After reading the entirety of part 1 of The Bridal Wreath by Kristin Lavransdatter, I surprisingly really like the story so far. Not only is it written in the style of a Grimm fairy tale, but the characterization is charming to the fullest. Kristin reminds me greatly of Theresa of Lisieux, now that I think about it. Anyway, the entirety of the first half was a joy to read, and I was relieved to see that Lavransdatter did not go into great detail about Kristin’s attempted assault. I was screaming for her and speaking loudly, as though I was her mother. Another thing I appreciate about the story is the authenticity of the author- you can feel her love and rich heritage seeping like honey on the page. Of course, I was beyond upset at Arne’s death. It was noble, sure, but I wanted to see them happy at the end of the book. He was the best of the men in the first half of the book, well, besides Kristin’s father. I felt great relief when he refused to blame Kristin for the assault like a real man and father should.
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