I was actually able to put the book down for a few hours when I hit this point. If you reach this point and find yourself ready to quit, I encourage you to skim past this part, because the personal storyline reappears with a satisfying crunch.

Stick with it! Skip the boring parts. You will be glad you did!

This is probably the greatest book I have ever read. It's over 1,000 pages long, but it's gripping throughout. It's ok to forget specific events, because the book is more about who the characters are than what they do. It's the life-story of Kristin Lavransdatter, a noblewoman in 14th century Norway. I really came to feel for her and for all the many characters in the book.

The language is very medieval, which I found beautiful, and only occasionally hard to understand. Also, the Catholic Church and Faith are not represented cynically, but, instead, quite matter-of-factly (which was rather refreshing).

After reading this book, I feel like I view life differently. My whole outlook towards the everyday (which was what this book was about) is changed. I now see, more than ever, the beauty and joy of such things as family and faith. I am very glad to have read this book.

It was with undiluted pleasure that I saw that "Kristin" was finally being published again after a generation of neglect.

What can be truly said? That I first read the book when I was 12 (in 1968!) and have reread it countless times since? That to dip in again resurrects a state of mind that conjures a bleakness of snow-bleached fields and the goddess of a flower-strewn meadow? "Kristin" shows how material reality can be transcended by the spiritual, how moral values are warped despite good intentions, and how time can purify and resolve even the most tragic circumstance.

In one scene of "Kristin", for example, she cares for her former fiancé, now her dying brother-in-law. Although they have had close contact throughout the years, she is made to realize just how much this man has quietly sacrificed and suffered for her sake. The sometimes crude details of his final illness only add poignancy and texture to the heartbreak of losing! a more than true, yet not quite appreciated friend. Her "penance" in lovingly caring for his now bloated and decaying body as his soul feels its way clear to show at last its true feelings combines to form a unique montage. Although an unrequited lover, Simon has truly loved. It is he who wins through dying well and Kristin who loses by realizing too late what exactly he had meant to her.

Superficially, "Kristin" can be difficult as the language has almost the sparceness of a history text and is reminiscent of the required reading of bygone sagas, dry and lacking in the florid passion of description to which we are now so accustomed. But as the details build and the light of psychological insight begins to highlight inner feelings, the tale becomes impossible to relinquish. Once read, never forgotten.

This marvelous trilogy relates the story of a 14th century woman, Kristen Lavransdatter, from childhood to deathbed. What a journey it is.

Kristen starts off raised by an adoring father and a distant mother. Her father betrothes her to the son of a neighbor. She quickly comes to like Simon, a kind, reliable young man who even adores children. She is quite happy until she meets the handsome, mysterious Erlend, who has a reputation for trouble after having children with a woman who was married at the time.

Kristen falls deeply in love with Erlend, and they begin a torrid affair. Eventually, Simon finds out; and Kristen demands he take the blame for ending the engagement, now too far along to end without scandal - in the selfishness of young love thinking only of Erlend's reputation. Simon agrees, in part because he's too nice - and wise - to force her to marry him now, and in part to protect Kristen's father, who he likes, from being forced into a duel with Erlend. Kirsten gets her Erlend just in time, as she is already pregnant.

The years go by. Kristen makes peace with her parents before they die and starts to raise a family. Simon, not cut out for either celibacy or childlessness, marries twice - the second time to Kristen's sister - but ends up grievously wronging both wives because they're just substitutes for Kristen.

As they enter middle age, Kristen has come to realise that the traits that made Erlend such an exciting lover also make him a less than admirable husband and father - and that it's Simon who has always been there in her darkest hours. But it's now too late, and she must live with the choices she made in her youth. She devotes her life to God and her children, who give her the same joy and pain she gave her own parents - and the circle of life completes itself.

Beautifully written, this series turns one life into an epic.

I shall never forget the date and time in University when I asked my former Jesuit English Literature Professor - what was his favorite novel of all. When he replied, I grabbed a pen and asked him to spell it because it sounded like he sneezed. Seriously, though, it was this very book - or as he explained to me, far beyond what most books could teach and provide on virtually every level of being including the most asked question for humankind: Why must the good or even great souls suffer so much? At its core, this is a book about what many would rather not face - but if we could garner the courage to do so - our lives would be enhanced one hundredfold. Good vs. Evil. If you are struggling with it - try some spectacular company along the way. That's what won Sigrid Undset the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 as the first woman to do so - she braved the ultimate question and went so far as to provide the answer in the last paragraph of the novel. No coward soul was she...just like Kristin Lavransdatter.

I've purchased this book 2 years ago, and 9 years have passed since I first read it. I tend to re-read it at least once per year, especially when the first buds of depression appear or I doubt the purpose of human life.

The book is profound and epic in handling the storyline, it's well worth the Nobel prize. It's not a silly bodice-ripper or the story unnecessary embellished by descriptions of sumptuous feasts, glittering costumes, erotic scenes etc. Though, the descriptions of Norway's astute yet breathtaking nature are lavish. The author also expertly describes aspects of social and religious traditions of Norway in 14th century, way of living and thinking, standards of behavior and culture. It's the book where musings and inner conversations of the characters occupy paragraphs.

If you've read this review so far you probably start thinking it's a boring and moralizing book. But behold this: the book spans the life story of Kristiin, daughter of noble parents, and her happy childhood, involves forbidden illicit passion, murder, her stormy and controversial marriage, pride in seeing her sons growing, estrangements and reunions, family feuds, a royal conspiracy, constant choice between earthly chores and consolation in God, heroic and mundane. We see the world as it has been through eyes of the three main characters, their joy, hatred, secret sorrow and passion.

I've read quite a few excellent historical novels by modern writers (such as Zoe Oldenbourg, Margaret George, Sharon K Penmann), but this book is different. Read it and make sure yourself! Subject of the book is eternal. The choices the characters face and hardships they have to overcome are as old as humankind. The ultimate gift of the author, what makes this book different is that the reader feels both close and wrenching sympathy for Kristiin and her kind, but still they remain remote for their rhythm of life, way of thinking and world perception is 600 years old. But the thread of life spins through the pages and binds past and future and we feel tenderness of a caress, warmth of fire and pain from losses. For technology and traditions change, not the human nature itself.

Kristen Lavrensdattar is a long book that will take effort to read, but it is worth the effort on many levels. From a cultural standpoint, unlike many novels which place characters who think like modern Americans into a medieval setting, this novel presents characters with the medieval mind and placed into a complex cultural world quite different from the one we know. We learn many details: what do such people eat and drink, how is the family composed, what are the customs of marriage and family. But on another level, it is the universal story: of how an average woman feels and thinks. The main character is Kristen, a maid engaged to a local farmer, who falls in love with a handsome knight--and the drama that comes from that love.To marry the man she loves she opposed her father, and all of the society's customs: only to find that the marriage, although passionate, is a major cause of sorrow to her. But it is not merely a romance, but a story of how this passion and love grows and changes, encompassing her children, her religious beliefs, and her neighbors. Novels often present such a wide spectrum of themes in sagas of warriors and kings; this is more a "War and Peace" as seen by a complex woman.