My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
Kristin Lavransdatter 3: The Cross (Kristin Lavransdatter #3)
The acknowledged masterpiece of the Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian novelist Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter has never been out of print in this country since its first publication in 1927. Its story of a woman's life in fourteenth-century Norway has kept its hold on generations of readers, and the heroine, Kristin—beautiful, strong-willed, and passionate—stands with th...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
April 20th 2011
by Vintage Books
(first published 1922)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
759)
booklady
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011,
classic,
fiction,
historical-fiction,
literature,
must-have,
worth-reading-over-and-over,
favorites
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 ...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 ...more
view all 6 comments
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 ...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 intellectua...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 intellectua...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...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...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...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 encap...more
These books surely have that quality. They read exactly like real life, beautiful, heartbreaking, breathtaking; but somehow they encap...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 sh...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 sh...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 ...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 ...more
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.
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 an...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 an...more
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.
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.
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’...more
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 themselve...more
The entire trilogy was AMAZING...the first and third books were my favorites. However, you have to read the middle to get there!
An aunt of mine sent me these books when I was quite young (13 ish) or so. I reread them over and over again.
Book three in the well-written saga of Kristin Lavransdatter.
What an exquisite and painfully sweet conclusion to the trilogy. By far the best of the three, but they all comprise and are necessary to experience the totality of Kristin's life. Only read Charles Archer's translation, it is poetic and beautiful. Takes a bit to dive into the style, but it is worth the effort for once you are in, you are transported into the time and place of Norway in the 1200/1300s. It is fascinating to see that while the outer trappings of life may have changed through time,...more
A sad conclusion to the trilogy.
the end of the series...
Great!
This book may have been the strongest of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. As Kristin ages, she gains new perspectives on her relationship with her husband and family (still tumultuous) and moves further into the faith that has sustained her. I was surprised at how good this was.
By the way, not a good idea to wait too long between books for those of us who have difficulty remembering extensive family trees (with medieval Norwegian names!)
By the way, not a good idea to wait too long between books for those of us who have difficulty remembering extensive family trees (with medieval Norwegian names!)
The last part of this book gives the entire trilogy so much meaning and resolution. Beautiful and epic.
I don't know if I can handle all of this loss. . .
These books made the summer of 2002(?) for me. Gorgeous & absorbing. Don't read the older translations -- read Tiina Nunnally's. This one's a little rough-going, because you have to watch the heroine die (not a spoiler), but by this time...you're too hooked to stop.
Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 17, as one of Four Novels, among Millions, the Most Incomplete of Lists.
Included in the "Literary Classics" section of Fr. John McCloskey's 100-book Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan.
Included in the "Literary Classics" section of Fr. John McCloskey's 100-book Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan.
Wow, I finally finished! It's very good, but I enjoyed the first two books more - this one had a tendency to drag in places. Probably spread it out a little too far (it took me about four months to read the three volumes).
I liked the first book better than the other two in the trilogy. I think it would have been more impactful on someone who has kids, and has to watch them make their own choices in life.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 1700-1939 Boo...: Kristin Lavransdatter 3: The Cross by Sigrid Undset | 1 | 5 | 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 prai...more
More about Sigrid Undset...
Sigrid Undset received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Most of the prai...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
