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This novel left me speechless and full of mixed feelings, and by the end I knew that Sigrid Undset had become one of my favorite authors. When I read Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy earlier this year I felt like I discovered a hidden gem, although it was translated to Arabic but only few Arab readers heard of it, and I wondered why Kristin Lavransdatter was never mentioned along with the famous literature heroines? Why it wasn’t portrayed several times in movies or TV shows like Anna Karnina or Madam Bovary or Jane Austin’s novels? Undest’s heroines were ahead of their time (and Undest’s time) and they represent the strong, determined, passionate yet realistic woman who face the conflict between her own feelings, her family and her society.

I read Gunnar’s Daughter because I wanted to see how Undset wrote before writing Kristin Lavransdatter, and thought it would be less profound, or immature since its one of her early work and compared to her famous novel, but it surprised me on all levels. In Gunnar’s Daughter, we are swept away to Norway and Iceland in the eleventh century, right in the middle of the transition period from paganism to Christianity. Undset wrote her story in a Saga form, and she made sure to stay true to the age traditions and soul through the matters presented and the language she used for her characters.

I loved both Viga-Ljot and Vigdis, and my feelings were swaying between anger and compassion with their acts and motives. Viga-Ljot is not the typical knight nor the typical villain, he’s just a human, a human who made a terrible mistake and suffered from the sequences, a human who mature with years and try to become a better man. Vigdis as well is not the typical princess nor the typical victim, although she suffered most from Ljot’s action but she refused to be treated as a powerless woman, instead she reshaped her life and defended herself and her family honour totally by her own. The ending was shocking, and I kept hoping for another ending while reading the last chapters. But that ending is more real and true to the time, and although it broke my heart I totally admired Undset’s courage in giving such brutal end to her carefully crafted Saga.

I’m fond of “Vikings� and “The Last Kingdom� tv shows, so I was picturing the novel setup and characters in my head easily. I imagined Viga-Ljot to look like Uhtred (The Last Kingdom) and Vigdis to look like Gunnhild (Vikings), and every other character I link it in my imagination to one of these shows characters. I truly enjoyed reading this novel though it left me with a broken heart, but it was such a smooth and profound read. I wish to see an Arabic translation of this novel and other Undest’s work, and to be adopted on screen!