The Bridal Wreath

by Sigrid Undset

"[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante." --Slate A Penguin Classic Kristin Lavransdatter interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B000895RWO
• Release Date: January 1928
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Nordic Romance

Volume one of a trilogy about the title character, Kristin Lavransdatter who grew up in the early 14th century. This book stands on it own as a fine novel. Orginally written in the 1920's the author received a Noble Prize for Literature in the 1930's and at that time this had been her only novel, she had several short stories before this three volume gem. If you ever go to Norway, all of the places and most of the churches, castles, cities and country side sight seeing locations are still there to see.

Nunally does a service to Undset

When I was about 12 I tried to read Kristin Lavransdatter, and gave up quickly. The Archer translation was filled with "difficult" language: medieval archaisms seemed to slow down the language somehow. Kristin was written in the 1920s and takes place in the middle ages, but the archer translation (the one most readily available) alienated me from it so much that I gave up. Nunally's language is fresh and clear. It doesn't have the artificial ring of a translation. I don't know Norwegian, but I feel like she stayed as close as she could to Undset's original syntax and language.Oh, and the story is great, too. The timeless problems of forbidden love, children born out of wedlock, and familial conflicts are presented through the eyes of a perfectly ordinary woman: Kristin Lavransdatter. It's been said she was the first perfectly real woman in all literature. In "The Wreath," the reader encounters Kristin's early life to her marriage and the difficult decisions she makes. Nunally writes of Kristin's actions without condemnation, but with compassion. I think this impartiality gives the book more power. THe reader is left to judge Kristin. Also, this is not one of those overwrought books in which every sentence must be analyzed for symbolism. One can read into Kristin Lavransdatter on many levels, but it does not consist wholly of linguistic capering as so many modern novels do. At the very least, it's just a great story with some extremely memorable characters.Undset was the first woman to win the Nobel prize for literature, and largely because of Archer's *hesitation* LOUSY translations, she's fallen into obscurity in the USA, at least. Hopefully with the advent of Nunally's fresh new translations of Kristin Lavransdatter and Jenny, Undset will once more reappear on the literary landscape.

A Great Historical Novel

If you like historical novels, this is the book for you. Sigrid Undset meticulously researched life in Norway during the Middle Ages, and she brings that world to life for us in her classic trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter. The story is great to boot. Undset won the Nobel Prize for literature, and this is her finest work.The Wreath is the first novel in the series, and in it we follow Kristin as she comes of age. She is a passionate girl, and this is the story of her passion. We might want to read the tale as the story of a girl overcoming the obstacles of her era to realize her dreams, but there is more to the story than that. Kristin's romance with Erland Nikulausson creates havoc in all the lives around them. Undset was a convert to Catholicism, and this is a Catholic novel. Kristin finds her true love, yes. But will it bring her true happiness? Undset presents the heroine's plight with sympathy, but she presents the consequences of her choices with honesty. This first novel sets the stage, and in the next two we will follow on Kristin's journey to know herself and the world around her. It's a great novel about a great life.While Kristin is the focus of the novel, Undset also fully brings to life her family and friends. We meet some great characters along the way. From Arne Gyrdson, Kristin's devoted childhood friend to Fru Aashild, the wise woman who teaches her much about the ways of the world, to Brother Edvin, the saintly monk who offers her spiritual direction, we meet characters that we will long remember. The relationship of Kristin's parents Lavrans and and Rangfrid is especially poignant.To enter gingerly into the translation wars, I have read both versions. For myself, I prefer this one. The archaic language of the Archer translation does give us a sense that the book is about a different world. The problem is that the people in the middle ages would not have sounded archaic to themselves. By presenting the language in a modern vernacular, we have the chance to encounter these people on their own terms. And that allows us to enter into the true difference of Kristin's world - which lies in the difference in values and attitudes. Undset does this almost seamlessly... we are so drawn in that we don't quite realize that we are seeing the world in a very different way.Highly recommended!

Not to be missed

My father and sister have been after me for years to read this trilogy and I am so glad I finally did. I have been an avid reader all my life and have read many different types of books, but I have always wondered how I would answer the question "what is your all-time favorite book?" Now I know. You care about all the characters, you feel their emotions and I for one am grateful to be living in the 20th century, not 14th century Norway after the incredibly vivid descriptions bring the period to life in an unforgettable way. So much more than a love story, it is the saga of the age old struggle to survive, emotionally and physically. A wonderful book.

Emotionally packed, you become Kristin.

The story of Kristin & Erlend are what all romances are made of, but more than that, this book tells you about family & community life in Medieval Scandanavia, it makes you long to know more about it. The writing in this book is so good and the story so well told you never wonder why it won the Nobel prize. Do not miss any of these books. Kristin & her Erlend are a couple you must know!