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15th out of 29 books
—
28 voters
The Cross (Kristin Lavransdatter #3)
In Kristin Lavransdatter (1920-1922), Sigrid Undset interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to create a colorful, richly detailed tapestry of Norway during the fourteenth-century. The trilogy, however, is more than a journey into the past. Undset's own life—her familiarity with Norse sagas and folklore and with a wide rang...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published
April 1st 2000
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1920)
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Nov 05, 2011
booklady
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5 of 5 stars
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When I closed the cover on this mammoth trilogy (1069 pages) I just sat there reflecting on the long lifespan of the titular character—from the late 13th to the mid 14th century.
I reread the last two pages lingeringly, not wanting the book to end. That more than anything I think is the sign of a good story; you don't want to leave it. In the book, Kristin Lavransdatter, you come to really know the woman by that name. You walk her life from earliest childhood to death in old age and even though...more
I reread the last two pages lingeringly, not wanting the book to end. That more than anything I think is the sign of a good story; you don't want to leave it. In the book, Kristin Lavransdatter, you come to really know the woman by that name. You walk her life from earliest childhood to death in old age and even though...more
Should anyone chance to read this, my apologies – It’s for my own entertainment that I write these disjointed thoughts. / Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross (Tiina Nunnally): Too often her God passages feel like a harangue – I consider it penance and read on – her descriptive moments of little kids being kids make up for it (all her descriptions, the mountains, forests, fields, the flowers, the smallest moments of farm life, all so heartfelt) – the moonlight trip to the graveyard, Kristin as Prome...more
So I decided to save the review for the final book to see how things all played out. Oh the vileness of gossip! The concerns brought upon the head of the "unfaithful" in this day. Yet I think she portrayed the less gallant side of the life that would have been lead by a noblewoman of this day. I think the characters were deep and their sorrows were great. They were very relatable. I knew she would enter the convent at the ending but was surprised just how late in the story it happened and what a...more
What a wonderful journey this trilogy has been. I had my doubts about the third book given that "The Cross" is the title. Set in the early medieval world; before the Reformation, the Renaissance, and, of course, feminism and secularism, I was fully prepared to be turned off by getting to a Nunnery.
Much to my surprise and delight, I was so completely pulled into the mindset, time, and place of Kristin Lavrensdatter that I not only understood the arch of her character intellectually, but was also...more
Much to my surprise and delight, I was so completely pulled into the mindset, time, and place of Kristin Lavrensdatter that I not only understood the arch of her character intellectually, but was also...more
I finished this series today at work, and then I was left with a lot of time to think about it. There are so many things worth talking about, but what seems like it's going to stick with me the most is the role of God-given male power in Kristin's world. Book one is about the obedience Kristin owes to her father. In book two Kristin struggles with the obedience she owes to her husband, the obedience her husband owes to the king, and her feelings that she's somehow been cheated by Erlend being so...more
The final segment of the Kristin Lavransdatter series traces through the end of our heroine's life. Perhaps as in real life, her final chapter was filled with more sorrows and sadnesses than joys. As in the prior books, the realistic setting of life in medieval Norway is fascinating, as men really did ride with swords and everyone might set off into the hills in the dead of winter on skis. And the estrangement between Kristi and her husband, as well as other feuds between formerly close people,...more
This is the third of three volumes of historical fiction set in 14th century Norway by Sigrid Undset. Ms. Undset wrote her magnus opus in the 1920's and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Remarkably, the Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy reads even now as a commentary on contemporary life. Each volume is a terrific read; a real "page turner" for those who love large, sweeping narratives. Be sure to start with the first volume, KRISTIN LAVRANSDATTER: THE WREATH. Of the three volumes, however...more
Of the three books in this series, I enjoyed this one most. This book focused on more characters than just Kristin and Erlend and their on-again / off-again relationship. I found the in-depth characterization of Simon interesting. The reappearance of Ulf was a nice touch.
While I believe Undset was trying to show a metamorphosis from willful selfishness to selfless servant in the life of Kristin, she came closer to making a strong case for the incomprehension of meaning in life. She repeatedly wr...more
While I believe Undset was trying to show a metamorphosis from willful selfishness to selfless servant in the life of Kristin, she came closer to making a strong case for the incomprehension of meaning in life. She repeatedly wr...more
I've been following and scrutinizing the life of Kristin Lavarnsdatter and the people that surrounded her for more than a month now. Certainly an epic story, multiple plots intertwined filled with love, death, birth, scandal, betrayal, politics, confusion, sin and more sin. i enjoyed getting wrapped up in the mid-evil culture and Nordic life style with all the poetic descriptions of the geography, homesteads, and celebrations. And the church with all of it's flaws and beauties was there within e...more
Individually and even more so when taken as a whole, the Kristen Lavransdatter novels are breathtaking. The scope of the novels is unreal; by the end, I felt like I knew this woman inside and out even though she never stopped being a mystery to me. The author follows her life from late childhood to death in sometimes overwhelming detail. The writing is weighty and challenging; Undset dives into her time period flawlessly and doesn't wait for the reader to catch up. It's hugely rewarding in a way...more
I loved these books. They were just heartbreaking, but so real. Why is it that some really basic truths about life are entirely non-apparent until I read a book that shows them up? What is it about fiction that can spur us to realize true things we haven't understood through living life directly? That is a mystery on par with the deepest I know.
These books surely have that quality. They read exactly like real life, beautiful, heartbreaking, breathtaking; but somehow they encapsulate it in a way...more
These books surely have that quality. They read exactly like real life, beautiful, heartbreaking, breathtaking; but somehow they encapsulate it in a way...more
Kristin becomes more brittle against Erland and despises him for losing her sons' land inheritance after being found guilty for conspiracy charges against King Magnus.
Her religion she wears as a cloak - to protect her from the lustful sin she had acted upon in her youth - she cannot forget that nor forgive Erland for leading her to it.
She seems oblivious of the protective instinct and admiration she brings out from males around her, and the hidden unacted upon jealousy she arouses in her mother...more
Her religion she wears as a cloak - to protect her from the lustful sin she had acted upon in her youth - she cannot forget that nor forgive Erland for leading her to it.
She seems oblivious of the protective instinct and admiration she brings out from males around her, and the hidden unacted upon jealousy she arouses in her mother...more
W.O.W.
The Kristen Lavransdatter trilogy is one of the best books I've ever read. Sigrid Undset is so underrated. Why is that? I can't believe that I hadn't heard of her until just a few months ago, when Kristen Lavransdatter was mentioned in a New York Times review for Alison Weir's Eleanor of Aquitaine novel, as an example of how powerful and complex a representative of the historical fiction genre can be (Weir's novel was not, by the way). The ending of The Cross felt like a sledgehammer to th...more
The Kristen Lavransdatter trilogy is one of the best books I've ever read. Sigrid Undset is so underrated. Why is that? I can't believe that I hadn't heard of her until just a few months ago, when Kristen Lavransdatter was mentioned in a New York Times review for Alison Weir's Eleanor of Aquitaine novel, as an example of how powerful and complex a representative of the historical fiction genre can be (Weir's novel was not, by the way). The ending of The Cross felt like a sledgehammer to th...more
I read these books because they were my mother's favorite when she was around 13 in the early 50s. They are very long (and slow) but filled with all sorts of cool tidbits about Norway in the early 1300s (the books well researched) and a lot of drama. I was not a huge fan of Kristin, the main character, so I felt a bit less invested in the books overall. That said, I thought the author did an amazing job of taking Kristin through her life and having her grow and evolve in an extremely organic and...more
I loved this trilogy! Last night I finished the this, the last of the trilogy and was profoundly effected by it. I got these three novels from the library, but need to purchase it for my bookshelf, which is reserved for only my favorite books. I tell everyone I can about these novels and how great they are, although no one I have met ever heard of the novels nor the author. Lovely! Wonderful! Profound! Intense!
This is the end of a trilogy, that follows the last stage of Kristin Lavransdatters life. The series as a whole is quite dark with the undercurrent of the trilogy being sin and it's raviging effects on life. It's beautiful to see that in this final book her life comes full circle in the acceptance and understanding of God's mercy and love.
I thought The Cross was better than The Wife but not as good as The Wreath. Like The Wife, Undset got too caught up in debating on if the story was plot-driven or a compilation of short essays about spirituality. I also found Kristin's character unrealistic and overly dramatic. She was not nearly as relatable as she was in The Wreath.
Synopsis:
As her seven sons grow to manhood in 13th Century Norway, Kristin finds her marriage tested by long-simmering resentments, and struggles with her passage into senescence.
Review:
This might be my favorite of all three Kristin Lavransdatter books, because I think Undset is operating at the peak of her narrative powers. She really brings to life a time in Kristin’s life that isn’t as readily appealing as Kristin’s passage into womanhood, and the novelty of Kristin and Erlend’s life together...more
As her seven sons grow to manhood in 13th Century Norway, Kristin finds her marriage tested by long-simmering resentments, and struggles with her passage into senescence.
Review:
This might be my favorite of all three Kristin Lavransdatter books, because I think Undset is operating at the peak of her narrative powers. She really brings to life a time in Kristin’s life that isn’t as readily appealing as Kristin’s passage into womanhood, and the novelty of Kristin and Erlend’s life together...more
The final volume of the Kristin Lavransdatter, detailing the trials of Kristin's latter years in medieval Norway. Kristin's struggles with her husband Erlend, her sons, and her past sins continue, interspersed with the details of daily life and culture in medieval Norway. As in the best historical fiction, Kristin is a creature of her own time and the details of her life, both as the mistress of a manner and the victim of the Black Death, paint a vivid portrait of an era.
This was the best of the three. I think that those with a melancholic temperment have the most to gain in reading the series. The ending message is great for them to hear and experience through Krisitin: that even if they themselves do not see how much the touch other's lives for the better, others do.
I probably would have never read those books if I wasn't currently living in Norway (or I would have given up... It's long!!) but i glad I stick with it as it is a really great way to understand the Norwegian culture. AND i score major points when I tell Norwegian people I read it ;-)
Amazing -- a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and a great book in its own right.
Like the previous novels, it's exceptionally well researched -- a beautiful and unsentimental portrayal of late medieval Scandinavian life, and of one woman's powerful sin and love.
Like the previous novels, it's exceptionally well researched -- a beautiful and unsentimental portrayal of late medieval Scandinavian life, and of one woman's powerful sin and love.
Oh, what a journey. There is so much honesty in these books. What a joy to journey through life with Kristen Lavransdatter. She is lacking in some/many areas and I can see myself in some of them. But she plods along and learns and grows.
My father once spoke of three great female characters in fiction - Kristin Lavransdatter was one. Becky Sharp of Thackeray's Vanity Fair another. I wish I could remember who the third was (not Elizabeth Bennett - not in his opinion, anyway), but I can't. I've two translations of one of the books - read this translator, not the other. Bought the first one at a Little Professor bookstore in Burlington, VT in the late 70s and the manager was very excited to see the book in paperback. That's how muc...more
I loved these books but they work on two levels:
As historical fiction I think they worked terribly well and really evoked the time and the place superbly. After reading two Norwegian authors this year I am seriously looking at visiting.
There is a chick lit element though and while I grew very fond of the heroine she clearly lacked girlfriends to chat to. Her husband wasn't all bad although understandably maddening...but her father he was not. She knew what she’d married and seemed to rather bla...more
The most lovely trilogy I've ever read. Kristin and her family will abide in my thoughts for a very long time. I highly recommend this series.
English readers have only had a readable translation of Undset's trilogy (written in the 1920s) for about a decade which is suprising considering how epic and approachable the story is. The fervent religious feeling is foreign to me, but seems to capture the reality of life in the Middle Ages. It's the matrix that holds Kristin's life together. What impresses most are the moments of emotional honesty and "unsentimentality" (as the introdution says). The characters and readers themselves have exp...more
The entire trilogy was AMAZING...the first and third books were my favorites. However, you have to read the middle to get there!
The third book in the trilogy, and the most introspective for the main character, Kristin Lavransdatter. Beautiful.
An aunt of mine sent me these books when I was quite young (13 ish) or so. I reread them over and over again.
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| The 1700-1939 Boo...: Kristin Lavransdatter 3: The Cross by Sigrid Undset | 1 | 7 | May 18, 2011 12:00am |
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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Nov 07, 2011 06:21am
Nov 07, 2011 07:37am