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As far as Nobel laureates in literature go, Sigrid Undset has slightly less name recognition than Bob Dylan. After all, no one can reflexively sing out lines from Kristin Lavransdatter, the historical fiction trilogy that netted her the book world’s biggest lifetime achievement award. Still, this masterful exploration of life in 14th-century Norway deserves a place on your bookshelf. Though the first installment, The Wreath, was published in 1920, it makes for a spellbinding read even today. Sexy, yet exhaustively researched, it’s sure to change your view of the Middle Ages.

The child of a wealthy landowner, Kristin Lavransdatter (the surname literally translates to “Lavran’s daughter”) grows up happily enough, taking solace in the Catholic faith she learned from her mother. But when she survives a rape attempt, she’s sent of to faraway Oslo, to live in a Benedictine convent. There, Kristin falls in love with a man who was excommunicated for raising children with someone else’s wife. As her exposure to the wider world challenges her faith, how will her conservative family respond?

Table of The Wreath by Sigrid Undset

Table of contents

Volume 1