A compelling book about love in medieval Norway

Each year, my husband gets me a controversial book for Christmas. I love this tradition, as it is always thought provoking, and is usually out of the norm for what I read. This year, he not only gave me a controversial read (a review on that to come), but he also found a slightly obscure trilogy from Norway. So today we have a review of Kristin Lavransdatter: Book I The Wreath by Sigrid Undset. This is book number two of my 24 in 2024 challenge.

Plot summary

The book opens when our heroine is only eight years old. We follow Kristin as she grows into a young woman, against the backdrop of medieval Norway. Kristin’s father betrothes her to a very suitable man, and she is happy in the prospect of becoming his wife.

However, things begin to unravel when a horrible incident on a dark road shakes her composure. Sent away from home, she meets a man who will come to dominate her world and change the course of her life forever.

A gripping, dramatic tale of medieval Norway

Wow. This book gripped me so much that I had dreams about it. It is beautifully written and reproduces as faithfully as possible to setting of medieval Norway. Nothing of the harshness of that time is glossed over. Nothing that was beautiful from this period is overlooked. The characters stand out, each one sensitively portrayed.

As the first of three books, this ends on a cliffhanger that has got me frothing to read the next book. At the same time, I did find myself wanting to process things between reads as well. So, on the one hand, I am fascinated to learn how the story progresses, but on the other, I need to sit with the first part a bit longer.

Dark and heavy but wonderfully compelling

This book doesn’t shy away from heavy themes. I won’t go into all of them, as that would give too many spoilers. But it’s definitely something to bear in mind, if you’re recommending this to anyone under the age of, say, sixteen. I think this book would appeal to those of a melancholy or romantic frame of mind, who don’t mind things put in a realistic (but not gratuitous) way.

While period accurate, there are things here which are harder to take as a modern reader. For example, when a man tries to force himself onto a character, she is blamed. Her reputation is seen as ruined, despite the fact that she did not want this to happen to her, and fought him fiercely. Women who struggle with infertility are seen as failures (oof). But through all of this is a golden thread of love. Sigrid Undset presents reality while also blending in the sweetness of compassion and the truth of consequences.

I am looking forward to continuing my trip through medieval Norway in the next installment.