Olav Audunssøn: II. Providence

It's been 3 years since I read the first installment of Undset's Olav tetralogy. Here, Olav and Ingunn start their life as a properly married couple in 14th century Norway, but all their doubts and pains are still grounded in the events from the first book. A little summary at the beginning could have been good :)

Undset's writing still has this calming quality on me, the way she has her protagonists battle their inner turmoil while observing the nature around them. The wild sea beating at the cliff, the sweet sickly smell of willow tree flowers, the harsh nature of the Norwegian winter. Amidst it all questions of sin and guilt, of God's punishment, of the local customs at the time of paying retributions for your sins, of gossip and human nature.

I enjoyed this more than the first part, there was a smoother flow to the narration I felt, which kept me invested in the characters. Even though there was too much misery by the end.