This is my favourite novel, and I love all three parts equally. I have read it a few times in both English translations, the old one by Archer and Scott and the new one by Tina Nunnally. Most critics don't like the old translation because it its written in archaic 'cod mediaeval' English. and prefer the new one because it is in plain modern English, but I prefer the old one because it is so atmospheric. I have often wondered which of the two English translations a Norwegian would prefer, and whether the original is in modern or archaic Norwegian. One thing I like about the book is that it tries to get into the 14th century mindset, and makes no concessions to the times we are living in. I think the modern translation is too politically correct at times in a way that Erlend would never have been.
Thanks for this! I do in general like new translations, but that is often just for the readability of it. I still think back on the time where I read this and I might just read it again some day. At least the first book. I think the translators would have to work very hard not to make Erlend obnoxious..
I read this book when I was 13 or 14. I actually liked it, especially the first book. I remember that the whole romance between them was very exciting and so problematic at the same time. I liked the second and third book too but I agree it became a bit hard to read. A lot of self pitting on Kristen’s part and Erland proves himself to be such a cad. Still a great book. Thank you for the review.
Beautiful book review! I believe that Sigrid had just converted to Catholicism before writing this trilogy, or perhaps she was in the process of converting so your comment about her relationship with God was apt. I love the books very much, and even more as I get older, but I really dislike most of the characters, and their decisions. My favorite comment you made was “he was kind of a jerk,” yes indeed! Thank you for your review, it’s especially nice hearing the opinion of someone that lives in Norway, and is more familiar with the landmarks.
Thank you! Interesting. I have to read more about Undset in the future. The characters are just all so hopeless.. With few exceptions. This is one of those books I felt the advantage of knowing the area.
Readers might enjoy the novels more if you read them one novel at a time. Buy them one novel at a time so you are not intimidated by 1,000 pages! That is how I enjoyed these amazing novels!!!
Well that is a kind of complex questions. In many ways I still dont consider myself as being a bookworm, but I read a lot (in my opinion) of books these days. I decided to try and read as much as I could and then I created this channel so I could be held accountable for continuing reading. Maybe not the most common route to reading.. I would say that its at this time equally amounts of habit and enjoyment maybe, but that is just because I have chosen to read books that are "heavier" than what I might enjoy the most. But I basically read whenever I have the time. ua-cam.com/video/sn07IctoBt4/v-deo.html I made this video in August last year. Even though it some time since its release it might answer your question :) Thank you for watching!
I read this book for the first time when I was 13 and have never been able to get all of the three parts since. I am listening to an audio-book now. It is more a woman's book than a man's. Both as a teen and now as a middle aged adult, I can very much relate to the issues of passion, duty, trying to do right, failing...etc. Basically, human problems. A universal sentiment, probably as correct in 14th century Norway as today is, women falling for "bad boys" because they are exciting and have a good line of B***S***. A number of my female friends have had this pattern in their lives. Personally, I am different and choosing less exciting but stable, hardworking men has been good for me. I would choose Simon, the man Kristin rejected, and my best friend would choose Erland. LOL! As a woman I very much feel the Kristin's emotions and those of other women in the book. The other things I love in the book are the descriptions of the rural life, land and mountains. I was born and raised in central Idaho in an area that was heavily settled by Finnish people because the landscape resembles Finland. I know Finland isn't Norway but I think there are similarities the natural beauties. The descriptions of the land and nature in the book have a deep impression on me. (The movie Dr. Zhivago which was partly filmed in Finland, has a similar effect. They were not allowed to film in Soviet Russia so some scenes were filmed in Finland.)
I think you are right. I think Undset knew how recognizable these situations and issues would feel for the women in her time but also for women that had lived before. And for us that read this story now, we know that there are some really timeless themes to this one. I also truly enjoyed the descriptions of both the cities and the more rural landscapes.
@@becomingabookworm I am still listening to the audiobook chapters I recently found on UA-cam. The deeper I go into it, the more I deeply feel Kristen's romantic problems. I am a child of the 60's and the product of small towns. That was the decade of "sex, drugs & Rock N' Roll" but for many of us, old fashioned morals were very much taught. Women instinctively want to nurture, to be loyal and to have permanent relationships. A lot of men are not looking for those same attributes. Since I have read the book a couple times before, I know that Erland is basically no good. His known background from the start indicates he is poor husband material. But he is exciting and handsome and says the right things. Kristen enters into conflict with her loving and until then, happy family. The underlying theme is how a woman deals with all these things, how she feels about herself and how she looks back and sorts it all out when she knows she has made some big mistakes along the way. A lot of my female friends did not want to lead the stable life I had married to older businessmen. (Several marriages, all till death did part.) My friends had some exciting partners and some deep regrets and now in older age, look back and contemplate the good and the bad.
@@annalisette5897 Since you have read it before, what would you say is the biggest difference reading this a second/third time around? I have never really reread anything, and I am curious of what this novel might turn into if I choose to read it one more time in some years. I regularly think about at the time I spent reading this.
@@becomingabookworm I read it first when I was 13 and it was an historical romance. I read it again in my 30's and religious aspects were more clear. At that time I had become Catholic. Until recently I have had some rather ancient religious beliefs, some of which I got from reading books like this. I am surprised about the things I found listening to the audiobooks. Though it is a great book I have wondered what made it worthy of the Nobel Prize. The author actually tackles universal women's issues that have only made an impression upon me now because of societal changes. Without society addressing these issues, I wouldn't notice these things even with a third reading. For instance after Erland and Kristin are officially betrothed, he forced her to have s*x. Well, he didn't exactly force her but she said no and he had his way anyway. Modern laws say, "when she says no, it's r*pe". That applies to established relationships and marriage. In the book Kristin pays the price as she is pregnant and feeling very ill when she is married. As usual, a woman suffers and bears the blame. She cannot share her miseries with anyone because she will be blamed for not behaving properly. And on Kristin's wedding night, we get a glimpse of marital difficulties between Kristin's parents. Before marriage her mother had been r*ped by a drunken man and she quickly married Lavrans in case she might be pregnant. She did not know if her first child was his or that of the r*pist. When that child, a son died, she thought it was punishment for her sins, but she had not sinned. She was known for having a serious, somewhat unfriendly disposition in general but in reality, she had pulled into herself to deal with past mistreatment. The parts of the book you did not enjoy, as I recall, have to do with Kristin making the best life she can while living with the knowledge that she had hurt her parents and her husband, though still immensely attractive, was a jerk. After years of struggle to raise her children and make her life work out, when she could get some rest and peace, the Black Death took her life. And like I mentioned before, there is the good girl attracted to the bad boy theme. A lot of these themes were still very much present in my young life. Especially that women are held responsible for being anything less than s*xually pure. Pregnancy was the biological punishment and if the baby was illegitimate, the innocent child could also be punished. I mentioned my religious beliefs. I have had serious medical issues most of my life and sought miracles through religion. Lacking miracles, I could offer to God all suffering to ease the suffering Body of Christ. Over many years I also planned to someway do medical research. At this time I have the ability to aid research but am very disabled with chronic, severe, genetic migraine like my mother had. God has given me everything but allows me to be too disabled to use my resources for good. The religious formula begins with Original Sin, all are sinners, trust God to use bad things for His glory. In short, give thanks to God for being allowed to suffer for the Body of Christ and trust God to let others follow will and instructions after my death. Or leave my resources to the church or charities and let God sort it out. This is the sort of ancient thought we see in the book. The church is struck by lightning and burns down. Kristin asks the priest if her sins caused the fire and the priest tells her to drop her pride, that God would not burn a church to punish her for her filthy life. Kristin was frightened and needed emotional support and this was equal to being slapped across the face and disregarded when she had suffered so long in silence. Anyway, personally I no longer believe God wants us to be helpless and to wallow in pain and suffering. My situation has not changed but I was headed for a deep emotional depression when my thoughts circled around Original Sin, all are sinners, we deserve nothing...... It all eventually becomes like superstition. There are overwhelmingly bad things in the world that even in this century, cannot be fixed. We are helpless against these sorts of things........Christ suffered for sinners........we should embrace suffering.....and God has a lot of mysteries..... In the book we see Kristin's mother agonizing over her firstborn that died. The death took happiness from the home for decades and the mother wondered if her sins had caused the death. As I recall, Kristin had similar worries when her first child was born. As a counterpoint to all these things, there is the lady Aashild is the counterpoint to the main story. She apparently tried to live a good life but things went wrong and she became more independent. She is a wise woman, knowledgeable about herbs and folk healing. Because society is not enlightened enough to understand such things, some think she is a witch and she exists on the fringes of decent society. I have used * in some words so that they are not spelled out. One of my hobbies is true crime and at least on those videos, algorithms will harm channels where words like that appear. Especially the R-word. Since this is a UA-cam algorithm, I suspect a book channel such as yours could also suffer for these words. God may or may not watch our every move so He can decide if we deserve purgatory, hell or heaven....... But artificial intelligence, CCTV and algorithms are trying very hard to take His place. When the algorithm declares purgatory, it can be difficult for the channel. Hell is when a channel gets de-platformed and sent into outer darkness. LOL!
Thanks for this thorough respons! I believe that the main motivation behind Undset getting the Nobel Prize was based on her efforts to collect historical information about Norway and Scandinavia from when Kristin Lavransdatter is set. At least that is what I have read. Reading your comment only makes me sure that it won´t be boring reading this again. I feel like I have forgotten so much already. Thanks for considering the almighty algorithm! I am pretty sure that your the first to comment the word "purgatory" on my channel 😅
This is my favourite novel, and I love all three parts equally. I have read it a few times in both English translations, the old one by Archer and Scott and the new one by Tina Nunnally. Most critics don't like the old translation because it its written in archaic 'cod mediaeval' English. and prefer the new one because it is in plain modern English, but I prefer the old one because it is so atmospheric. I have often wondered which of the two English translations a Norwegian would prefer, and whether the original is in modern or archaic Norwegian. One thing I like about the book is that it tries to get into the 14th century mindset, and makes no concessions to the times we are living in. I think the modern translation is too politically correct at times in a way that Erlend would never have been.
Thanks for this! I do in general like new translations, but that is often just for the readability of it. I still think back on the time where I read this and I might just read it again some day. At least the first book. I think the translators would have to work very hard not to make Erlend obnoxious..
Wow!! I’m impressed!!
I read it when I was 17, and again when I was 41. Am now reading Olav Audunssøn i Hestviken. Very enjoyable!!
Wow! I don´t think Ill reread it any time soon, but who knows.. Olav Audunssøn I have not read so thanks for the tip!
Nice information
Thanks :)
I read this book when I was 13 or 14. I actually liked it, especially the first book. I remember that the whole romance between them was very exciting and so problematic at the same time. I liked the second and third book too but I agree it became a bit hard to read. A lot of self pitting on Kristen’s part and Erland proves himself to be such a cad. Still a great book.
Thank you for the review.
Cool! I think this read will live in my head for a long time. Thansk for watching!
Beautiful book review! I believe that Sigrid had just converted to Catholicism before writing this trilogy, or perhaps she was in the process of converting so your comment about her relationship with God was apt. I love the books very much, and even more as I get older, but I really dislike most of the characters, and their decisions. My favorite comment you made was “he was kind of a jerk,” yes indeed! Thank you for your review, it’s especially nice hearing the opinion of someone that lives in Norway, and is more familiar with the landmarks.
Thank you! Interesting. I have to read more about Undset in the future. The characters are just all so hopeless.. With few exceptions. This is one of those books I felt the advantage of knowing the area.
Readers might enjoy the novels more if you read them one novel at a time. Buy them one novel at a time so you are not intimidated by 1,000 pages!
That is how I enjoyed these amazing novels!!!
That might work for some. I tend to read the big ones faster than small ones (if you count Pages pr day) but that is so I know I will finish.
And the mine one too!
How did you become a bookworm? Did you cultivate a habit and enjoyment of reading? And if so, how?
Well that is a kind of complex questions. In many ways I still dont consider myself as being a bookworm, but I read a lot (in my opinion) of books these days. I decided to try and read as much as I could and then I created this channel so I could be held accountable for continuing reading. Maybe not the most common route to reading..
I would say that its at this time equally amounts of habit and enjoyment maybe, but that is just because I have chosen to read books that are "heavier" than what I might enjoy the most. But I basically read whenever I have the time.
ua-cam.com/video/sn07IctoBt4/v-deo.html I made this video in August last year. Even though it some time since its release it might answer your question :)
Thank you for watching!
I just started this book that's been on my shelves for 15 years. Now Im not so sure I should have started. 😂
Hope it picks up for you soon 😅
I read this book for the first time when I was 13 and have never been able to get all of the three parts since. I am listening to an audio-book now.
It is more a woman's book than a man's. Both as a teen and now as a middle aged adult, I can very much relate to the issues of passion, duty, trying to do right, failing...etc. Basically, human problems. A universal sentiment, probably as correct in 14th century Norway as today is, women falling for "bad boys" because they are exciting and have a good line of B***S***. A number of my female friends have had this pattern in their lives. Personally, I am different and choosing less exciting but stable, hardworking men has been good for me. I would choose Simon, the man Kristin rejected, and my best friend would choose Erland. LOL!
As a woman I very much feel the Kristin's emotions and those of other women in the book.
The other things I love in the book are the descriptions of the rural life, land and mountains. I was born and raised in central Idaho in an area that was heavily settled by Finnish people because the landscape resembles Finland. I know Finland isn't Norway but I think there are similarities the natural beauties. The descriptions of the land and nature in the book have a deep impression on me. (The movie Dr. Zhivago which was partly filmed in Finland, has a similar effect. They were not allowed to film in Soviet Russia so some scenes were filmed in Finland.)
I think you are right. I think Undset knew how recognizable these situations and issues would feel for the women in her time but also for women that had lived before. And for us that read this story now, we know that there are some really timeless themes to this one. I also truly enjoyed the descriptions of both the cities and the more rural landscapes.
@@becomingabookworm I am still listening to the audiobook chapters I recently found on UA-cam. The deeper I go into it, the more I deeply feel Kristen's romantic problems. I am a child of the 60's and the product of small towns. That was the decade of "sex, drugs & Rock N' Roll" but for many of us, old fashioned morals were very much taught. Women instinctively want to nurture, to be loyal and to have permanent relationships. A lot of men are not looking for those same attributes.
Since I have read the book a couple times before, I know that Erland is basically no good. His known background from the start indicates he is poor husband material. But he is exciting and handsome and says the right things. Kristen enters into conflict with her loving and until then, happy family. The underlying theme is how a woman deals with all these things, how she feels about herself and how she looks back and sorts it all out when she knows she has made some big mistakes along the way.
A lot of my female friends did not want to lead the stable life I had married to older businessmen. (Several marriages, all till death did part.) My friends had some exciting partners and some deep regrets and now in older age, look back and contemplate the good and the bad.
@@annalisette5897 Since you have read it before, what would you say is the biggest difference reading this a second/third time around? I have never really reread anything, and I am curious of what this novel might turn into if I choose to read it one more time in some years. I regularly think about at the time I spent reading this.
@@becomingabookworm I read it first when I was 13 and it was an historical romance. I read it again in my 30's and religious aspects were more clear. At that time I had become Catholic. Until recently I have had some rather ancient religious beliefs, some of which I got from reading books like this.
I am surprised about the things I found listening to the audiobooks. Though it is a great book I have wondered what made it worthy of the Nobel Prize. The author actually tackles universal women's issues that have only made an impression upon me now because of societal changes. Without society addressing these issues, I wouldn't notice these things even with a third reading.
For instance after Erland and Kristin are officially betrothed, he forced her to have s*x. Well, he didn't exactly force her but she said no and he had his way anyway. Modern laws say, "when she says no, it's r*pe". That applies to established relationships and marriage.
In the book Kristin pays the price as she is pregnant and feeling very ill when she is married. As usual, a woman suffers and bears the blame. She cannot share her miseries with anyone because she will be blamed for not behaving properly.
And on Kristin's wedding night, we get a glimpse of marital difficulties between Kristin's parents. Before marriage her mother had been r*ped by a drunken man and she quickly married Lavrans in case she might be pregnant. She did not know if her first child was his or that of the r*pist. When that child, a son died, she thought it was punishment for her sins, but she had not sinned. She was known for having a serious, somewhat unfriendly disposition in general but in reality, she had pulled into herself to deal with past mistreatment.
The parts of the book you did not enjoy, as I recall, have to do with Kristin making the best life she can while living with the knowledge that she had hurt her parents and her husband, though still immensely attractive, was a jerk. After years of struggle to raise her children and make her life work out, when she could get some rest and peace, the Black Death took her life.
And like I mentioned before, there is the good girl attracted to the bad boy theme.
A lot of these themes were still very much present in my young life. Especially that women are held responsible for being anything less than s*xually pure. Pregnancy was the biological punishment and if the baby was illegitimate, the innocent child could also be punished.
I mentioned my religious beliefs. I have had serious medical issues most of my life and sought miracles through religion. Lacking miracles, I could offer to God all suffering to ease the suffering Body of Christ. Over many years I also planned to someway do medical research. At this time I have the ability to aid research but am very disabled with chronic, severe, genetic migraine like my mother had. God has given me everything but allows me to be too disabled to use my resources for good. The religious formula begins with Original Sin, all are sinners, trust God to use bad things for His glory. In short, give thanks to God for being allowed to suffer for the Body of Christ and trust God to let others follow will and instructions after my death. Or leave my resources to the church or charities and let God sort it out.
This is the sort of ancient thought we see in the book. The church is struck by lightning and burns down. Kristin asks the priest if her sins caused the fire and the priest tells her to drop her pride, that God would not burn a church to punish her for her filthy life. Kristin was frightened and needed emotional support and this was equal to being slapped across the face and disregarded when she had suffered so long in silence.
Anyway, personally I no longer believe God wants us to be helpless and to wallow in pain and suffering. My situation has not changed but I was headed for a deep emotional depression when my thoughts circled around Original Sin, all are sinners, we deserve nothing...... It all eventually becomes like superstition. There are overwhelmingly bad things in the world that even in this century, cannot be fixed. We are helpless against these sorts of things........Christ suffered for sinners........we should embrace suffering.....and God has a lot of mysteries.....
In the book we see Kristin's mother agonizing over her firstborn that died. The death took happiness from the home for decades and the mother wondered if her sins had caused the death. As I recall, Kristin had similar worries when her first child was born.
As a counterpoint to all these things, there is the lady Aashild is the counterpoint to the main story. She apparently tried to live a good life but things went wrong and she became more independent. She is a wise woman, knowledgeable about herbs and folk healing. Because society is not enlightened enough to understand such things, some think she is a witch and she exists on the fringes of decent society.
I have used * in some words so that they are not spelled out. One of my hobbies is true crime and at least on those videos, algorithms will harm channels where words like that appear. Especially the R-word. Since this is a UA-cam algorithm, I suspect a book channel such as yours could also suffer for these words. God may or may not watch our every move so He can decide if we deserve purgatory, hell or heaven....... But artificial intelligence, CCTV and algorithms are trying very hard to take His place. When the algorithm declares purgatory, it can be difficult for the channel. Hell is when a channel gets de-platformed and sent into outer darkness. LOL!
Thanks for this thorough respons!
I believe that the main motivation behind Undset getting the Nobel Prize was based on her efforts to collect historical information about Norway and Scandinavia from when Kristin Lavransdatter is set. At least that is what I have read.
Reading your comment only makes me sure that it won´t be boring reading this again. I feel like I have forgotten so much already.
Thanks for considering the almighty algorithm! I am pretty sure that your the first to comment the word "purgatory" on my channel 😅