The Mistress of Husaby by Sigrid Undset is the second book in the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy and picks up the story as she travels to her husband's home after their wedding. I enjoy this book even more than the first as the writing continues to be very good and the story itself moves from the angst of early love into the deeper sustaining love of growing a family and building a life together. I also appreciated watching Kristin mature into womanhood making peace with the mistakes of her youth, making amends to those she had hurt but also trusting in God's mercy and learning to let go of guilt and shame.
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather is a wonderful work of fiction based on the real lives of Father Lamy and Father Machebeuf; the actual first bishops of New Mexico and Denver. Covering the time from when Father LaTour is named Archbishop to his death, Cather tells an amazing story of time and place. Sharing stories of settlers, Mexicans, Native Americans and how their experience of faith and land shift and change over time. The wonderful through line being the friendship of the two French priests who differ in personality but share a common missionary commitment to do the hard work set before them in this new and foreign place.
Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.
You're the third person I've seen mention Death Comes for the Archbishop in the past week! I love Willa Cather's writing and would like to re-read this book. At some point I'll have to read Undset. The sheer volume of it keeps me from starting. Seems like a HUGE time commitment when I could buzz through many other books. Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteI guess it's just a good time of the year to read Death Comes for the Archbishop! ;) I enjoyed it as well-and I'm still confused as to how I missed that book for so many years. I read Kristinlavransdatter a few years ago, and I need to re-read it sometime (I was SO MAD at Kristin, that I need to go through it again when I am in a calmer space and frame of mind so I can soak up all of the beauty). It's tough to want to pick it up, though, when it is massive and I know it will probably be emotionally exhausting! But it's a great one for sure.
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