Undset writes the interior life like few I’ve read, and I suspect that this is just the tip of the iceberg (or the fjord?). I find myself invested after the fashion of Brothers Karamazov, and we all know how that turned out.

It also occurs to me that this will be an unreviewable book for at least six months after I am finally finished with it.

I was on board from page 1, but for the first half or so had slight doubts as to the weightiness of what seemed a passionate and skillfully conceived but fairly conventional genre novel. Always happy to end up wrong about such things.

Hard to imagine why Bergman never made a 10-hour production of this (counting pts 2 and 3). Dream alternative is split—Scorsese obviously shares Undset’s thematic torment and would understand Kristin/Erland very intuitively; Malick would absorb the dreamy structure and narrative interiority and probably wring more mercy out of, at least, this first installment. Tough choice, but one seems more likely to score the thing with Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, so I guess this round goes to the Episcopalian.

"She whimpered silently in fear at the inconstancy of her own heart and at the transitory nature of all things.”

Published in 1920, The Wreath is the first volume in the Kristin Lavransdatter medieval trilogy written by Danish born Sigrid Undset. Undset moved to Norway at the age of two, and this series takes place in that country during the early fourteenth century at a time when the Catholic Church was firmly established and played a significant role in the lives of its people. In 1928, Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize for Literature for “her powerful pictures of Northern life in medieval times.” Naturally, I was quite curious to read this book. The time period fascinated me, as well as the fact that it was written by a strong voice in European literature with Undset being one of the youngest recipients of the Nobel Prize as well as only the third woman to receive this honor.

Having now satisfied my curiosity about this writer, I’m of two minds about the novel itself. It is surprisingly easy to read given the time in which it is set as well as the fact it’s a classic – it is completely accessible. I expected it to be more difficult for some reason. I thought Undset did a fine job in depicting the rural communities, the social customs, and the Church’s strong influence. Despite the power of the Church, the older beliefs have not been entirely relinquished. "She knew that wolves and bears reigned in the forest, and under every rock lived trolls and goblins and elves, and she was suddenly afraid, for no one knew how many there were, but there were certainly many more of them than of Christian people." Yet the authority of the Church reigns over all, breeding fear of punishment should you stray too far from its path. "God hates me for my sins… He has cast me out, for my heart is a viper’s nest of sin and sorrow." I found it interesting to see the juxtaposition of two different religious figures in this work – that of the priest, Sira Eirik, the harsher hand of justice, and that of the monk, Brother Edvin, the kinder, forgiving soul. Alongside these two, there exists another fascinating character – Fru Aashild. An eccentric older woman who went against the teachings of the Church and was skilled in herbs and medicine, Aashild was naturally whispered as being a witch. Only her high birth kept her from execution. Her story is one I would have enjoyed all on its own. I suspect this book will hold no appeal for those that do not want to examine Christian faith to this extent! There is a lot of this woven throughout the entire story. Coming from a historical standpoint, it does make sense to include these discussions, but naturally they will not be to everyone’s taste. I grew weary of it a bit myself.

I’m having a difficult time making this clear and succinct. It’s not an easy novel to review! I can’t fail to mention the heart of the story, however, which is the coming of age of the main character, Kristin Lavransdatter. In a nutshell, girl is promised to the ‘good’ guy in an arranged marriage, girl falls in love with the ‘bad’ guy, and trouble ensues. Of course, it’s not as clear cut as all that, and initially I was completely hooked. I did believe that Kristin’s father wanted the best for his daughter. In fact, Lavrans Bjørgulfsøn was one of my favorite characters in the novel. "… he was known as a strong and courageous man, but a peaceful soul, honest and calm, humble in conduct but courtly in bearing, a remarkably capable farmer, and a great hunter." Kristin is independent and headstrong - admirable qualities in a young girl, no doubt. But she was also silly, whiny, and a bit too willful. I didn’t like Erlend, the man she fell in love with. I didn’t think much good could come out of this relationship; therefore, I failed to sympathize with Kristin. My interest waned in the second half of the book as a result of this lack of connection. It very nearly verged on the side of a young adult love triangle… something that holds little interest for me personally as a reader.

I had planned to read the entire trilogy, one book after the other. I will eventually read the next two, just not right away as planned. I am curious to see if Kristin matures more in the next; I hope she does. I did like Undset’s writing quite a bit. I have to wonder if I selected an entirely different novel with a heroine quite distinct from Kristin if I would be more gripped by the story. I’m not ready to part ways with Sigrid Undset yet. After all, there must be good reason she’s on the list of Nobel Prize winners.

"Good days can last a long time if one tends to things with care and caution; all sensible people know that. That’s why I think that sensible people have to be satisfied with the good days – for the grandest of days are costly indeed."