
I‘m still only in the middle of Book 2, but I‘m getting some pages in today with lunch and hope to get back in the habit of reading a few pages each evening.
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin #ReadAndEat #SummersEndReadathon
I‘m still only in the middle of Book 2, but I‘m getting some pages in today with lunch and hope to get back in the habit of reading a few pages each evening.
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin #ReadAndEat #SummersEndReadathon
The drama does not let up in this final volume: there‘s jealousy and recrimination, familial estrangement, marital discord and abandonment, violent confrontations over vicious gossip, and as if that wasn‘t enough, Undset throws The Black Plague into the mix at the end.
Which dramatic developments would you like to discuss further?
Is there anything else you‘d like to discuss from The Cross, or from the trilogy as a whole?
#DoorstopKristin #KLBR
Kristin has several spiritual guides/mentors in her life: Brother Edvin; Erlend‘s brother, Gunnulf; the local priests (Sira Eirik in her youth, Sira Eiliv at Husaby), and even her father.
Who or what do you see as influencing Kristin‘s faith most strongly in this final volume of the trilogy?
How has her faith changed over the course of the three books?
Do you see the conclusion to Kristin‘s story as hopeful or tragic?
#DoorstopKristin #KLBR
We see Kristin‘s sons growing up, now presented in this third book as characters in their own right.
How do her sons‘ choices impact Kristin—as a woman and as a mother?
How do her sons affect the choices Kristin makes for herself and her own future?
How does Kristin exemplify or challenge the accepted roles for women in her time?
#DoorstopKristin #KLBR
#KLBR-ers, here we are at the end of Book 3! Congratulate yourself on tackling #DoorstopKristin and THANK YOU for joining me on this epic read!
Kristin Lavransdatter—set in the medieval era, written in the 1920s—is filled with themes that are still relevant today: female desire, marital discord, motherhood, aging.
Which themes resonated for you?
In which ways did the characters‘ struggles feel distant? In which ways did they feel contemporary?
I've reviewed each book in this trilogy but as the final month of the #KLBR winds up, I wanted to review the collection as a whole. I mean this with no hyperbole- this was an earth-shaking read. I'm in awe of the balance of the epic scale and the nuanced specificity of the writing, and how it evoked a bygone time and place yet felt so contemporary and fully human in every struggle and relationship. Conquering this chunkster was worth every minute!
#ChunksterChallenge2025
#AllergictoChunksters
#DoorstopKristen #KLBR
#OffMyShelf
I finished this 1125 page bind-up of all three novels. What a journey! This is the life of a medieval Norwegian woman - from her happy childhood, to her tumultuous courtship and marriage, to her years of motherhood and wifedom, to finally retreat to a nunnery and her death. Undset makes the characters, time and place come alive and feel relevant to the modern reader.
#FridayHappyReadingHour
I‘ve closed the laptop and poured myself an icy virgin G&T 🧊. It‘s HOT 🥵 today.
Then I‘m bound and determined to finish the tagged book on my kindle for #KLBR #DoorstopKristen and Flashman today so I can start fresh for the weekend. 🤞
Middle Ages Norway. Kristin Lavransdatter is the apple of her father‘s eye and he has betrothed her to Simon. But before the wedding, she falls for another man—older, handsome, and a rogue. Stubborn to a fault Kristin refuses anyone but Erland and then pays the price the rest of her life. Headstrong Kristin uses so much emotional energy carrying guilt while also blaming Erland. This trilogy spans from Kristen‘s betrothal to her last breath. ⬇️
I‘ve finished Part 1 of Book 3, and this continues to be so absorbing. My views of each character keep changing—in this section, Simon and Erlend especially—their growth and complexity just deepens as I get further in. Kristin has felt very much in the background during this first part of Book 3, though… I‘m so curious where her path will lead as this trilogy wraps up. How‘s everyone else‘s reading coming along?
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin
Shots fired!!!! And is Arngjerd wrong? Is Simon more honorable than Erlend? I've just finished Book 3, Part 1 and can't get over how into this I am. #KLBR #DoorstopKristin
#TomKitten and I are completely sucked into Book 3 of Kristin. Life back at Jørundgård is bittersweet, as Kristin grapples with memories of the past and the sometimes stark reality of the present. I hope I can stay fully spoiler-free as I continue to read because this is nothing less than gripping and I can't wait for all of the twists as turns as I come closer to the (sadly) inevitable end. I'm so glad I finally took the plunge on this series!
I‘m behind on our readalong, only starting Part 2 of Book 2, but I‘m hoping to have more reading time this month and catch up some.
Also, I love sunset reading in the hammock.
#HammockReading #KLBR #DoorstopKristin
#DoorstopKristin #KLBR Discussion Questions (5/5):
Overall: what is it about these books that keeps you reading (or re-reading!)? Or, if you‘re struggling to get through them: what about the books has been an obstacle to keeping you engaged?
Are there any other themes, scenes, or characters you‘d like to discuss from The Wife?
#KLBR Discussion 4/5:
Kristin‘s faith & her feelings of guilt play a huge role in her motivations here. From the Penguin Reader‘s Guide: “Sigrid Undset said that Kristin‘s greatest sin was not indulging in sex before marriage, but the sin of pride…” Where do you see examples of Kristin‘s pride? Is there a connection between her pride and her feelings of guilt?
What impact do you think Kristin‘s faith has on her actions as a wife? As a daughter?
#DoorstopKristin #KLBR Discussion Questions (3/5):
There are SO many changing relationships to consider in this book, from the marriages (Erlend and Kristin, Lavrans and Ragnfried, Simon and Ramborg) to the family relationships (Erlend and Lavrans, Kristin and Lavrans, Simon and Kristin, Simon and Erlend…).
Which changing relational dynamic stood out to you the most? Which surprised you?
#DoorstopKristin #KLBR Discussion Questions (2/5):
What growth or change do you see in Kristin from The Wreath to The Wife?
Do you see any growth in Erlend? Has your opinion of him changed from The Wreath to The Wife? Why or why not?
Here we are at the end of #DoorstopKristin Book Two! #KLBR Discussion Questions (1/5):
Do you see Kristin and Erlend‘s relational struggles as inevitable? Are their temperaments and backgrounds just a bad fit, or could they have responded differently to each other?
What do you see as the main contributing factors to the breakdown of Kristin and Erlend‘s relationship?
What positive elements (if any!) do you see in Kristin and Erlend‘s marriage?
Still making my way through this audiobook, BUT I finally finished my son's 2024 Christmas ornament! 😂 He requested a tiger beetle. #LitsyCrafters #ShowandTellTuesday
I'll be reading overtime this week to finish Book 2, and just as I'm trying to make some progress, #TomKitten comes along to throw a wrench in the plans. 😂 He may be cute but I did have to shoo him away after I took the picture; the story is too good to stop for long! ##DoorstopKristin #KLBR #CatsOfLitsy
Hello, #DoorstopKristin readers! Our second #KLBR discussion, on Book Two (The Wife/The Mistress of Husaby), will be on Friday, July 31.
I finished book two this week and it was slower-going than book one, but still SO GOOD. Also: equally if not more emotionally rough than book one. These characters live and breathe on the page. Looking forward to discussing this with you all next week!
I loved working on this mostly-edge-piece puzzle while listening to audiobooks (most recently Kristin Lavransdatter) and rewatching "Father Brown" on Hoopla. ?
“Her heart felt as if it were breaking in her breast, bleeding & bleeding, young & fierce. From grief over the warm & ardent love which she had lost and still secretly mourned; from anguished joy over the pale, luminous love which drew her to the farthest boundaries of life on this earth. Through the great darkness that would come, she saw the gleam of another, gentler sun, and she sensed the fragrance of the herbs in the garden at world's end.”⤵️
Made up a little outdoor picnic in the backyard today with some snacks, an old quilt, my #ColeCat and #DoorstopKristin. Book 2 is off to a great start, and by "great" I mean "absolutely infuriating". Erlend is a useless asshole and his estate is a filthy wreck and Kristin cries herself to sleep most nights, but I am still so bought in to this whole world and can't wait to keep going. #KLBR #CatsOfLitsy
Here we are in July, and I‘ve started #DoorstopKristin Book Two: The Wife (The Mistress of Husaby in some editions). This book is so beautifully written, and so emotionally engaging—I‘m enjoying book two just as much as book one.
How is your #KLBR reading coming along? If you‘ve started book two, what are your thoughts so far?
Kristin is determined to marry Erlend, but her emotions shift and change as the marriage approaches. What is your take on Kristin‘s motivation: how much of her ultimate choice to marry Erlend is due to her own desire, and how much is due to the societal/religious pressure she feels?
What do you make of the revelations about Kristin‘s parents and their marriage that we discover at the end of the novel?
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin discussion - 4/4
Several women in the text have transgressed against the moral norms of the time, from Fru Aashild to Erlend‘s mistress, Eline—and as we later discover, even Kristin‘s mother Ragnfrid. Do you think Undset includes these women and their circumstances as simply a mirror of the times, as a moral warning, or as a critique of the expectations placed on women of the time?
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin discussion - 3/4
Kristin struggles between her desire for Erlend and her family‘s (and society‘s) expectations. What role does her personal faith play in this struggle? What role does family play?
Kristin‘s relationship with her father is central in her life, and they are both pained by the rift that results due to Kristin‘s separation from Simon and her desire for Erlend. What role do you see Lavrans playing in Kristin‘s growth?
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin 2/4
What differences do you see between Arne, Simon, and Erlend—and Kristin‘s relationships with each one? Are there any similarities between the three men?
How do the women in Kristin‘s life shape her growth, especially her mother, Ragnfrid and Fru Aashild? What about her sister Ulvhild?
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin discussion - 1/4
Welcome to our first #KLBR discussion, on Kristin Lavransdatter Book One—“The Wreath.” I‘ll tag everyone here, but not in subsequent posts (because long tag lists on Litsy are difficult these days). Questions will be posted separately under spoiler tags. You can find the questions via the #KLBR and #DoorstopKristin tags, on my page, or on the book‘s page.
Also, I‘ll post a couple of resources I found helpful in the comments below.
I'm so close to the end of Book 1 and I need to stop for the night, but I'm so hooked and can't wait to see it close out! I'm loving this book, the characters, the story, this translation, and pretty much everything except Erlend Nikulaussøn because holy red flag, Batman...! Here's me thinking Willoughby is a toxic fuckboy but then comes Sigrid Undset like, "Hold my mead." ??? #KLBR #DoorstopKristin
Hello to my fellow #DoorstopKristin #KLBR readers! Next week, we‘ll be discussing book one: The Wreath. I finished it over the weekend and—ooof! It‘s SO good but emotionally rough! I hope your reading is going well, and I look forward to hearing everyone‘s thoughts next week.
#DoorstopKristin check-in! How‘s your reading going? I‘m moving along steadily—I finished part 2 this week and am finding it so readable. I have to admit that although I feel for her, I‘ve been a little frustrated with Kristin. And I‘m not a fan of Erlend! What are your thoughts on Kristin and Erlend? And Simon? #KLBR
I've read roughly a third of The Wreath and am absolutely loving it. It was admittedly a little slow to start, but then it grabbed me all at once and I flew through several chapters in a row. I love the descriptions of the landscape and the colorful, vivid characters. I'm DYING to know more about Kristin's mother and I can't get enough of Åashild Gautesdatter. I've made myself put it aside for now so that I stay eager to pick it up again tomorrow.
"It's good when you don't dare do something that doesn't seem right," said Fru Aashild with a little laugh. "But it's not so good if you think something isn't right because you don't dare do it."
—from Kristin Lavransdatter, The Wreath
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin
#whereareyoumonday
I am going to be in medieval Norway for the next couple months for #KLBR #DoorstopKristen. Enjoying it a lot, though I know it‘s also at times going to make me sad.
Quick check-in for #KLBR! How is your reading going? What do you think of the story so far?
I've read up through the end of Part 1. I found the first two chapters slow going (though I loved Kristin's interactions with Brother Edvin), but when I got to Chapter 3, I had a hard time putting it down!
And this is indeed #DoorstopKristin--I've been using my reading pillow to prop the huge thing up as I read 😆
#BookSpinBingo has spoken! From the fiction half of my list, my #BookSpin is Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath, and from the nonfiction half of my list, my #DoubleSpin is The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation. Really looking forward to both of these! 😊
@TheAromaofBooks
June reading is gonna keep me busy this time around! In addition to keeping up with the #PemberLittens, I'm really excited to start The Summer Book for #MidsummerSolace and to finally be kicking off the tagged chunkster with the #KLBR. I've never read Undset's classic series but have been eyeing it for years. So LFG!
I‘m starting this audiobook tonight. I‘ve read it before and loved i! And I‘ve even been to the author‘s hometown Lillehammer, Norway and took photos of her statue. So I‘m excited about the #LavransdatterBuddyRead #BuddyRead with @BarbaraJean
This was an insert that the Book of the Month Club included when they published their special printing of this book (I‘m still trying to figure out when they published it.) I think it‘s helpful to read this if you‘re struggling at the beginning of the novel.
@BarbaraJean #KLBR
June is almost here, so I‘ve pulled out #DoorstopKristin and am gearing up to dive in on Sunday for #KLBR. I‘ve got my emotional support dumpster fire on hand just in case. Looking forward to reading along with all of you! What editions are you all reading? Single volume or individual books?
deracinate: (verb) uproot someone from their natural geographical, social, or cultural environment
An interesting word found as I was reading the introduction to the tagged book.
#WeirdWords #WeirdWordWednesday #KLBR
I‘m getting a head start on this book while I‘ve got some time this week, and this line from the introduction caught my attention.
#KLBR #DoorstopKristin #1001books #KindleQuotes
6 out of 100. I think I did even worse this time. And I thought I read a lot of classics.
@Dabbe
#ThreeListThursday