The Wreath: (Kristin Lavransdatter #1) by Sigrid Undset

Format: Audiobook

Categories:

Classic by a Woman Author- Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2019 
(Books and Chocolate)

Three books by the same author- #mmdchallenge 2019 (Modern Mrs Darcy)

Contains Spoilers

"I've done many things that I thought I would never dare to do because they were sins. But I didn't realize then that the consequence of sin is that you have to trample on other people."

On the surface this story can seem a bit melodramatic, but it's really a very deep book. It's beautifully written, but it's heartbreaking as well. The descriptions are on point. It follows Kristin from a child to her wedding to Erland. I love the Catholicism of it. This culture of Medieval Norway is very Catholic, but still steeped in paganism. They praise God, yet utter curses. Pray to the Saints, but believe in Fae. They believe in trusting God's will for them, but they are also superstitious. Many priests are good, but Undset does not hide the fact that there are evil ones as well, and even the good ones are shown to have sinned and have flaws. The people do not expect them to be perfect. They realize that they are human. This is the culture she grows up in. She is seduced by a much older man, when she is a teenager, who had been excommunicated for adultery, and still has his mistress live with him off and on. This sin causes great trouble in her life. As soon as she gave into him she felt she was his possession, and not in an entirely romantic way. She is passionate about him, but she also feels trapped. It takes her peace away, leads to more sin, and she must struggle with her guilt and the consequences. She still wants to be right with God and the Church, but she wants Erland, and she has her pride. She lies, and hides her sins, and prolongs them until she gets her way. She goes about it backwards. Instead of confessing, and doing things above board first, and then getting married to Erland. She hides, and works sneakily, she wants to marry him first and then deal with her sin, but it festers, and more people are hurt in the process. There is so much going on in this novel, and so many ways to look at it, but I think it's primarily about the struggle between sin and grace, hatred and love, forgiveness and resentment. This book ends on her and Erland's wedding night, but there is a sense of foreboding that their marriage will not be a happy one. I will be reading book 2 for my next category.

CAWPILE Rating:

C- 9
A- 10
W- 8
P- 7
I- 9
L- 9
E- 9

Avg= 8.7 = ⭐⭐⭐⭐