Group read (April): Kristin Lavransdatter Book I, The Wreath

Group Read: Kristin Lavransdatter Book I, The Wreath



Hello, all, and welcome to the group read of Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset! This is the thread for Book I, The Wreath, which we'll be reading during the month of April. Please feel free to share comments, questions, and reviews below! But to avoid spoiling the book for those who are reading it for the first time, please use the spoiler tag like so for any discussion of significant plot points.

To kick things off, I'm curious: what format are you reading this book in? I've got the giant Penguin deluxe edition (pictured above), but I'm thinking an ebook or audio book would probably be a lot easier in terms of portability! Also, what translation are you reading? Are you more excited or intimidated to start on this classic chunkster?

I have the Tina Nunnally translation and I'm going to try to join in.

I have the Penguin deluxe Nunnally translation and have just read the first chapter. Began to read the introduction but seems spoilers are lurking there !

I hope to get started reading this next week. I also have the Nunnally translation.

I couldn't wait and finished the Nunnally edition already. It's a fantastic story! I will lurk until people have finished part one and then chime in.

I got the audiobook edition, narrated by Erin Bennett & translated by Nunnally, last December so I'd like to join in. April is already pretty full for me so it won't be right away.

Am reading a chapter a day, and enjoying the experience of an older time and culture.
Have just read chapter 4 of the 2nd part 'The Wreath', and Kristin has grown into a young woman with serious doubts about the life her parents have planned for her.
Am also enjoying the spare language of the book, suiting the lives of the people surviving and prospering in a testing environment.

I'm reading the Nunnally edition on my e-reader. I've actually finished Book I but will wait until more people have also done so before sharing my thoughts on it. I'll just say that I'm really enjoying the book so far!

Confession: I haven't actually started the book yet! But it's on my nightstand, and I plan to dive into it after I finish my current read. In the meantime, I came across this very interesting Slate article in praise of the trilogy: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2017/01/why_sigrid_undset_author_of_the....

Great article, thanks Christina !

I have finally picked up Kristin Lavransdatter and although I have only read a few pages into the first book the story has already grabbed me. I am looking forward to setting some time aside everyday to read a chapter or so of this book.

So have finished the first book 'The Wreath' and enjoyed Kristen's story so far.

Without spoilers she has traversed childhood, not without family tragedy and controversy.

Great translation and a pleasure to read.

I'm well on my way through The Wreath and enjoying it...still hoping to finish volume 1 before the end of the month!

Late to the party but am starting this today!

I have just completed The Wreath and I am really loving this story. I will probably continue right on with the next part as these characters have become such a part of my daily life.

Woohoo, I finished volume 1 with one day to spare! Here are my thoughts and questions:

- Do you find Kristin a likable character? I do, but I also think she makes a lot of bad decisions!

- I think the central conflict of the novel so far (Kristin's decision to marry Erlend despite her family's objections) is being handled in a very nuanced way. I love that I can see and sympathize with everyone's points of view!

- That said, do you think the marriage between Kristin and Erlend will be successful? I'm leaning toward no, but I'm definitely excited to see how it will play out!

- I love the setting of this novel; I feel like I'm learning a ton about medieval Norway and the Middle Ages generally.

- Do you think we've seen the last of Simon Darre? I hope not...I'm not sure if I like him, but I think he's an interesting character!

As I said above, I am loving this story. I do find Kristin very likable and yes, she has made some bad decisions, but has been sheltered both by her family and by living in a rural valley so that, as well as being young, plays into many of her choices. Personally I think Simon Darre would have been a better husband for her and that Erlend is going to show his unworthiness and disappoint Kristin very soon. I think Erlend is a very selfish man, one who wants what he wants when he wants it but then tires of his newest plaything rather quickly. The episode where he borrowed a cart from Kristin's father and then couldn't be bothered to return it even though he promised that he would shows his character. I also love the setting for this novel, it is refreshing to read about another country rather than England which is so often the setting for historical novels, one tends to forget there were other countries thriving and developing at the same time. As for seeing more of Simon Darre, I certainly hope he is still going to make an appearance or two, I also find him interesting. I can't remember his name, but I wonder if the fellow that attacked Kristin on the road will also turn up again at some point.

I will start by saying that I finished the novel back in January but will try not to spoil anything as I chime in. I absolutely loved the story - the setting, the characters, everything worked well together. When I started, I also thought that Simon would have made a better choice for her but to be honest, as I read on, I began to change my mind. I am rather curious to see how everyone else feels as the story goes on.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I've set up the discussion thread for Book II: http://www.librarything.com/topic/290785. But please continue to discuss Book I here! :)

I have just finished Chapter 7 of part 2 of "The Wreath". Kristin has been at the convent for almost a year and has just told Simon that she loves Erlend. I hope that she isn't making a mistake!

Sadly, the audiobook doesn't include details such as book & part but instead numbers all the chapters of the entire trilogy consecutively so I have no clear idea how far along I am in this first book.

Is anyone else listening to the audiobook? I find some of the Norwegian names and titles hard to take in the first few times I hear them leading to a slight bewilderment at times.

I finished this book today. While I liked the setting (14th century Norway) and the writing, I am less certain that I like the characters, especially Erlend. Now that I have finished, I will go back and look at the spoilers.

>17 DeltaQueen50: Regarding your final question in your spoiler: I thought that the young man who had attacked Kristin on the road was hanged after killing Arne. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had some difficulty with the names in the audio edition so I might have confused two separate characters but that was my impression.

>16 christina_reads: wrote:

- Do you find Kristin a likable character? I do, but I also think she makes a lot of bad decisions!

I liked Kristin at the start but by the end I wasn't so sure. It wasn't her bad decisions so much - those seemed to me mostly what one would expect of a teenaged girl! - but her increasingly responding to situations by trying to ignore her problems outwardly, taking no action or saying nothing, while inwardly fretting about them all the time. I think it started with the attack; in that situation, I could understand her not saying anything (though it was probably a mistake). But for example, once she had decided she wanted to be with Erlend and not marry Simon, she just let the situation drift (hoping that somehow it would miraculously resolve itself?) which led to making things worse.

Erlend, of course, was no help in this regard. I have come to dislike him even more after it is revealed that he "date-raped" (to use an incongruous term) Kristin after Lavrans agreed to the betrothal. I don't think that he is a bad man, in terms of his intentions, but he is inconsiderate and irresponsible. As Judy said in post 17, "he wants what he wants when he wants it". As a ~29 year old man who had already fathered 2 children, he should have known better than to have taken 14-year-old Kristin to that field to spend the night after the dance. In fact, I think he did know better but ignored it because it interfered with what he wanted.

I thought that the scene between Lavrans & his wife Ragnfrid at the end was illuminating!

>23 leslie.98: Totally agree re: Lavrans and Ragnfrid! I find their relationship fascinating and hope it will develop more as the book continues.

>22 leslie.98: Perhaps I missed something, I thought it was said that he managed to escape to Sweden.

As for Kristin's behavior, in those days women were considered the property of whatever man was in control of them at that time. To want to go against the marriage that her father arranged was really stepping out of line. Kristin loved and usually obeyed her father so this wasn't an easy thing for her to do. Of course this vividly shows how Erlend had gained control over her.

>25 DeltaQueen50: Oh, you are probably right!