You will become sullied too if you allow yourself to sink into it. Oh my! A holy Franciscan friar counsels her:ĭear sister-all other love is merely a reflection of the heavens in the puddles of a muddy road. Unbeknownst to her loving father, she is already pregnant by her lover at age 17.

She wears the bridal wreath as if she was a maiden. Whoever does in novels? The first novel ends with her marriage to the knight Erlend. At the time, she was betrothed to a steady, dependable farmer who she did not want to marry. She is blamed, although blameless, and sent to a convent in Oslo where she is seduced by a knight of questionable character who is ten years her senior. The Wreath tells the story of her reaching puberty, almost being raped by a very bad priest, and loving (emotionally) a young friend who is murdered. This part of the trilogy opens in 1306 Norway when Kristin's little more than a toddler and continues through to her young womanhood-so this is her coming of age story. But it’s not good when you think something’s not right because you don’t dare do it.” - Sigrid Undset, The Wreath The Books “It’s a good thing when you don’t dare do something if you don’t think it’s right. The complete work originally composed in Norwegian is actually three novels with some wonderful insights: The novel follows her life through her seduction, marriage, motherhood, the marriage of her sons and her death in a convent while nursing the victims of the plague. Kristin Lavransdatter (‘Kristin, Lavrans daughter) is a 1920s novel that follows its protagonist Kristin from her time as a little girl growing up in a loving family of farmers in medieval Norway to her death about 1,000 pages later. I want to read it and will report upon completion! She also wrote a highly praised biography ofĬatherine of Siena. In fact, Sigrid Undset, a Norwegian and Danish author, converted to Catholicism the year after she completed this trilogy. Loved this book and Sigrid Undsets ability to bring this world and its characters to life.

I think it is helpful to remember that this book is about a different time and a different place. I thought, perhaps there are some Vikings wandering around our parish. ― Sigrid Undset, The Cross I included a quote from the original language of Kristn Lavransdatter, that is, Norwegian. Så blev allting borta i en mörkröd dimma och ett brus, som först tilltog skrämmande, men så dog dånet småningom bort, och den röda dimman blev tunnare och ljusare, och till sist var den som ett lätt morgondis, innan solen bryter igenom, och det var alldeles ljudlöst, och hon visste att nu dog hon -” TOT- Theology of the Body- Dating & Marriage.

Kristin undset