For the read-a-long of Kristin Lavransdatter (organized by Richard of Caravana de Recuerdos and Emily of Evening All Afternoon), we’re reading a book a month. Last month, I posted my thoughts on the first book, The Wreath. This month we’re focusing on book two, The Wife.
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of finishing the entire book before I wrote up my thoughts on The Wife. Therefore, this will be brief.
The Wife can be summed up like this:
Kristin has a baby boy
She has another baby boy.
And another.
And whoa. Twins. Twin boys.
And then she has another baby. And you guessed it. It’s a boy.
I might be off on where the twins fall in that chronology, but you get the idea.
In between all of Kristin’s fertile myrtle-ness, she whips Erlend’s neglected homestead into shape. By the standards of the Middle Ages, Kristin turns out to be quite the wife…she’s competent, she can bear children, and she’s pious.
Thing is, she’s also a bit of a shrew. And normally, I’d resist using that term, because it’s also used to describe and belittle unshrewlike women. But in this case, I’m afraid it’s apropos. Kristin does not forgive. Except, oh wait, she does, later on when you least expect it.
Part 2 was my least favorite of the three books that constitute Kristin Lavransdatter. I felt it was about 5 kids too long.
Apologies for the lameness of this write-up, but check back at the end of December for my final thoughts.
I’ve never heard of this series before, which kind of surprises me. But I’m not sure if it’s for me, either. Will wait to hear your December thoughts, I guess!
.-= Aarti´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: Random Thoughts =-.
OMG, I know – babies, babies, babies… It cracked me up when, in the middle of a fight and after smacking Kristin, Erland exclaims, “We keep having all these children!!” Dude, what were you expecting?
Can’t wait for your Dec. thoughts.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife =-.
Boy, I’m glad times have changed!
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review: Wishin’ and Hopin’ =-.
It’s definitely funny!
.-= mee´s last blog ..Book Awards Challenge III Completed! =-.
The Wife slowed me down, too…so much so that I took a break before reading the third book. The break has lasted three years now – I really need to read that last book!
.-= JoAnn´s last blog ..TSS: Holiday Weekend Wrap-Up and A Look Ahead =-.
You missed one baby boy, Jill! Lol.
.-= claire´s last blog ..Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry =-.
LOL, short but hilarious. And I’m also surprised your summary didn’t include all the crying – mine would have looked like:
- She has a baby boy.
- She cries.
- She sobs.
- She has a baby boy.
- She feels really guilty.
- She cries.
- Rinse and repeat.
.-= Emily´s last blog ..Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife =-.
Alas, the more I read about this book, the less I feel inclined to ever read it! I also wonder if the religious contemplation and description of medieval Norway is really enough to counter all this other stuff so as to make the book deserving of the Nobel… This sounds like one of those books where I’m quite honestly surprised that it’s stood the test of time!
.-= Steph´s last blog ..The end of our first blogiversary =-.
Straight and to the point! I love it.
I’m still working on my Kristin post and it’s already gotten horribly long.
.-= EL Fay´s last blog ..(Very Brief) Hiatus =-.
I’ve got one or two of the books in this series. Naturally, I have buried them. Maybe that’s not a bad thing.
.-= Bookfool, aka Nancy´s last blog ..One day I tripped and, sadly, my personality leaked out and rolled down the hill =-.
Softdrink, I think Undset wrote this book the way she did to make each reader suffer through the same torments “poor Kristin” did…through lack of entertainment. Unfortunately, it’s working! I’m planning on reading part three a chapter or two a day rather than in big doses, and I hope the daily dollop of literary castor oil will help me from hating the book quite as much as I have so far. Ugh.
.-= Richard´s last blog ..Kristin Lavransdatter II: The Wife =-.
I just finally got my post up today and am getting to reading all the participants’ thoughts on the second part of KL.
You are right, it got to where I was also thinking “another baby?!” throughout the book, although I know they had no real birth control back then. Why did Undset decide to have Kristin have all boys? Yes, that can happen in families; but why here?!
.-= Valerie´s last blog ..Read-Along: “Kristin Lavransdatter, Part II: The Wife” =-.
Thank you for the laugh with this one!!!
.-= Jenners´s last blog ..FreeVerse: Poems For My Dad =-.
I really, really need to read this book. As a matter of fact I think I had read it before when I was about 16 in Polish translation and I loved it then but after a while I couldn’t remember the title and it’s been gnawing at me for the longest time. If this book is what I think it is (and I’m 99% certain it is) I will be one very very happy camper.
.-= lilly´s last blog ..Show Me 5 Saturday =-.