Book II: The Wife is the second installment of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. I thought the first book was heartrending, but I think the drama has gone up several notches in this book. I couldn’t put it down, but I also struggled with how sad it was. It was a very real and human story, which didn’t gloss things over with romantic notions. And yet, it is still beautiful and romantic, in the true, hard sense of those words. This takes us to book seven in the 24 in 2024 challenge.
Plot summary
We pick up the story where the last book ended, with Kristin taking her place as Erland’s wife on his estate at Husaby. The Wife follows the next ten years of the couple’s life together. They deal with the fall out from the fact that their first child is conceived out of wedlock. Kristin struggles through the hardship of seven close pregnancies, each fraught with danger and pain. She loses people she loves dearly, and watches as her husband drifts away from her.
When Erland is embroiled in political drama, Kristin has a choice. Will she stand by her husband, or head for safety and leave him to accept his fate?
Raw, real and un-put-downable
This book is so raw. Not in its execution, which is (I believe) a literary masterpiece. But in the emotions that it draws out. I enjoyed reading it, but not in a relaxed sort of way. It’s more like watching your favourite drama, where you are tensely invested and can’t look away.
I feel for Kristin. She faces hardship, neglect, loneliness and betrayal. But she isn’t perfect. The Wife also shows her poor response to her husband, family and children. It’s compelling because it feels real. You see flawed characters trying to make it work. They fail. They try again. You just can’t stop reading. It feels incredibly important that they make it through, because if they don’t then everyone is doomed. Which is, of course, not true. But that’s the level of invested you will be when reading this book.
Heartrending drama worth the read
This is very much worth reading. I’m finding this whole series a really engrossing experience. As I progress through the books, I can absolutely see why Undset was given a Nobel Prize for her work. It is truly a master class in crafting stories that speak to the heart of what life is about, while remaining accessible.
The Wife is no Jeeves and Wooster. But it is a fantastic read that will get you thinking and make it impossible for you to put down.
