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145th out of 3,222 books
—
14,002 voters
Kristin Lavransdatter (Kristin Lavransdatter #1-3)
In her great historical epic Kristin Lavransdatter, set in fourteenth-century Norway, Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset tells the life story of one passionate and headstrong woman. Painting a richly detailed backdrop, Undset immerses readers in the day-to-day life, social conventions, and political and religious undercurrents of the period. Now in one volume, Tiina Nunnally's a...more
Paperback, 1168 pages
Published
September 27th 2005
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1920)
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Well, well, well, Miss Undset has made it onto my 10-star list. She should be proud. She also won a Nobel Prize for her work, so there is that. Her Kristin Lavransdatter books are unquestionably works of massive scope on par with JRR Tolkien's Lord Of the Rings. A strange comparison, you say? Well I agree with you. The only thing that comes to mind immediately is the length of the two. But there is so much more. Where LOTR was preparation for battle with Sauron's forces, Kristin Lavransdatter wa...more
Kristin Lavransdatter is the story story of a warm and determined woman. I cannot stop to think that what is The Lord of the Rings for boys is this book for girls. Unfortunately the resemblance stops here, as this novel is not so much known today, and the movie set on the book was far from Peter Jackson's masterpiece.
Undset’s writing is fluid and beautifully, and reveals the wild countryside of Norway in the 14th century, with a carefully depicted immersion in the day-to-day life, social, politi...more
Undset’s writing is fluid and beautifully, and reveals the wild countryside of Norway in the 14th century, with a carefully depicted immersion in the day-to-day life, social, politi...more
[ETA movie review at the end.]
Man, I don't even know how to review this book. It's really big, and full of melodrama, and it took me a pretty long time to read; and now that I'm done I'm somewhat tired and will be glad not to have to think about this anymore.
Don't get me wrong, this is a fine book. But I didn't love it. At times, I didn't even like it. There was a lot of talky-talk, and maybe that's my own fault for reading the entire kit-and-caboodle in one collection as opposed to reading the...more
Man, I don't even know how to review this book. It's really big, and full of melodrama, and it took me a pretty long time to read; and now that I'm done I'm somewhat tired and will be glad not to have to think about this anymore.
Don't get me wrong, this is a fine book. But I didn't love it. At times, I didn't even like it. There was a lot of talky-talk, and maybe that's my own fault for reading the entire kit-and-caboodle in one collection as opposed to reading the...more
9 likes · like · see review
I have so many thoughts about this most wonderful of all epics that I don't know where to start and I am certain that no matter what I write, it will not do Kristin Lavransdatter enough justice. I'll write what I can and you decide for yourself whether you want to enter or, should I say, let the world of 14th century Norway enter your life. Sigrid Undset cetainly wrote about the country and the time, and the people in a way that will never let me forget this diamond of a novel.
There really isn't...more
There really isn't...more
8 likes · like · see review
Brilliant and beautiful! I just finished Kristin Lavransdatter and it has easily earned a place in my favorite books ever. Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize in Literature for Kristin Lavransdatter while still in her prime and it was well earned. For those reading it for the first time, I strongly recommend the most recent translation by Tiina Nunnally. The original translation into english by Charles Archer, which I tried to read unsuccessfully several years ago, is filled with unauthentic arhai...more
13 likes · like · see review
Set in 14th century Norway, this novel follows the story of Kristin Lavransdatter from the age of 7 to the 51. Christianity is firmly established in Norway, but vestiges of paganism remain when famine or plagues strike. Undset won a Nobel prize for the book and it's clear why. The descriptions of the natural setting and the way she described characters makes it one of the best novels I've read. It's a long book and I feel like really did watch all of Kristin's life unfold. If your library has it...more
This is an unforgettable trilogy situated in 14th-century Norway. It is the life story of an upper-class woman whose thoughtful, religious, questioning, and self-aware nature contrasts with the reckless, wild, and dashing actions of the man she meets, loves, marries, bears children for, clashes with, and can never bear to lose.
2 likes · like · see review
I've seen Kristin Lavransdatter described as a book about a young woman who "defies her family and faith to follow the passions of her heart." Well, yes. But while today that might be seen as a virtue, it is decidedly not portrayed as such in Kristin Lavransdatter. This is not a feminist book. Despite how often Sigrid Undset wrote about "the immoral kind" of love, she was no proponent of the burgeoning emancipation movement. She is fairly unique among those who write about illicit love because s...more
Seven reasons why I really, really want to love Kristin Lavransdatter…
1) I have long-standing crushes on both Scandinavia and ye olden days, and this book is a free trip straight to the heart of 14th-century Norway. Undset's portrayal of the life of one woman, from childhood until death, is fascinatingly intertwined with the tensions between the Catholic present and pagan traditions in medieval Norway. And her writing so evocative. You can just smell the cook-fire smoke in the wooden rooms, see...more
1) I have long-standing crushes on both Scandinavia and ye olden days, and this book is a free trip straight to the heart of 14th-century Norway. Undset's portrayal of the life of one woman, from childhood until death, is fascinatingly intertwined with the tensions between the Catholic present and pagan traditions in medieval Norway. And her writing so evocative. You can just smell the cook-fire smoke in the wooden rooms, see...more
6 likes · like · see review
12-17-10 11:05 p.m. FINISHED! VOILA! I was late for work this morning as I had to finish the last 34 pages; and then a tanker was overturned on 99 so we had to go all the way south to Tukwila, around to I5 to get to work! I got there at 9:45, but it was all worth it! YAY!
12-17-10 - Update: On page 1087, 34 more to go. My next venture into Sigrid Undset's novels will be "Jenny"...have any of you read it?
12-10-2010 - Update: On Page 911...213 more pages. I love this book! Just learned that Sigrid...more
12-17-10 - Update: On page 1087, 34 more to go. My next venture into Sigrid Undset's novels will be "Jenny"...have any of you read it?
12-10-2010 - Update: On Page 911...213 more pages. I love this book! Just learned that Sigrid...more
2 likes · like · see review
I am reading this huge book. This is what other have said:
"We consider it the best book our judges have ever selected and it has been better received by our subscribers than any other book," says the Book-of-the-Month Club. -- Review
A landmark among historical novels, Kristin Lavransdatter is part of the body of work that won Sigrid Undset the Nobel Prize for 1928. This trilogy of more than one thousand pages follows its title character through her life in fourteenth-century Scandinavia. It is a...more
"We consider it the best book our judges have ever selected and it has been better received by our subscribers than any other book," says the Book-of-the-Month Club. -- Review
A landmark among historical novels, Kristin Lavransdatter is part of the body of work that won Sigrid Undset the Nobel Prize for 1928. This trilogy of more than one thousand pages follows its title character through her life in fourteenth-century Scandinavia. It is a...more
This book set in medieval Norway follows the life of independent Kristin from early childhood on. Undset won the Nobel Prize as a woman in 1928 which was unusual but well deserved! Her character development and the relationships she created were incredible. The characters are flawed,real and believable. Kristin is a head-strong girl who has to live with the consequences of her actions. There are several translations of this and I read an old one from the library which was clean. I've heard there...more
1 like · like · see review
Its difficult to talk about the books in this series as individuals. Really, it is the story of one life. I was not expecting to be as moved as I was by these stories. These lives wrapped me up so fully that I didn't noticed that I had become so deeply attached to Kristin. And now that I am done and she is gone I feel loss.
Its difficult to write much about this story and not sound trite. Sweeping, epic, beautiful, are adjectives that all come to mind. What I can say is that at the end I was str...more
Its difficult to write much about this story and not sound trite. Sweeping, epic, beautiful, are adjectives that all come to mind. What I can say is that at the end I was str...more
3 likes · like · see review
I read the Oxford Press- Charles Archer translation of Kristin Lavransdatter in 1981. It was the best book I ever read. I would come back & re-read parts of it.
Then Tiina Nunnally did a new translation which was published by Penguin Books in 2005. I am re-reading the entire book 1144 pages. This translation is much easier to follow. The original from 1920 used a lot of English words that are not in commun use today. If anyone has had problems trying to get into this book, I'd suggest they tr...more
Then Tiina Nunnally did a new translation which was published by Penguin Books in 2005. I am re-reading the entire book 1144 pages. This translation is much easier to follow. The original from 1920 used a lot of English words that are not in commun use today. If anyone has had problems trying to get into this book, I'd suggest they tr...more
2 likes · like · see review
I read all three books in this series. Amazing clarity of detail and willingness to have complex characters, making less than perfect choices and reflecting harshness of the Middle Ages. The role of women was astonishing. very powerful, sucked me right in and became my life for several weeks!
This is the best book I've read in a couple of years! It takes place in Norway in the 1300s; the story is compelling and the characters are extremely well developed. It follows the life of Kristin Lavransdatter from the age of 7 to her death. It does start a bit slow, but once I got into it, I didn't want it to end. It's got everything from romance and arranged marriages to sword fights and the black plague. More than that, it does an astounding job giving insight into the everyday life of those...more
I only intended to read the first book in this trilogy, and was so "hooked" by that time that I read straight through the entire series. The character development was so rich; one would think we might be strangers to a young woman of 14th century Norway but we come to see that the headstrong Kristen faces the same choices and temptations of her modern sisters. Why is it that good girls are attracted to bad boys? It is an age old story. Kristen gets her man, against her godly Father's better judg...more
Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize in Literature for Kristin Lavransdatter, a trilogy about the life of a girl in 14th century Norway--(1)her marriage, (2)married life and children, and(3)growing old. I have heard some people say it is the very best book ever written, so I was intrigued. Also my husband's ancestors are from Norway so I was fascinated by what life was like there during that time period.
I have read it twice--the first time when I was much younger I only really understood the roman...more
I have read it twice--the first time when I was much younger I only really understood the roman...more
Kristin Lavransdatter is perhaps the best book about the inner life of a woman - not to mention sex, love, and marriage - I have ever read. I first read it when my youngest daughter was 4 months old and it may have saved my sanity. Everything that Sigrid Undset brings into the story taking place in 14th century Norway was also taking place in my life, just in a different context. Undset is able to convey the complexity of life, and of Kristin's character, in a way that is unforgettable. I get ch...more
URUNDSET SIGRID
Notava Edith Stein a proposito di Ingunn, figlia di Steinfinn: “Saldi l’un contro l’altro –come del resto anche in Sigrid Undset – stanno due mondi, o meglio, i due mondi primordiali: l’acuta attrattiva del senso quale un caos originario, e lo Spirito di Dio al di sopra degli esseri. L’anima di questa primitiva é come un campo che non é mai stato solcato dall’aratro. Vi sono dei semi rigogliosi, e il raggio di luce che li raggiunge al di là delle nubi desta in loro un tremulo mo...more
Notava Edith Stein a proposito di Ingunn, figlia di Steinfinn: “Saldi l’un contro l’altro –come del resto anche in Sigrid Undset – stanno due mondi, o meglio, i due mondi primordiali: l’acuta attrattiva del senso quale un caos originario, e lo Spirito di Dio al di sopra degli esseri. L’anima di questa primitiva é come un campo che non é mai stato solcato dall’aratro. Vi sono dei semi rigogliosi, e il raggio di luce che li raggiunge al di là delle nubi desta in loro un tremulo mo...more
This is a beautiful book if it's what you're looking for: a sustained character study and a poignant, ultimately tragic, look at the ultimate futility of earthly life from an author with an authentic sympathy for the medieval mindset. At 1124 pages, it follows essentially the entirety of a medieval Norwegian noblewoman's life, from her childhood through a torrid, illicit affair, through her resulting troubled marriage, and beyond.
It is a character study. It is essentially plotless. Only rarely d...more
It is a character study. It is essentially plotless. Only rarely d...more
This is actually a trilogy of books set in 14th Century Norway. The size of this tome was daunting but I was able to get through it fairly quickly because the three books read so seamlessly. I'm still not sure how to describe my feelings about these books. The trilogy was packed with interesting events, very clearly written characters, lots of historical details and descriptions of Kristen's homeland that make me want to book a flight to Norway. However, as much as it is obvious these books are...more
1 like · like · see review
Первая половина XIV века. Кристин – дочь зажиточного норвежского помещика Лавранса из Йорюндгорда, начинающая свою дорогу в жизни. Отец, добрый и набожный человек, решает выдать ее замуж за доброго и знатного человека. Юной Кристин не нравится нареченный жених, хотя вся семья, включая отца, мать и маленьких сестер, от Симона, сына Андреса, без ума. Когда она отправляется жить и учиться в монастырь, она встречает там мужчину гораздо старше себя, обаятельного и прекрасного собою дворянина по имени...more
I resisted reading this book for years even though it was on the "best books" lists. It seemed like a huge undertaking because it is actually three novels often published in one book. You really have to read it like one book however, because it doesn't make any sense to read just one of the novels, or to read them out of order. Now I have finally read it, I found it was well worth the time and effort. Think War and Peace, or one of the Dostoyevsky novels, only this is about Medieval Norway. The...more
I was really looking forward to reading this new translation by Tiina Nunally after hearing it praised so highly compared to the first translator, who was raked over the coals in recent reviews for using artificially archaic language that the author never intended. I really enjoyed the first translation, although often found it a trial to plow through. I was surprised to be a bit disappointed in the new translation of The Wreath, the first volume in the trilogy, as lacking the texture and depth...more
#171 The Wreath
#175 The Wife
#176 The Cross
I read Tiina Nunnally's more recent translation of this old favorite. Sigrid Undset's trilogy follows the life of a 14th-century Norwegian woman through a pampered childhood, an ill-advised yet passionate marriage, motherhood, and her final days in a convent. I love this trilogy: Kristin is a memorable main character and the historical detail is amazing. Undset mixes political intrigue, romance, everyday insight into relationships with profound religious...more
#175 The Wife
#176 The Cross
I read Tiina Nunnally's more recent translation of this old favorite. Sigrid Undset's trilogy follows the life of a 14th-century Norwegian woman through a pampered childhood, an ill-advised yet passionate marriage, motherhood, and her final days in a convent. I love this trilogy: Kristin is a memorable main character and the historical detail is amazing. Undset mixes political intrigue, romance, everyday insight into relationships with profound religious...more
I have heard mixed reviews of this book. I'm giving it five stars because of it's sweeping story, which covers the entire life of Kristin, and because of the skillful creation of the world of medieval Norway.
I admit there were times when I really wanted to strangle the protagonist. Her decisions and frequent indecision were maddening. What I realized, though, is that the author was showing how one woman functioned in a deeply sexist and oppressive society. The author doesn't provide a critique...more
I admit there were times when I really wanted to strangle the protagonist. Her decisions and frequent indecision were maddening. What I realized, though, is that the author was showing how one woman functioned in a deeply sexist and oppressive society. The author doesn't provide a critique...more
Apr 24, 2012
Erik Graff
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Erik by:
Anne-Lise Graff
Shelves:
literature
This is one of the finest novels I have ever read. Until reading about it to write this note, I had not realized that it was one of the first novels to describe the entire life of a woman who was not a royal. My estimation of the book may be influenced by the fact that I purchased and read it in Norway while spending two months there visting family. Consequently, I was able to visit several of the sites which play a part in the novel while reading it.
I feel bad giving this a low rating, but I can't justify inflating the score, since I am theoretically supposed to rate it how I enjoyed it, and not what it probably deserves for quality. Some Literature scholar is probably going to bristle upon reading this, but... I made it through the first book, took a peek at a synopsis for the other two, and quietly put it away. I'm just not in the mood.
The setting is fantastic. Medieval Norway is wonderfully described, and I would gladly read books about...more
The setting is fantastic. Medieval Norway is wonderfully described, and I would gladly read books about...more
![[P]](http://d.gr-assets.com/users/1368277303p2/3355797.jpg)
While it ought not to surprise me that I love this so much, considering that Undset won the Nobel primarily for this novel, I really was not hopeful at the start of my reading three weeks ago. Firstly, I am hardly the biggest fan of historical fiction and, for reasons that I cannot pinpoint, have a particular aversion to anything medieval and KL is set in medieval Norway. Secondly, Undset's style is not immediately appealing. During the first volume she (or the translator Tina Nunnally) seemed t...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around the World ...: Chel recommends Kristen Lavransdatter | 3 | 14 | Dec 01, 2011 05:28pm |
Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican. She fled Norway in 1940 because of her opposition to Nazi Germany and the German occupation, but returned after the end of World War II in 1945.
Sigrid Undset received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Most of the praise was for h...more
More about Sigrid Undset...
Sigrid Undset received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Most of the praise was for h...more
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“All my days I have longed equally to travel the right road and to take my own errant path.”
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16 people liked it
“Feelings of longing seemed to burst from her heart; they ran in all directions, like streams of blood, seeking out paths to all the places in the wide landscape where she had lived, to all her sons roaming through the world, to all her dead lying under the earth.”
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6 people liked it
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Jul 24, 2011 10:41am
Jul 24, 2011 10:43am