Kristin Lavransdatter read-along | 2025

[TimeforaGandT]

Following on from The Count of Monte Cristo read-along in the first half of 2025, we are reading Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset for the second half of 2025.

The medieval epic tells the story of a passionate and headstrong woman from childhood in three books : The Wreath, The Wife and The Cross.

It’s a majestic 1124 pages in the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition which has been translated by Tiina Nunnally and this is the edition I am using for page number references. Kudos to anyone who is reading it in the original Norwegian.

There are 67 chapters in total (if I have counted correctly) and the consensus is to read three chapters a week / one every two days with Sundays off. I have ignored the Introduction as part of the read-along as, in my experience, there are often contain spoilers.

Starting on Monday, 7 July our first week looks like this:

The Wreath – Part 1 (Jørundgaard)

Monday / Tuesday – Chapter 1 (pages 5 to 21)
Wednesday / Thursday – Chapter 2 (pages 22 to 37)
Friday / Saturday – Chapter 3 (pages 38 – 47)
Sunday – day off

I will try and tag all those who have previously expressed interest.

Just checked and there is a map - it’s a bit hard to read on the kindle but at least I understand the book’s geography a bit better.

The big Penguin edition has a map at the start which was very useful - could have been a bit more detailed but it was a hand-drawn LOTR style one - still handy though. If I get a sec I’ll post a photo of it.

Here’s the map

The what ifs are endless. I think she would have been more content with Simon, as someone upthread said they could have been big fish in their smaller pond. Her heart was so set on Erlend as she was madly in love with him, but I'm not sure he made her happy that much, and he certainly made her poorer and less popular.

There is a strong hint at the end that actually the best man for her might just have been Ulf, who had an equally unsatisfactory time due to being in love with someone he couldn't have.

I always find it depressing that used up older women go off to the cloister, but accept that to someone of faith this might not seem so bad.

How might her old age have been if she had had some daughters as well as sons, although bearing in mind the ending maybe it wouldn't have made much difference.

I have enjoyed reading the book and the read along with you all. I will probably re read it at some point, and DH wants to read it to as he's very interested in the Norse sagas so it will be interesting to get a male take on it when he gets around to it.

I always find it depressing that used up older women go off to the cloister, but accept that to someone of faith this might not seem so bad.
I think it sounds rather appealing!

We've just booked a holiday to Norway so may reread parts of it while there. I did like some of the descriptions of the physical environment particularly in the first book. I wish I had looked at the map earlier - thanks for sharing.

I also finished this week. Overall, I am really glad I read it, and even though I struggled at times I do think it’s one of those books that will come back to me from time to time. As the mother of three boys, I found her relationship with them interesting. I felt weirdly heartbroken that Naakve and Bjorgulf succumbed to the plague, even though the book has been full of death, often quite sad.

I think for me there were a lot of characters that I couldn’t keep track of and the places got a bit confusing but imi just kept going and sometimes it didn’t seem to matter that much.

Thanks so much for leading @TimeforaGandT and to everyone else for the commentary and thoughts, that’s what makes the readalongs great.

Will start a placeholder for Les Mis in the next few days ready for new year, if people are still up for it and don’t want to re-discuss possible options.

I finished last week and have to say I loved the experience - it was immersive and fast moving and even though the characters were confusing sometimes I will miss Kristin and all her relatives.

I would never have read it were it not for this group so Thank You @TimeforaGandT and everyone on the thread!

@AgualusasL0ver Im definitely still up for Les Mis, in fact have my new copy on its way to me especially in readiness 👍

I thought Naakve’s fate was really sad - like his father, he had been born the oldest son of the estate and he sounded a lot like Erlend. But whereas Erlend had been put first by his parents (to the extreme degree of committing his brother to a monastery in thanks for Erlend recovering from a fever), Erlend didn’t do that to Naakkve & left no grand estate to inherit. In the end Naakkve had to take responsibility for his younger brother by entering the monastery with him, even though he was clearly unsuited to the life (there was the stillborn child before Erlend’s death & the restlessness once he was in the monastery). Then the plague.

However, the fate of the younger boys was much better than expected. Gaute & Jofrid behaved exactly like Kristin & Erlend - only they didn’t lose the respect of their neighbours (although I suspect Gaute would be henpecked both he & Jofrid are clearly capable of running the estate). Ivar made a good marriage very similar to Simon’s first marriage only it sounds happier (I think there was a reference to the twins being fond of Simon). Then Skule seemed to have found the type of work that Erlend enjoyed - only unlike his father he doesn’t have the pressure of running the estate.

I was also pleased that Ramborg’s second marriage sounded happy (& her husband sounded remarkably like Simon).

I don’t think convents were always that bad an option for older women as it allowed them a comfortable retirement & would have been very different to taking vows as a younger person - however I don’t think that Kristin needed to enter the convent as she could have gone to live with Ivar’s family.

I will miss talking about Kristin’s affairs (& might even read some of Sigrid Undset’s earlier books). Looking forward to Les Mis thread should it go ahead.

I felt so sorry for Naakve and Bjorgukf too.. anyone else go down a Black Death rabbit hole? Found myself hoping Gaute and the grandchildren would survive because they were further inland in the valley away from the ports… It’s astonishing how many people perished, they estimate 40-60% of Europe’s population, with some big variances by area…

I have finished! As I resorted mainly to audio I didn’t take as much in as if I’d been reading from the page. I enjoyed the irritation with the daughter in law. I wasn’t fully convinced by the move to the convent.

Thanks Time, Agualusa and everyone for the readalong - it’s such a lovely way to tackle long or challenging books. Sorry to have fallen behind for most of it and not been able to participate much. I don’t think I’d have made it alone, but I am glad to have read it.

The introduction in my copy says ‘a particular poignancy attends the reading of very long novels, especially those which, for all their undeniable charms, you’re unlikely to read again’. Perhaps it’s as well I left this resounding endorsement until after I’d read the book! I can’t see myself ever reading it again but it will keep its place on the bookshelf for sure.

I finished The Cross at the start of December, but was too burnt out by work to post, which I regret!

Thank you so much @TimeforaGandT for your marvellous hosting of the thread, and to everyone for their comments. I was quite a reluctant reader at the beginning, because I saw the saga being heavily praised on some conservative Christian websites, and because I grew up in a rather oppressive branch of Christian evangelicals, I found that a bit triggering (that's just my thing I know!). However, I was very much won over by the saga as it progressed. The third volume was my favourite of the three. Yes, the saga is about religion, but it's also about human relationships and human flaws. I thought it was very interesting to see Kristin go from idealistic young girl to mother to disillusioned wife.

I think the preface to my Penguin edition of the first volume said that Kristin's real sin wasn't sexual sin but the sin of pride. That claim didn't make much sense to me until I read the final volume, and then it did make sense... Kristin and Erlend did care deeply for each other, but they were locked in a kind of battle of wills or standoff, that prevented them from reconciling until it was too late. I found that very poignant (and believable).

I was also gripped by the Black Death plot at the end. Boccaccio's Decameron, which is set at the time of the plague, is one of my favourite books of all time. I hadn't realised that the plague also came to Norway, a bit later than it had hit central Europe. Undset used this historical event in a very interesting way I thought.

Once again I realise how much more I 'get' out of a long book when reading it as part of a read-along. Thank you everyone again!

So glad everyone found this an interesting read after me raving about it for the last few years, it's been so interesting reading your thoughts about it. Didn't know that conservative Christian websites raved about it, I did know Sigrid Undset had a strong faith but for me that seemed period appropriate in this novel. I think living in a nunnery (as a woman of status) was probably a pretty good option for women then. WRT the Black Death, I read The Cross just after I read Connie Willis's Doomsday Book so was deep into the Black Death at the time. All of Europe was affected in the 14th century except Iceland.

Yes, you were right @JaninaDuszejko ! I'm grateful to have joined the read-along despite my initial scepticism.

At some point I'd like to read some of the Norse sagas that Undset drew upon.

Sorry, I have been slow to return to this thread after everyone has finished. Thank you to those who originally recommended the book for the read along (as I had never heard of it) and to all those who participated. I expect some of my comments below are repeating what I may have said earlier in the thread - sorry.

I am really pleased to have read it although it waxed and waned (not helped by the longer chapters than some read along books). Kristin was a believable character who developed throughout the books who made mistakes but also showed great strength of character. I could have done with less of her angsting over her sin but recognise that religion was a key part of life (but still can't get over how slack the convent were in looking after her). She was very much defined in her roles as daughter, lover/wife and mother. She probably felt she failed at least some of the time! I think her boys failed her in the end as she essentially felt she had to leave the estate which was all wrong as generational living was definitely going on amongst some of the other minor characters who were referenced.

What can I say about Erlend? Whilst he undoubtedly behaved badly on many occasions and could be extremely annoying, he did have some redeeming features notably not bearing a grudge. However, my favourite character was Simon (barring his age gap relationship) as he was a good friend to Kristin.