O. E. Rølvaag (1876–1931)

The saga of Norwegian immigrants by O. E. Rolvaag entitled Giants in the Earth is truly a heroic epic of the settling of the upper plains. Rolvaag keeps his narrative focused on the family of Per Hansa with his long-suffering wife Beret and four children, And-Ongen, Store-Hans, Ole and Peder Victorious. The last of the children is born in their plains home while the others take part in the trek from Minnesota with which the novel begins. More than this family and their neighbors who form the show more new plains settlement, the earth itself is the main character of this story. From the opening moments the narrative is alive with the sounds and colors that surround the immigrant family and the impact of nature and the earth continue to influence their lives throughout the book.

Filled with the vicissitudes of a life on the frontier, the novel celebrates the life of the family and community as they overcome each of the challenges they face. Notable among the difficulties are the emotional problems of Beret as she comes to terms with her anxieties and fears in this rough community on the edge of civilization. Her story highlights the internal struggles of Per Hansa and his family and underlies the narrative of their interaction with the community at large. I have enjoyed this novel again and again ever since I read it as a teenager. Rereading it today I am somewhat reminded of The Good Earth by Pearl Buck which also depicts the influence of the earth on the life of a family. Giants in the Earth is a magnificent portrayal of pioneer human achievement. show less

Volume One of Giants in the Earth was published in Norway in 1924. The second volume was published a year later. Vern Lewis Parrington (editor) wrote an introduction. Rolvaag wrote the foreword. Forty-six pages later we begin the story...Per Hansa is moving his family from Minnesota to the the Great Plains of the Dakota Territory in the hopes of putting down roots.
A lot of comments have been made about Beret and her mental illness. Her uncontrolled fear of the Midwest was justified. She was show more in a strange land without the comfort of true community. There was an underlying fear of Indians - fear and fascination in equal measure. I am reminded of the 10,000 Maniacs' song, "Gold Rush Brides" written by Natalie Merchant. The lines, "The land was free and the prices was right", and "Who were the homestead wives? Who were the gold rush brides? Does anybody know?...Accounts of madness, childbirth, loneliness, and grief" are particularly poignant. When Beret uncovers an evil secret wrongdoing her husband committed she starts to question their entire relationship. She fears that evil everywhere and her husband seems oblivious to her growing concerns. No one in the community notices her distress until it is beyond breaking. They even make fun of her nonsense. Were they distracted by opportunity? Were they preoccupied with adversities such as the strain of long, harsh winters and plagues of locusts in the summers? Did they want to slough off their old world identities identities in the new world by choosing new names? The question becomes how does one honor traditions of Norway while forging a new existence in America? show less

I read this book because my aunt told me it was my grandfather's favorite book. It had been described as an adult version of little house on the prairie, and I think that's a fine description. Originally written in Norwegian Rolvaag writes in a very attractive manner quite different from his contemporaries. He writes a lot more how people talk a lot less of ":We need to harvest the potatoes,' said Per Hands" and a lot more "Per Hands said they needed to harvest the potatoes" sometimes it show more took 20 pages to describe events of an hour and sometimes 6 years passed in two paragraphs. I really fell in love with these characters and their struggle to make it on the edge of the prairie in North Dakota. I particularly felt for Beret the mentally ill wife of our PROTAGONIST Per Hansa, thought they didn't call he mentally ill back then. My biggest disappointment was the ending. Only further increased the predjudice that Norwegians can never be happy and have to find a way to be depressed. I also would have preferred if I had read the original first edition published as two separate books, the nearly 600 page omnibus became a bit unruly. show less

This was beautifully evocative of the 1870's prairie life of Norwegian-American immigrants in the Dakota Territories in the 1870's. Although there are lots of hardships to overcome and there is an ever increasing tension between the depressed inner life of the wife Beret and the can-do exuberance of her husband Per Hansa there wasn't enough real drama and suspense until the final "The Great Plain Drinks the Blood of Christian Men and is Satisfied." Previously each crisis seemed to be show more bypassed relatively easily and several years of locust plagues pass by in only a few pages. But in the last section the life and death stakes are more nakedly on display. show less