This is a fine piece of historical fiction, taking place in 13th century Norway and the first of four in a series. It’s a translation by Tiina Nunnally, and while there are other English translations in print, they are older and less deft, with more unsteadiness to the prose and considerably different titles (‘Vows’ was originally called ‘the Axe’), and this review recommends that you read the edition marked here. Of course, at the date noted above you’ll have to wait with bated breath for the second volume in this tetralogy to be translated and published (and a fine looking volume this one is, with a gleaming dark cover and medieval grey-toned font).

Don’t pick this up if you’re looking for a light read; it is a heavy as a stone snake entwined around the flesh of your ankle. Sigrid Undset writes beautifully, plaintively, practically; every emotion is, without a doubt, wrought against the backdrop of Norse countryside and Medieval day-to-day life, and woven through seasons, with heavy themes of religion, piety, shame, standing, and guilt. The tortured nature of the pairing reminds the reader of an inverse of Romeo and Juliet... you’ll have to read it for yourself to see it in its undivided and nuanced glory. A word of caution: set aside undivided time to get invested in the first part of the book (approx. 172 pages) so as not to drift off from the main vein of the story, and keep a bookmark in the kinship and map pages, as well as the reference notes following the Holy Days and Canonical Hours in the back of the book.

This is a translation of a series worthy of waiting for— and of it’s Nobel Prize in Literature. God bless great historical fiction, and of archaic roles enjoyed at their proper vantage point; lucid of mind, slightly somber, and in the sweet mercy of a truly good book.

Set in idyllic Norwegian countryside, Olav Audunssøn is not just a story about two people but exploration of inner lives of families associated closely to monarchy. Olav is arranged to be married to Ingunn by their fathers and Ingunn's father promises to raise Olav as his foster son. With this knowledge set, Olav and Ingunn grow up with the knowledge of being sort-of betrothed in northern parts of country and thus begins the first part of the quartet.

Undset foreshadows sufferings for young couple from the very beginning, setting the tone of the novel. Her pragmatic writing is captivating and the melancholic prose is without judgment. There is a lot of restraint Undset shows as a writer to allow the characters to speak, behave and perform as they would in early medieval Norway when the lives of people was severely judged by faith and religion. Both faith and religion influence the characters greatly, their actions and the presumption of consequences of their actions in the eyes of God alter their motivations in accordance.
Amidst religious faith, laws of kinsmen and laws of the land, Olav finds himself at odds with his foster father's kinsmen following complications in familial relationships and vows made by his father. Lives change drastically following this and Olav leaves Ingunn for greater part of decade. This is where the narration shifts from Olav to Ingunn. The lovely tender younger years are seen through the eyes of young Olav, who is naive and slightly brash. He is adamant on executing his father's vow to Ingunn's father and that incubates well into his adolescence. When he is bound to leave, exiled from the land to go abroad, Ingunn is devastated and retires in an isolated castle with her aunt and grandmother.

Narration seamlessly shifs to Ingunn's perspective, the prose gets poignant as the character is now a young woman watching the world with weary eyes and missing the man she is promised to marry. She longs for him, sees the world around her move on, grow, change and Undset sets up circumstances and lets its play out with morals of the time the story is set in. This is a time where women were vilified and held to different standards and Undset presents her readers to the various reactions to the said situation, without making an judgments along the way.

I personally enjoyed Ingunn's point of view, as her actions changes the course of rest of the story and her views provide a fascinating look into societal values as set by the Church, the practice of the land and her developing sense of morality. This is a lovely book with a lot of melodrama involving too many caveats that sounds simple in modern standards but plays out as intricate drama given the time its set in.

Thank you University of Minnesota Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like all of Undset's work, this is a story of human passion that goes wrong and must struggle to right itself. Her clear, compassionate insight into the human soul never ceases to amaze me.

This was a great series.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

I was really worried when I first got this book because it was a translation and sometimes those don’t transfer over well, some of the elements of the storytelling are lost. However, the translator did an amazing job and the lyricalness of the story was still there. That is why this is getting a three star. The story itself drove me crazy. It was so slow and I felt like there was very little movement for the characters, it covered a 20 year period I think. I felt like there was really no action. Also dealing with the sentiments and morality of the 12th century drove me crazy, these people need to learn to talk to each other. I think that if I was basing it on the story alone this would be a one star read. But it was beautifully and well written I can understand why the original author won a Nobel prize. Then on top of it all it ends on a cliffhanger, and I don’t know if any further books will be translated.

For additional reviews please see my blog at www.adventuresofabibliophile.blogspot...

This is probably the darkest book I have ever read. I loved it though. I think the author is one of the best.

First forty pages are slow, but stick with it, my friends! Soon there will be convents and soon there will be kisses.

Into “The Snake Pit” I go!

PS. This is a feminist song!

Post-postscriptum. It’s the closest I’ve come to Kristen Laverensdatter. But it wasn’t quite.... as psychologically rich.

PPPS. Someone should write a compare-contrast essay psychoanalyzing the sibling-lover relationship in this book with Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slapstick, or Lonesome no More!” Because that would be totally fun and really random.

more to my liking than Kristen Lavransdatter - opening book is a great start - wish there was a decent English biography of Sigrid Undset - Inside the Gate: Sigrid Undset's Life at Bjerkebæk, translated by Tiina Nunnally, looks promising but as of yet I have been unable to locate a copy -

After reading the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy a few years ago I have finally gotten around to trying another historical Undset novel. I had some trepidation at trying a different book and translator but I found the read a good experience. A few comments:
1) As expected, the translation by Chaster was not quite as smooth, elegant or as modern as Nunnally's Kristin L translation. This has a more historic tone, with lots of "methinks." However, this was not a flaw that was fatal as Chaster's translation is very readable. Undset's descriptively rich storytelling and character insights still shine through.
2) This is another love story, presented with a focus on both the participants; the first half on the hero and the second half on the heroine. Both are presented as vivid and flawed characters, neither quite as endearing to me as Kristin was, but not many will be. Undset provides insights into the inner workings of each character, so you do get to know them.
3) I found the story itself very lively, with realistic events involving the social, familial and other barriers to the couple uniting. As with Kristin L., the Church, religious figures and societal mores play a role. Undset effectively depicts life in 13 century Norway in a manner that is relatable to a modern reader.
I very much enjoyed my stay in 13th century Norway and have ordered Volume II the Snake Pit to extend my stay. I may complete the tetralogy as the four novels total about 1000 pages, a similar length to the Kristin L trilogy.

This is the first of a tetrology by Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset. I dove into it and quickly ordered all three of the other books. I expect to love them as much as I love Kristin Lavransdatter. This period of time is fascinating to me and her characters are alive. I care about them and enter their lives while I read about them. I think about them when I'm not reading! Can't recommend these too much!

25-oji XXa. Aukso fondo knyga. Kai buvau vaikas, pas močiutę kaimę spintoje buvo padėtos knygos "Kristina Lauranso duktė" 3 tomai, kuriuos man leisdavo pasiimti tik nusiplovus rankas ir skaityti gražiai pasidėjus ant stalo. Mano močiutei tai buvo "oho" knyga. Tiesiog tai buvo pokaris ir kiekviena knyga buvo labai branginama. Taip teko susipažinti su Nobelio premijos laureatės Sigrid Undset kūryba ir senąja Norvegija. Ši knyga dar vienos norvegų šeimos saga apie gyvenimą XIII a. - truputį laukinį, sniego ir ledo, tokios žemiškos nepagražintos meilės ir tradicijų istorija. Man šis kūrinys tikrai yra vertas užimti vietą namų bibliotekoje - jį norisi turėti ir galbūt perskaityti ne vieną kartą.
PS. Senąjį "Kristinos" tritomį išsaugojau.

The fiviest five stars that ever fived