I think the first book is amazing. I don't think the series ended as well as it began but I did like the third installment much more than the second. The second focused mostly on Erlend's political scheming and his deteriorating relationship with Kristin. This book reminded me more of the first because of its impressive world building and atmosphere. It drew me in a lot more into the honor/shame society and customs, and the character development of most of the main characters redeemed a lot for me.

Simon was intriguing to follow. He does everything right on the outside but on the inside he's a mess and doesn't believe he has any agency to choose differently. He looks down on Erlend because of his licentiousness but are they really that different? I would love to think through these 2 characters more.

Erlend makes horrible decisions but somehow you still like spending time with him which is confusing but a sign of good writing.

I think the overarching feeling I'm left with is frustration. There is so much focus on piety and doing things to pacify God that seem exhausting and ineffectual. One of the biggest examples of this was when Kristin called in the priest to reprimand her sons for using the painted crosses for target practice. The priest came to talk sternly to them and require them to say prayers. So, there is external piety but there is no internal integrity. Kristin and Erlend do not talk openly with each other or their sons, they don't practice repentance and forgiveness with each other, and it leaves me wondering which part of all this is the author's personal viewpoint and which part is trying to accurately represent the cultural landscape of medieval Norway? On the other hand, this book has really made me think and process through my own viewpoint of God and religion and motherhood and isn't that why I like reading in the first place?


"Often you speak so gently and sweetly, as if your mouth were full of honey, I fear that you're thinking mostly about old wrongs, and God will have to judge whether you're as pious in your heart as you are in your words." (Erlend speaking to Kristin)

"But when she stood before the cross...then she would feel her heart harden, the way a hand clenches into a fist to strike. No!...she could not make herself do it." (Kristin thinking of forgiving Erlend)

"Her mother had once said. Now she realized that her mother's heart had been deeply etched with memories of her daughter, memories of her thoughts about the child from before she was born and from all the years the child could not remember, memories of fears and hopes and dreams that children would never know had been dreamed on their behalf, before it was their own turn to fear and hope and dream in secret." (Kristin thinking about her mother and the role of mothers)

One of the best books I have ever read.
Kristin Lavransdatter is the main character. Her life is full of sorrow as she strives to raise her family. She's married to Erlend Nikulausson who does not want to take responsibility for his family.

Kristins family is not liked by the locals in her place (Dale). This leads to the disappearance of Erlend who goes to live north of Dale.

Kristins marriage is marred with challenges after challenges.

Simon Darre is her brother in law who dies of a stab wound when travelling north. He loves Kristin Lavransdatter and hates Erlend Nikulausson. Kristin has to try and reconcile the two men who are competing for her affection.

At the same time Simon Darre's marriage to Kristin's sister who is jealous of her husbands love towards her sister. This prompts her to marry another man after her husband's death.

Kristin has eight sons. Naakve, Bjongulf, Gaute, Lavran, Ivar, Skule, Munan and Erlend. Munan and Erlend dies. Naakve and Bjongulf join the seminary. Gaute and Lavran are the only ones left at home with their mother.

This book teaches you to suffer and to embrace suffering. Through the life of Kristin Lavransdatter one compares his and her life and starts approaching life with humility and good cheer.

There is no end to suffering for as long as you live. But one must say to him/herself the all fires soon burn out.

A good wife is indeed a good thing. Women are important to men who sometimes can choose or forced to do stupid things. I think this applies generally to human beings. One has to be most patient in such circumstances otherwise you might loose something even greater and more valuable.

Children are also a blessing and they should learn from their parents. A strong mother figure goes a long way when it comes to raising children. That is why Kristin's children grew up loving each other and supporting each other in their challenges.

I conclude by saying with John Steinbeck that “I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

I believe this post on Kristin Lavransdatter will be more popular than last, -at least, this trilogy is better known and well read everywhere around me.

Sigrid Undset was born in Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. She was a novelist that was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928.

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Her best-known work is Kristin Lavransdatter, a trilogy about life in Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, portrayed through the experiences of a woman from birth until death. Its three volumes were published between 1920 and 1922.

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Her trilogy on the life of Kristin Lavransdatter, daughter (datter) of Lavrans, gained some new interest when her work was translated for a second time in 1997 by the award winning translator Tiina Nunnally. The previous translation had been done in older English, and had censored a few things.

The picture with the three books from different publishers is my own picture. I found them separately for a good price. When you buy them, if you are interested in getting Nunnally's translation, be sure the edition states her as the translator. The only other translation doesn't mention who did it, it only mentions Sigrid Undset as the writer.

The trilogy was brought up to my attention a few years ago by a few homeschooling moms at a forum, who spoke highly of it. At that time, I read book 1, The Wreath. Impervious as I am for romance, the book felt a bit like a YA type of book. In hindsight, now that I've read the 3 books, I'd say they all have a different tone, and book one, with a young Kristin and Erlend, was full of reckless behavior, and faster paced than the other two.

At the end of book 1, something moved me to go back to Medieval Norway, and keep finding out what was of Kristin's life and those around her. The Wife, book #2, didn't disappoint. This trilogy gained new heights for me. Undset kept weaving a complex yet unassuming tapestry full of characters, human emotions, history, customs, and unforgettable pictures of the Norwegian landscape. She took me there, she gave me a privilege position, -that of a fly on a wall, and I was there as Kristin had her children, and her marriage entered a new phase.

After book #2, I faithfully started book #3, but life took me to different paths, and I quit after a few pages. Three years later, I decided to read the last book in the trilogy. It took me a little bit, but it all came back to me, and soon, I was once more immersed in the life of Kristin and her kin, enveloped by the air, the seasons, their comings and goings, walking towards the last stage of her life.

I don't wish to talk much about the plot or characters. I would love for anyone considering the trilogy, to enter as I did, not knowing anything other than it's worth their reading investment. Now that I've read them all, I do enjoy reviews where they elaborate about Kristin and the others. But not this review, -my reviews are never too elaborate, they are simply my impressions on books, maybe some facts of interest, that's all.

I know that for many, this trilogy has a special relevance since the book is also a portrayal of the catholic faith. For me, that aspect was significant as a historical depiction of Medieval Catholic Norway, and, despite of not sharing faith with Kristin nor with Undset, I appreciated being witness of Kristin's spiritual conflicts and the development of her beliefs and those around her. The spiritual facets of the book are ingrained in the life of the characters, in the times they are living. I benefited from reading it the same I do benefit and enjoy reading Dostoevsky, -even though I'm not an Orthodox christian either. Sigrid Undset must have been in love with her country. There's so much respect and admiration for Norway, its people, customs, the land.

I can only say I'm glad to have traveled back in time, and to have met Kristin and the others. I closed the last page sad, but thankful for Undset's generosity. She did not spare us anything, she offered a lavish banquet, and I'm pleased to have come to her invitation.

هنا المراجعة كاملة عن الأجزاء الثلاثة
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

أما الصليب: فهو الجزء الثالث من حياة كريستين، من عودتها إلى ضيعتها بعد فقدانهم لثروة زوجها، و كبر أولادها و هجر زوجها لها و موته، و نذر نفسها للكنيسة... هنا أصابني الكثير من السأم بسبب خلافاتهما اللامنتهية... و بعض الإسهاب الوعظي نظرا لازدياد تدينها... و لكن الأسلوب أيضا كان ناضجا و متقنا في تحليل الشخصيات و تناقضاتها...0

I don’t think I can quite explain my feelings about this trilogy. I will definitely be reading it again. I don’t feel like I can say much about the book without spoilers. There are so many emotional issues it tackles, so many things it makes you think about, and it’s just good storytelling to boot.

Kristin's story has taken up residence inside me, like a new skeleton crawling outward through all my limbs, down to my fingertips and toes, giving fresh forms and shapes to my memory and imagination. No other novel has filled me with such visceral rage and aching grief, and yet also revived hope and gratitude for the beauty of familial love. I feel I've lived a whole life in Kristin's story - her husband is my husband, her sons are my sons - and now I am old and weary and ready to return alone to my Lord and Father.

The older I get, the more I crave stories like these - I have no appetite for commercial fiction, where the story cuts off once things start working out. It is the way of the cross that is the way of life; the temporary vale of tears is what preludes the endless glory.

And yet all is grace - my life, with all its sorrows and joys, is God's gracious gift. Whether I marry and bear children or not, my life is ever and always His alone. As I rise from bed each morning only to return to it at night, so my life is from God and returning back to God.

10/10 would recommend.

This was really sad. Seeing how she grew into a mother and sought to do everything she could to ensure the best future for her sons was great. Erlund still wanted her to be the same bride he had when she was young, and it was sad that he was unable to adapt to their new life. The conclusion to their marriage was so heartbreaking.
The ending was so good. She died loving every moment of her life and glad that she could spend it with Erlund and her sons, despite all the trials and difficulties that went along with it. She was flawed, but saved by God’s grace. She died sacrificially and full of love.

What a saga, what a human story, it was poignant and convicting, simply beautiful.

Others have said this is a novel of goodbyes, of closings and shutting down, and that is true. Kristen's life is winding down, and in this third book she is gradually bereft of every human relationship she once valued, from husband and sister to friend and sons. Alone, she turns to God, who remains with her. Central message of the series is delivered in that sentence. While I understand the popularity and the literary value of this series of novels, I cannot say that I "liked" them, because they left me just sad and a little angry rather than ever feeling delighted, hopeful, or uplifted. I found very little joy in them, and the overall spirituality was pretty depressing : basically, cling to God because you ain't got nuttin otherwise.

I also struggled mightily from the very start of the series with Kristen's continued devotion to a man clearly incapable of caring for her, or even of growing up and behaving like an adult. It poisons her entire life, it poisons the lives of others-- from her sister (that poor girl) to her sons-- and in the end, it breaks her own heart completely. I never understood her attraction to him (was it just a sexual thing at first? Then she felt like she had made her bed so she had to lie in it?) nor her refusal to throw him out, given his HORRIFIC and stupid actions. This made it difficult for me to connect to her, and since the whole series is ABOUT her, I had to literally drag myself through books two and three.

So, for me, not a great series, but I understand the literary value and the reason it is popular among some groups. But my God is a God of joy and hope, not just one of suffering.

I LOVED IT!! Slow and kind of confusing at first after taking a break between the second one and this one, but it was just incredible seeing Kristin’s transformation and her sons growing up. There were many good passages to reflect on the reality of the human experience in light of God and who He is, while not running from sin and its effects. This whole trilogy was so powerful!!

Having finished the third volume and hence the full 1,000+ pages of the entire Kristin Lavransdatter saga, I hardly know how to describe it except to say that it is Tolstoyan in scope, vitality, and profundity. Frankly, when I finished it, I just wanted to sob, or to take a long solo walk in the woods, or to hold my wife and children close and tell them I love them. Taken as a single work, Kristin Lavransdatter is absolutely a masterpiece – beautiful, true, and good - and one of the most deeply Christian novels I’ve ever read.

It dragged toward the middle between a slower plot and too much tragedy, but the ending was worthwhile and saved it from the 3 star rating I'd been leaning toward.