christianreader | Sarah's October Books

Kristen Lavransdatter trilogy by Sidrid Undset (The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross) [5/5]
There aren't many books I can read on an annual basis; The Lord of the Rings would be on the list, but few others come to mind. Though I would not have guessed it four years ago, when I mistakenly read the first volume in an archaic translation, Kristen can be safely added now. This was my third time reading through Undset's medieval epic since 2011, and I think I appreciate it more each time. A bit brooding, yes; at times disturbing from my theological standpoint, yes; but as a story that immerses you in another time and place and makes you care for its characters, just so incredibly satisfying. No wonder she won the Nobel Prize. I don't know that I've read historical fiction besides Undset's that comes close, but if anyone has recommendations for other exceptional books/series in the genre, I'm happy to look them up.

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart [3/5]
This was a pleasant, quick read. I liked the setting in rural Crete. I didn't get especially pulled in to the characters and mystery, but it made for a relaxing enough commute/after work novel while I tried to figure out how to follow Kristen.

The Martian by Andy Weir [4/5]
As it turned out, I picked this up at Target after seeing the movie. Lots of fun, tough to put down. I do not have a scientific mind, to say the least, but I was still able to thoroughly enjoy this, and to at least broadly understand the scientific/science fiction aspects. Actually, I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it, considering how little of this genre had ever interested me before; blame my husband... (He's downright fanboyish about the book/film, and has a dream of working in the IT side of space technology someday.)

Gunnar's Daughter by Sigrid Undset [4.5/5]
Yes, I'm a little obsessed right now: it transpired that the only thing that could follow Sigrid Undset novels was...more Sigrid. This was the last of her medieval works I hadn't read before (*sniff*), and it far surpassed my expectations...I guess because she wrote it before the trilogy, I didn't expect it to be great.

Here's what I wrote on Goodreads: When one of the opening lines is "From his sixteenth year he went a-viking," you know it's probably going to be good.

Now that I've read Kristen (3 times), the Hestviken tetralogy, and now Gunnar's Daughter, I'm amazed as ever by Sigrid Undset's ability to evoke a historical moment. Though recognizable, Vigdis' is a different world from Kristen's much more Christianized Norway just a couple of centuries later. Even the brief, fascinating cameo by King Olav in this book is markedly different from Kristen's beloved Saint Olav.

Even having virtually no familiarity with Norse saga, I could appreciate the sparse beauty and relentless unfolding of Undset's storytelling. And, as always, her heroines are complex and know how to give as good as they get.

Thanks for indulging me this month as I rhapsodized about my favorite early-twentieth-century Norwegian novelist!