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First published in 1921, "The Wife" is the second book in the "Kristin Lavransdatter" trilogy by Sigrid Undset, the Norwegian author and winner of the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature. Undset's award was primarily based on this series, which depicts the life of Norwegian woman from her childhood to her death in the 14th century. The first book in the series, "The Wreath", follows the young Kristin as she clashes with her family, who are religious and prosperous farmers, while she falls in love with, and eventually marries, a man that her parents do not approve of. In "The Wife,", Kristin finally faces adult responsibilities and concerns as she makes a life with her husband. She atones for the sins of her youth and rises to the challenges of raising a large family and running an estate while married to an irresponsible and impulsive man. Kristin's love and loyalty for her foolish husband is greatly tested and she learns the hard way what challenges await her and what sacrifices will be required of her. "The Wife" is a riveting and satisfying portrayal of a woman coming into her own as well as a fascinating glimpse into a long since past medieval world. This edition follows the translation of Charles Archer.… (more)
User reviews
As in Volume I, the technique involves highly-detailed scenes with jumps of several months or years between them, but this time there's a lot of politics happening offstage in between the acts that Kristin isn't completely aware of. Some of this is explained to the reader, but not all, and I would probably have been rather lost without Sherrill Harbison's introduction explaining the political situation in 14th century Norway and helping the reader sort out what really happened and what Undset added.
With her father as role model, Kristin steps up to managing the estate. Erlend’s work takes him to the furthest reaches of the country, and he becomes involved in some controversial political activity. Eventually he does something stupid that threatens the family at its core. Kristin’s former fiancé, Simon, proves himself to be the all-around good guy by intervening on their behalf and salvaging as much of the situation as he can. And with that, I know it won’t be long before I read the final volume in this trilogy.
This portion of the saga starts with Kristin and Erlend arriving at Husaby, his ancestral estate, as they start their marriage. But Kristin and Erlend's life is not destined to be easy, even once they have the sanction of marriage, and Undset draws a full and captivating portrait of life in 1400's Norway. Domestic and political, male and female spheres, religion and secularity are all played out on a grand and a small scale, providing the reader with and intimate glimpse of a time long since passed from memory. Kristin is a strong and fascinating character but she has her faults. Erlend is weaker and more wayward as a character, a bigger picture thinker than his wife, who focuses on the small details. But their inability to temper each other's weaknesses in a true partnership leads them into great difficulty.
Once I settled into the language of this translation (and that took a bit), I was interested to see how Kristin and Erlend developed. In general I sympathized more with Kristin because she did so very much, always cognizant of the consequences of her actions. But there were times that I found myself getting annoyed with her, as if she was indeed a real person making poor choices and ill-advisedly holding onto grudges instead of a character in a book. The setting of the book was rich and well-detailed. And the historical imformation in the story line itself and in footnotes was fascinating since Norway's history is not even touched upon in classes in this country. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to live in the Middle Ages but I enjoy visiting there on occasion through the pages of a book. And I plan to visit Kristin in the last third of her story sooner rather than later.
In this second volume, Kristin goes to Husaby with her husband to begin their new life together. She soon finds out marriage and motherhood can be exhausting, especially with her own family so far away. She has quite a few children and all the while struggles with past mistakes and new ones. Her faith is a comfort to her but she desperately misses her own family, especially her father. Finally she gets to go home when her younger sister gets married. Although elated to see Lavrans, there is also a bit of a strain put on their relationship which pains Kristin greatly.
There is a lot more to Kristin's story that I'm not willing to spoil for you. Let's just say I'm excited to read Volume III and complete the saga.
Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, primarily for this trilogy. Kristin Lavransdatter is a book I highly recommend to you if you love classics or want to know more about Norway and/or this time period (the 1300s). It is a fascinating look at a woman with a strong Christian faith but one who is far, far away from being perfect.
1921, 401 pp.
Rating: 4.5/5
Sigrid Undset ably uses historical detail and compelling characters to create a detailed and thoroughly-readable account of mediaeval Norway - all of which is rendered into English by the excellent translation by Tiina Nunnally. Nunnally also includes the excised passages from the Archer translation that include Kristin's dialogue with Saint Olav and other important psychological insights that Undset gave into her characters. The dialogue between Kristin and Saint Olav, for example, while sometimes confusing, ensures the reader gains an important insight into the religious and personal life of Kristin Lavransdatter, and again highlights the importance of Christianity in both the lives of the mediaeval people and in the life of Undset herself.
This is another excellent novel by Undset and for its historical, religious, and personal insights into the daily lives of mediaeval Norway is rightly treasured and merits many readings.
This book tells continues the life story of the fourteenth century woman, Kristin Lavransdatter with her marriage to Erlend and the birth of their seven sons. Two prideful people, their marriage is predictably tumultuous. Woven into this are two other things; Kristin’s
Sigrid Unset as some wonderful things about her writing, which is why I round it up to three stars, but I still don’t care much for Kristin who can’t seem to forgive herself for the nature of her relationship to Erlend before their betrothal and then their marriage even after paying her penance via her church and religious beliefs, and I have never liked Erlend who is rather self centred, brash and rather thoughtless of others. There other, smaller, characters I like much better, and I do plan to read the third and last book in this classic trilogy. There is certainly a lot of good work put into the history of the time in which is set, the nature of popular religious views and the nature of Norse politics at that time.
I have tagged this politics and am surprised it wasn’t already tagged this due to Erlend’s political activities throughout this novel and which are an important part of this book.
[third reading in October, 2015]
[read for the second time in March/April, 2014]
[May 21, 2011] Well, when I finished The Wreath, I wasn't at all sure I cared to continue with the trilogy...but as the weeks went on, guess what I couldn't