Sigrid Undset, 1929 date read: 2/4/22
This took me a while to get through because it is three novels in one: The Bridal Wreath, Lady of Husaby, and The Cross. This is a translation from Norwegian and encompasses the entire life of a woman who lived in the 1300s.
Many parts of this novel touched me deeply, particularly dealing with motherhood and losing children. My best friend died at the age of 9 in a freak accident. I was 12 at the time and his loss scarred me. Reading about young children suffering accidents and dying from chicken pox is rough.
Kristin and her eventually husband are deeply flawed, selfish people who hurt basically everyone around them to get what they want - not once, but over and over and over again. Kristin is stubborn and a "troll" as her husband says.
The author had a deep grasp of human psychology and interactions in addition to the historical aspects of the novel. Many overarching themes were based on events that happened in real life, and many actual individuals are represented.
I greatly enjoyed reading this (although I may have read it in three installments, had that been available, because this was about 1080 pages). In parts it dragged, in other parts you want to slap Kristin and tell her to get her head out of her ass. Furthermore, you're reminded again and again how fortunate we are to live in the time of antibiotics; a major character dies from an infected scratch on his arm.
Personally I wanted more historical description but the footnotes did provide a lot and were very thorough. The book is translated with a natural flow of words, not as some translated works which can be hard to read.
I have no doubt why this novel won the Nobel Prize and I do plan to watch the 1995 screen adaptation soon.
As someone who grew up with a maiden name like Johnsen, I particularly enjoyed learning about medieval Norway. My great-grandfather moved to the US from there in the early 1900s.
Time to read: almost a month
Rereadability: maybe someday; 1000 pages is a lot
Classic: ABSOLUTELY the most classic of any novel I've read. This novel should be studied in both literature and history courses.
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