Kristin Lavransdatter - The Wife

Immersing readers in the daily life, social conventions, and political undercurrents of the day, Kristin Lavransdatter portrays in rich detail the life of a passionate and willful woman in medieval Norway. The Wife (1921) chronicles Kristin's marriage to Erlend Nikulausson, a man whose singleminded determination to become an influential social and political figure forces Kristin to take over the management of Erland's long-neglected estate, Husaby, while raising their seven sons. Expanding on themes introduced in The Wreath, Undset's story of a distant past bears striking parallels to modern society, and, in the strong-willed Kristin, depicts a wonderfully drawn heroine whom generations of readers have come to love.