I respect him too much to defy his words of wisdom. Rather, it is meant to be slowly unraveled with the turning of each page. One of my favorite college professors warned against letting anybody spoil this story. Who would be so foolish not to accept pain and torment if this was the way to a faithful and steadfast bridegroom who waits with open arms, his breast bloody and burning with love” (page 449). As Gunnulf, one of the priests in the book says, we should “all have the courage to suffer. What will have you turning page after page is the way that Undset dives into the morality of each character, how their conscience informs their choices, and how they transform over time. It is about kinship and family lineage, exhilarating passion, betrayal, scandal, breathtaking Norwegian landscape, motherhood in its rawest form, holding grudges, learning how to get over our ego and ask for forgiveness, free will, and opening one’s heart to receive mercy. It is a medieval story complete with elf maidens, chieftains, hearth, and home. What is unique about this novel is how it invites you into a deep experience of the human heart.

The Humanity and the Holy in Kristin Lavransdatter But neither is confronting our sin or receiving undeserved mercy. I’d be lying if I told you that picking up this book would be an easy undertaking. (Author Sigrid Undset donated all of her prize money to charity.) It combines her novels, The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross, c omplete with maps of medieval Norway, explanatory notes, and a list of important Norwegian holy days. This Nobel Prize winning trilogy which was published in the 1920s is a historical fiction piece set in fourteenth-century Norway. It is well over 200 pages from the longest book in the Harry Potter series. This is the page count of my copy of Kristin Lavransdatter.