Kristin Lavransdatter

- by Sigrid Undset, Tiina Nunnally (Translator)


As much as I was interested in this detailed life-epic, I must admit the story was not a good 'fit' for me. Not that it lacked a lot of things that make for great story telling, but perhaps it failed to captivate me due to the fact that I could not relate to the main character. I can see why some may be captivated by Kristin's story and inner battles. I can see this novel appealing to those with children (or those with a "maternal instinct"), as they will better be able to understand most of Kristin's plight as a parent throughout the majority of the story.

Perhaps it was also the translation into English that made the book lackluster to me. I felt the text lacked a lot of feeling, and was written a little too "matter of factly" for my taste. No doubt the original manuscript, in Norwegian language, was much more rich and engrossing.

As I cannot give this trilogy a stellar review for the aforementioned reasons, I have given it 3 stars for all the intriguing information I learned about life in 14th-century Norway.