Kristin Lavransdatter (thoughts)

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset was my third (and final) 1,000+ read this year. Due to some cruel twist of fate, both it and A Suitable Boy became available at the same time (and both had a list of readers waiting, so I knew I couldn’t renew either), so I ended up reading all of KL in seven days. I think that actually worked for the best; I pretty much lived and breathed medieval Norway with Kristin, completely immersed in her life.

The book, which was originally published as three books (The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross), follows Kristin Lavransdatter from when she’s a small child to her death. It was written in the 1920s, and Undset received a Nobel Prize for it, which I completely understand. This book brings medieval Norway to vivid, immediate life. I connected with the world and its inhabitants so well, but at the same time the characters didn’t think like me at all (one of my pet peeves with historical fiction is when characters sound modern). It’s a delicious book, and one I think anyone who enjoys ‘women’s fiction’ (i.e.: much of the book dwells on love or household stuff, with a good amount of religion as well) or historical fiction or being swept away to another land or time (I dare you to say you’re not interested in Vikings!) would love. A quick note on translation: I read the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, which contains all three books in one and a modern translation done by Tiina Nunnally. This translation was wonderful, and based on the translator’s note and a couple of e-mails I’ve received, I’d advice English readers to avoid the older ‘classic’ translation, which was done when translators essentially rewrote the book how they desire.

Several bloggers are doing a read-a-long, in which they read one book a month, which I would definitely have joined in if my library let me check out books for three months. You can read more about it on Emily’s blog, and if you’re nervous about tackling such a big book, go ahead and join! I promise you, it’s really easy to read, and you’ll love it.

I’ve said this every time I review a chunkster, but just to repeat: I find it difficult to discuss such large books. The canvas is so huge, and there are so many things I loved, I find myself almost at a loss. But I’ll try! :) Kristin Lavransdatter was different from several other chunksters I’ve read in one crucial aspect: Kristin is the main character throughout. Undset does change narrators from time to time, but the narrator is always someone closely connected to Kristin, and we never leave her life. I think this makes the book incredibly readable; you never have to switch to events or characters you don’t care about. Everything revolves around Kristin.

The driving forces behind the work are marriage and religion. Kristin is forced to decide between a prudent marriage and a love match, and the consequences of her decision echo through the rest of the book. Meanwhile, while religion isn’t present on every page, it suffuses the thoughts of the characters in the way I imagine it would have in the Medieval world, before the Reformation or the rise of science or our modern skepticism. I’m an agnostic who’s exploring Christianity again, and I found it fascinating. Don’t get me wrong-I sometimes wanted to smack Kristin or some of the other characters upside the head, because they had such different values from me, but that’s what made the book so convincing. I don’t want to imply that Undset has set up a black-and-white morality world. Far from it; the many shades of grey are explored throughout. I think Undset had a definite opinion on marriage and religion (which, after finish the book, I read a bit about her life, and I could have guessed certain bits of it just from KL), but she allows the reader space to make up their own mind as well.

You know what? I’ve just realised I can’t talk much about the plot without giving away who Kristin ends up marrying. And I can’t talk about which characters I loved, which ones drove me crazy, and which ones I hoped would die some medieval death without giving too much away. I knew pretty much nothing about the plot going in, and I think that helped me love the book even more. So I’ll just say, I really hope that you give this book a try (make sure you have the right translation), and aren’t scared off by the page count (the three books come seperately too! So think of it as a trilogy w/ each book around 300 pages). It’s one I’ll definitely be rereading, and I can’t wait to read more of Undset. Her ability to bring medieval Norway to life is truly amazing, and I thank her for sharing it with me.

What’s your favourite book set in the Middle Ages? It’s one of my fave historical periods, and I’ve been craving more of it! Just don’t mention Philippa Gregory, please. ;)