I enjoyed this book just as much as <i>The Wreath</i>. Its focus is Kristin's married life with Erlend on his ancestral estate of Husaby. Kristin bears seven sons, and it is largely to her efforts and leadership that the badly managed farm and household are brought into shape, farming not being one of her husband's interests. He is much more interested in politics, and this is where he gets involved in a group of partisans who prefer a different successor to the throne and falls out of favor with the king. Kristin's younger sister Ramborg gets married...to Simon, who was Kristin's betrothed before she broke the engagement to marry Erlend. She also loses her parents in this book, which is bad news to me because her father Lavrans is my favorite of all the characters in the story! His gradual decline in health, and the account of Lavrans's taking leave of her on horseback after a visit to Husaby, which is when Kristin realizes that her father will not be around forever, is particularly moving and made me cry!
This book, just like <i>The Wreath</i>, is quite detailed on how the people of medieval Norway lived and did things, but Sigrid Undset presents their lifestyle as an integral part of the story, so it never feels as if one is just absorbing a bunch of boring facts. I'm actually surprised at how few footnotes are needed to clarify some custom or other to modern readers.
Already started on the third volume <i>The Cross</i>.
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