When a young woman at the turn of the century discerned a vocation to the Carmelite order, she was in for a rigorous test of her strength.

Novices were given a tunic of brown linen, a rigid collar, baggy woolen stockings and a stiff coif to cover the head. Underwear and hankies were not part of the set-up, nor was a toothbrush and soap. They were expected to sleep fully clothed (including the collar). The bedpan was shared by several women, and changed only twice weekly by penitents. Menstruation was managed with strips of linen, secured with a string, but washing the area was strictly forbidden. A ceremonial washing of the feet (no higher than the ankles) occurred monthly. Food was vegetarian, and portions small. The penitential practices of flagellation and even applying hot grease to make one’s breasts flaccid were added to the regimen in some monasteries.

(This book is the final volume of Sigrid Undset's trilogy Kristin Lavransdotter. We recommend the Penguin Classics translation from the original Norwegian by Tiina Nunnally. NY: Penguin Classics, 2000. 464 pp. $15.95)

Undset’s The Cross begins with Kristin longing for a time apart in the coolness of the mountains.  Husaby  has been taken away because of Erlend’s treason. Jorungaard, where Kristin was raised, is now their home. Her marriage to Erlend has been wounded by the fires of unforgiveness, adultery, imprisonment and humiliation. Kristin copes with her troubles by pouring herself into the daily round of household concerns on the manor with seven sons.

Despite keeping herself busy, Kristen struggles internally with the burden of guilt toward her father’s memory, resentment towards her displaced knightly husband, anxiety for her rapidly maturing wild band of boys, mixed feelings toward her in-laws, and impatience with gossiping neighbors. She does escape to the quiet uplands for a time. Kristin’s time away from the burning flare-ups of family discord sets a reflective tone for the conclusion of Undset’s powerful trilogy.